Sublime Salmon

Hello and welcome to Five Weeknight Dishes. It is the craziest time of any year, let alone the craziest year. Anything that is not explicitly connected to holiday celebration should be pretty simple to execute. I haven’t finished shopping! I haven’t wrapped presents! I haven’t even made the list of all the other things I…

A Finger-Food Countdown to 2021

There’s a lot I’ll miss about my usual holiday shindigs this December. There’ll be no sipping eggnog in red lipstick and spangles, no parking myself in front of platters of Camembert and Stilton, not even any sleeves of Ritz crackers with that unidentifiable orange cheese spread I look forward to year after year. But while…

How to Find the Best Champagne for You

Georges Laval Lively, pure, energetic, mineral Champagnes like the Brut Nature ($90). Transatlantic Bubbles, Woodbridge, Conn. Larmandier-Bernier Pinpoint biodynamic blanc de blancs from the Côtes des Blancs, always full of verve and energy, including the nonvintage Longitude ($60) and the vintage Terre de Vertus ($85). Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y. Pierre Péters Exquisite blanc de…

An Elixir From the French Alps, Frozen in Time

“The secret of Chartreuse has long been the despair of distillers, just as the natural blue of forget-me-nots has been the despair of painters,” reads an 1886 document referred to in a recent history of the company and order. Father Holleran spent five years overseeing the distillation process, ordering ingredients and planning its production schedules.…