American Coffee

I will miss American coffee. I will miss New York. I am sitting in Dean & Deluca wishing I worked here, or owned the place really. It's a foodies heaven, beautiful pastries, superb sour dough, endless cheese counter. But it's the black coffee that I have most gotten used to. I'm a tea drinker by nature and usually only have about one coffee a week, latte mostly, but during my NY stay I have had so many late nights I have needed this injection of caffeine. So I had to get used to the coffee. And frankly, the tea here is simply shit.

Mostly Drinking American Wine

I have been shopping in my local (NYC) wine shop, Vintners on 9th Ave & 46th St. I am most impressed that they don't have any beer, cider etc and that it has just a very good and large range of wine.

Trying to stick to American (and South American) wines for my entertaining and to keep away from anything I might see on a shelf in UK. Quite easy too as most of it I don't recognise, except for some from the other parts of the world, France and Australia. Being a fan of most grape verities I am working my way through and have a little line up on my kitchen worktop, empty of course!
I shared a bottle of Pinot Noir from Oregon, with JK that I’d bought because of the blue label, and the fact the wine sales guy said it was good easy drinking; JK also commented on the blue label, boys always like blue eh!
Such a weird and, frankly, brave colour for food/wine labelling, I wanted to see if it worked. We'll it disappeared quite quickly so I think the fresh berry nose with good acidity and soft tannins was a winner.

American Cheese

I admit to being a little bit shocked that America does produce some good cheese. Not quite the goats cheese of France or the washed rind of Ireland but quite decent cheese. I have tried some goats cheese (young fresh), some acceptable cheddar style, a good washed rind for Vermont (my lovely American friend, Rose, will be pleased) and a sheep’s that was nothing to complain about. So if you'd ever thought America can't make cheese, which on the whole we would all admit to, they do do a few good ones. However, the 'brick' cheese made in "the cheese state" of Wisconsin (my sister’s old home of 5years) is really not worth a sniff. They do call it 'brick' too, because they mature it (if you can call a month maturing for cheddar, which we can't in the uk) in brick shaped moulds, about the same size as concrete blocks, which would be just as tasty. Oooo sorry Wisconsin. You do other things really very well, tail gating for one.....and that's a story for another time.

Go-Large for Breakfast

I ordered egg and sausage....I don't understand why I got two eggs, two sausages plus two slices of toast with butter and jelly (jam) and bubble and squeak (or something similar). I think it's just because in America (I'm in NYC at the mo) they always want meals 'larger'. But when I wanted egg and sausage that's all I really wanted, honestly it really is. So I had all this extra food, and I was brought up not to leave anything on my plate or I couldn't get down from the table, so I ate it (except the 'grape' jelly). I was really full all day and only had a tiny bit of sushi at 3pm to get me through to dinner.

It made me think that eating a full English breakfast wouldn't be such a bad idea. I didn't loose concentration at all through the day. I didn't need a snack at all (and I was stood looking at chocolate and brownies all day). These miners had it made eating a full English before heading down the pit. I knew northerners had it right.

Easter Eggs

The other day I was asked the question 'are we doing eggs this year?' . Of course we're doing eggs this year I thought. I already had bought given egg. I looked at all the eggs and decided to go back to the first one. A banoffee pie milk chocolate egg from Chocolate Alchemist. Smallish but perfectly suitable for the banoffee pie lover in my life. I would like a dark chocolate egg filled with violet creams, from my favourite chocolate maker, Audreys. They don't deliver eggs (only more solid chocs) and I guess P won't get there easily or in-time so I'll have to just accept a Green & Blacks (ok, not just, but not first choice) or something he can easily get hold of nearer to work.

At least I won't get a massive but rather thin chocolate (sorry is 23% cocoa actually chocolate?) egg from a huge brand who spent more on the packaging than the chocolate....and sadly underpaid the cocoa farmer!

Don't buy these eggs and think you're celebrating Easter. Celebrate with a smaller egg of the finest quality chocolate your purse strings can stretch to. After all, you'll have lost all that weight from giving up chocolate/cake/biscuits/alcohol(well done you if alcohol) then put it straight back on in one day. Small is beautiful after all.