cooking with grappa!

me and my grappa!

first off … grappa? no, it’s not a hypocorism for my grandfather. it’s a drink that, as a recent article in the New York Times Magazine described, is “not for the mild of heart or palate.” of grappa, the writer Italo Calvino wrote: “suitable only for defrocked priests, unemployed bookkeepers and husbands who have been cuckolded.” it’s a brandy-like beverage distilled from the bits of grape (peel, stems, and other remains) leftover from the process of making wine. it is a clear, un-aged liquid, the quality of which, like wine, depends on the fruit and process used to make it.

break! (after charlie brown)

so, it’s christmas break, and i’ve been busy breaking things. my tooth is broken, which in turn is breaking the skin inside of my cheek (ouch). i’m breaking the bank, and the bank is

cookies!

i made some very tasty lemon ricotta cookies!  you can get the recipe (by Giata De Laurentiis) online here at the foodnetwork website. i’d recommend baking them for only 12 minutes instead of the 15 the recipe calls for — the bottoms brown quite quickly, and burned cookie bottoms are just not acceptable.