Food & Wine December/January 2022

2019 LAPOSTOLLE CUVÉE ALEXANDRE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($26) Need an affordable, impressive Cab for the holidays? This Chilean example, full of ripe red- and black-currant flavors, a hint of vanilla, and fine, supple tannins, is just the ticket. It should even improve over the next few years, a rare quality at this price. 2019 TABLAS CREEK ESPRIT DE TABLAS BLANC ($50) This gorgeously complex, ageworthy blend of Roussanne and other white Rhône varieties comes from the first U.S. vineyard to achieve regenerative agriculture certification. Owner Jason Haas let me pour this vintage at our F&W Classic in Aspen this year, and it was a star of the tasting. 2014 CHAMPAGNE AYALA LE BLANC DE BLANCS ($110) Elegant, precise, and lasting, this Blanc de Blancs from Ayala may not be inexpensive, but it certainly is a thrill…

The Sweetest Season WHEN SHAMIL VELÁZQUEZ talks about coquito, he talks about his mother’s kitchen in Puerto Rico, where she always makes her version of the island’s creamy and festive rum punch. This time of year, she’s opening cans of coconut milk and steeping spices on the stove. Her kitchen smells like “cinnamon, cloves, love, and warmth,” says the executive chef of Delaney Oyster House in Charleston. “[Coquito] is about sharing.” While some cookbook recipes refer to it as coconut eggnog, Velázquez’s family recipe for coquito comes with one rule: “Absolutely no egg yolks,” he says. His restaurant’s version (recipe at right) gets richness and viscosity instead from cream of coconut and three types of milk, while warming spices and white rum add aroma and flavor. In Puerto Rico, some families use…

FOR THE BAKER NEWLY MINTED F&W Best New Chef Paola Velez—star of our fan-favorite YouTube series, Pastries with Paola—is a magician with sugar, flour, and fruit. We couldn’t have asked a savvier chef to help us wow aspiring bakers and veteran pastry chefs this holiday season. “When I’m shopping for the bakers in my life, I’m going all out,” she says. “I’m talking about all the tools I wish someone would buy for me!” 1. TILIT RECYCLED WORK CHEF APRON IN PINK “When you wear an apron for a living, you learn what aspects matter most to you. This Tilit apron checks all of the boxes for me—it’s super lightweight, has hip and chest pockets, and the soft straps won’t scratch your neck.” ($85, tilitnyc.com) 2. STAUB ENAMELED CAST-IRON FRY PAN IN SAGE “From pies…

FOR MOST OF MY ADULT LIFE, plus my teenage years, I’ve celebrated Christmas at my aunt and uncle’s home just north of Los Angeles. The vibrant energy, American South–meets–California menu, and magical shape of the day is as much a creation of those who’ve attended the holiday feast as it is our hosts themselves. My aunt is Patrice Rushen, whose decades-long multihyphenate career spans the highest echelons of jazz, pop, and R&B. A South Central L.A. native and versatile jazz pianist and keyboardist, she has seamlessly navigated being the lead act, music director, film composer, or featured band member with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Prince, Carlos Santana, and Lee Ritenour. But most probably know her as a singer-songwriter with groove-rich 1970s and 1980s hits like “Forget Me Nots,” “Remind Me,”…

RESERVATION APPS BEGAN CHECKING VACCINATIONS In August, OpenTable announced a verification tag for restaurants checking customers’ proof of vaccination. As of press time, over 650 restaurants on the network were requiring proof of vaccination, while thousands were using OpenTable’s new “Verified for Entry” tag to help streamline entry for repeat diners. Resy and American Express teamed up with Clear to provide Clear Health Pass to restaurants, allowing operators to track employees’ vaccination and COVID-19 test results. Meanwhile, Yelp added a feature allowing businesses to share whether proof of vaccination is required for guests and if staff is fully vaccinated. SEATED DINING IS DOWN … OpenTable shared that the average percentage of seated diners in the U.S. is down roughly 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels. New York state saw the largest drop in the…

PASTA PERFECT THERE’S A LOT OF LOVE that goes into making homemade lasagna—especially this 24-layered masterpiece from Danielle Glantz, chef and owner of Pastaio Via Corta, a pasta and provisions shop in Gloucester, Massachusetts. There, Glantz makes pasta by the pound, from nests of spaghetti alla chitarra to the sprawling sheets of sfoglia that give this lasagna its structure. While at first glance her lasagna seems like standard fare, there are delicious surprises hiding beneath its cheesy, golden brown surface. “Growing up, I didn’t really like lasagna,” says Glantz. “It was always this giant thing with lots of meat and heaping amounts of ricotta.” Granted, her reimagined lasagna remains a giant thing, but Glantz curated each ingredient and layered every component with intention to create a Northern Italian version that’s decadent and…