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Pairings | Dinner parties

Wine pairings for a chocolate-themed dinner party

Wine pairings for a chocolate-themed dinner party

Posted on December 9 2008 at 14:44

Ever tried chocolate with smoked salmon? Or with butternut squash soup for that matter? Unlikely matches, I'll grant you, but 'chocolate' - in its confectionery guise - is actually a misnomer. It's most likely cacao you'll be cooking with in future, if the founders of the fashionable chocolate brand 'Venezuelan Black' have their way.

Tags: chocolate dinner party dinner parties food:desserts & cakes
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Six of the best ways to entertain as a single

Six of the best ways to entertain as a single

Posted on April 15 2018 at 09:36

Ever since my husband died two and a half years ago I’ve been grappling with the problem of how to entertain on my own.

Tags: dinner parties entertaining
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I don’t know if the rest of you have been having problems concentrating during lockdown but it was becoming such an issue a few weeks ago that I realised I had to do something about it. And so I discovered a guy called Cal Newport - an academic who has written a book on the subject caked Deep Work. One of the techniques is this time planner which helps you create blocks of time to devote to work that needs real concentration and get on with bigger projects you - or at least I - are apt to put to one side. I’ve completed two since I started it I’ve been procrastinating about for weeks. Obviously you don’t need to buy the work book - just use a large exercise book - but I thought it might motivate me and it has. I like the flexibility of it. If something happens to throw you off course you just reschedule your day in the next column (swipe to see how that works). The irony is that I’m sharing this with you on social media which he encourages you to avoid but I regard as part of my working life. Just give it its own slot and don’t spend the day scrolling! . . . #book #bookstagram #selfhelp #timemanagement #timeblocking #planning #calnewport #deepwork #concentration #focus #ipaidforitMy first taste of Carlin peas thanks to kind neighbour @jennychandleruk. Fried off a bit of @coombesheadfarm’s lovely smoky bacon and a chopped onion then added the cooked peas, a handful of chopped parsley and some shredded cavolo nero and finished with a drizzle of olive oil. 15 minutes flat, delicious, simple filling lunch. . . . #carlinpeas #pulses #bacon #cavolonero #greens #oliveoil #lunch #homecooking #comfortfoodJudging by the number of food pix on my feed you might doubt my claim to be ‘an obsessive snapper of wine’ but THIS is the kind of bottle that really rocks my boat. It’s a young cabernet franc from the Loire and just brimming with the most gorgeously vivid fruit - think freshly crushed berries like wild cherries and mulberries. You might find it a tad too tart and sharp if you like bigger riper reds like malbec and shiraz but if you enjoy reds you can chill you should adore it. It comes from @lescavesdepyrene (who sent me the sample) - you can also buy it from @hopburnsblack for £18.95 which isn’t cheap but you’d probably be happy to pay that for a bottle in a restaurant. What would it go with? Charcuterie, goats cheese anything herby - think grilled lamb or chicken with herbs. Lots of veggie dishes too - I’m imagining it with fennel. Dip your toe into cabernet franc! . . . #cabernetfranc #wine #redwine #naturalwine #organicwine #anjou #loire instawine #winestagram #winelabelI confess I bought an ENTIRE meat box from @coombesheadfarm just to have the joy of this mangalitza and prune pie which I had for dinner last night (along with pink fir potatoes and PSB with an anchovy vinaigrette. EVEN better, the 2007 La Conseillante Pomerol I pulled out of the rack without any expectation of it being much cop (I bought it on impulse from Tesco when they had a Bordeaux promo a few years ago) turned out to be on song and just gorgeously rich and velvety. . . . #pie #porkpie #mangalitza #redwine #bordeaux #pomerol #laconseillante #winepairing #foodandwine #paidfor #notanad Follow on Instagram

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