tiramisu

one of my favorite teachers in high school was my italian instructor, signora maria longo, whose energetic and animated style was the perfect introduction to the country i'd later fall in love with and revisit many times. she gave the quirkiest assignments. one week she ordered us to "think and speak italian in the shower for a week, using all the words you know." she'd often give us italian recipes as homework, asking us to come in the following week with a critique from a family member. some of the recipes were quite challenging, like ossobuco with rice. and then there was the tiramisu, which was a legendary hit in my family... well, i only made it once, but that's the secret to making legends!

whenever i order tiramisu in a restaurant i think of signora longo waving her hands and proclaiming,"YOU ARE GONNA LOVE it! it means PICK ME UP! the coffee and alcohol are gonna PICK YOU UP!"

tiramisu at saraghina in bed-stuy, brooklyn

ain't that the truth

heaven can wait

i love charlotte gainsbourg, don't you?

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait from Charlotte Gainsbourg on Vimeo.

kell on earth

i don't usually like the term "guilty pleasure" but how else can i describe the new bravo show, kell on earth? kelly cutrone is tough as nails and the show does a great job of showing the grittier side of the fashion industry. but what i really enjoy is watching her put people - inept interns, obnoxious clients, etc. - in their place. it may be the same kind of sick pleasure i get out of watching gordon ramsay yell at bumbling contestants on his cooking show.

is there something wrong with me? part of me thinks it's because i enjoy work and therefore appreciate shows about work and people who take it seriously. or maybe i'm just plain mean? yeah, i thought so too. but seriously... "if you have to cry, go outside."

selene wines

another thing that's been keeping my spirit going these very cold weeks: a few bottles of Selene Sauvignon Blanc in my fridge!

i fell in love with the wine at the french laundry in napa late last year. if i could relive a few minutes of my trip, i might choose those moments between my first sip of the Selene and my last bite of the famous oyster+pearls.

when i got back to new york, i picked up a bottle at sherry-lehmann just to make sure i hadn't just been fooled by the food and atmosphere. thankfully, it still tasted fabulous, even in my rinky dink apartment in astoria. so i had a few bottles shipped from the winery.

they use sauvignon blanc musque, which is highly aromatic and much more intense than the grassy or herbaceous kind. the wine reminds me a bit of a lovely quincy i had along with some oysters in paris many, many years ago with my good friend hidemi. it reminds me of why i love wine.