REAL Pasta Carbonara

 No cream in this authentic Italian dish (and my second favorite pasta)

 Lots of fresh coarse ground black pepper adds some bite, the pancetta (or better yet guanciale if you can find it) with percorino and parmesan...come on...you know you are hungry

 Farmers market egg yolk perched on top....the heat from the pasta will cook the egg and makes for an incredibly luscious sauce without the use of cream 

A nice Italian white would be nice with this, but we had a simple Italian red that we love, and it was delicious picking up the pepper notes in the wine and the pasta

Still the king of all meals....

 No matter what I make, how fancy I get...my original best dish is still the king and the one both my girls beg for

 Handmade pasta that everyone helps make when we run it through the pasta maker...they help hold the sheets while I crank the wheel

 Best part is a toss up between the sauce and the meatballs....I think that is no contest....which one...come over and find out!  ;)

My portion....yum....served with a nice Barbera 

Handmade Pappardelle with Duck Ragu

 Handmade pasta is just better, and with the richness of this dish it was a nice treat.  I pan seared some duck  breasts and skimmed off "some" fat.  The rich sauce on this is because I actually emulsified the fat when I blended the sauce, making it super rich.  I think finely chopped the duck meat and added it back to to the sauce and served  .I could have cut this portion in half and it would have been just right

This one was served with a very nice Burgundy....which I felt was a must with this very French inspired dish 

Lamb and risotto

 Herb crusted lamb chops with my famous mushroom risotto, nice little bit of prosciutto on top 

We enjoyed this with a Syrah....I know, I know...should be a Pinot with the mushrooms...but the Syrah was perfect with the herb crust and the game taste on the chops

Calamari

 Light breading and a simple acidic tomato sauce...very good

 The tentacles are my favorite part, unfortunately for me they are Chloe's apparent favorite as well

Embracing my German side...

 Pan sauteed chicken livers from Whole Foods, and some farmers market apples

 Cooked with onions and Riesling....and of course....butter

Paired it with a good German Riesling....I liked it more than Gretchen....Chloe thought they were pretty good as well

What to use our fresh honey for?

 We got some fresh honey from my favorite winery in Sonoma, and it was so good had to come up with something simple to show it off.

 I peeled and diced some pears (d'anjou and green), got some great blue cheese from Whole Foods and crumbled that on the plate, and the broke apart some organic peanut brittle.  Drizzled the whole plate with a fair amount of the honey, and served with some good crackers.  Quite tasty.

Served with a Riesling from the Mosel valley (in my opinion the best region for Riesling...sorry Alsace) It was a great pairing....and the clean up was easy too!  ;)

Grand Marnier souffles w/creme anglaise

 Was afraid this would not rise, but it was perfect, light and airy.  This one is now ready for a dinner party!

 Along with my food obsession, most of you know I am now an obsessed home mixoligist.  The drink I made for this is called the 'soundwave' (after a major piece of art in our home).  Bourbon, grand marnier, sweet vermouth, and two types of specialty bitters.  Garnished with a fresh orange twist.  

 Opened it up and poured in the creme anaglaise....it did not suck.  ;)

Asparagus and Truffled seafood risotto with a seared sea scallop....

 Baked asparagus drizzled with a lemon/mayo/caper dressing

 We licked our plates with this one, maybe the best risotto I have ever made, and a very elegant meal

 Risotto was cooked with fresh made shrimp stock, and then some gently poached shrimp were added to create a very luxurious base for the seared scallops.  If that wasn't good enough, I then drizzled the whole thing with white truffle oil....A-MAZING

We drank our favorite chardonnay from our wine country vacation....

Seared NY Strip, with integral pan sauce

 Pan seared with a coarse ground black pepper crust

 Integral pan sauce was deglazed with some cognac, flamed, then added some mustard, vinegar, and finished with cold butter....delicious natural sauce

Served with a big Napa cab....excellent pairing...smoked a Cohiba red dot after dinner...perfect after the rich steak.