A Wine From Nowhere

These “amelioration techniques” were dishonest and fraudulent, as the producers tried to pass off their blends as Bordeaux or Burgundy. Penfolds, of course, is doing nothing of the sort. It’s transparent with its marketing and “Wine of the World” labeling. And with suggested retail prices of $149 a bottle for the Bin 149 and $700…

How to Make the Perfect Sponge Cake

Sponge cake doesn’t typically fall high on people’s list of favorite desserts. Its name doesn’t stir the heart, and so often it’s dry and tasteless. But, when properly made, sponge cake is tender and bouncy with a cloudlike crumb that deftly soaks up the flavors of whatever it’s paired with, like whipped cream, coffee or…

Your New Meatball Sub

Good morning. There are some nights when all I want to eat for dinner is super-crisp chicken wings with ranch dressing, or hot dogs loaded with chopped pickles and streaked with crema and hot sauce. They’re usually Wednesday nights when I want a break from cooking, but don’t want to deal with the invariable disappointment…

The Taste of Summer

It’s a groundfish that doesn’t taste like a bottom dweller. It’s a highlight of my summer meals. America suited Charpentier’s ambitions. Not long after his arrival, he opened his restaurant in Lynbrook, a landlocked village on the South Shore of Long Island, about an hour outside the city. He courted customers from his work in…

How to Grill Vegetables

On a gas grill, light the outside or front and rear burners and do your indirect grilling over the unlit burner or burners in the center. On a kamado-style cooker, insert the heat diffuser plate — ceramic in most models, metal in some — to block direct exposure to the fire. The pellet grill set…