French Black Winter Truffle GIVEAWAY!

Gorgonzola with Truffle Honey
The wonderful folks at Gourmet Attitude have generously offered Taste With The Eyes the opportunity to host a GIVEAWAY of one French Black Winter Truffle! Merci Beaucoup! It is intensely fragrant and the most cherished of them all, the Queen of French Truffles, Tuber melanosporum, also known as the Périgord Truffle.
Regrettably I don’t happen to have a “fresh black diamond from the earth” on hand today to prepare for this GIVEAWAY, but the next best thing is truffle infused products, like their sensual truffle honey which we paired with gorgonzola and toasted ciabatta, and Champagne!

Elegant Leek & Celeriac Soup

Leek & Celeriac Soup
Toasted Sesame Oil & Black Sesame Seed Garnish
Ciabatta Toast with Smoked Gouda

We recently had one last Holiday Party…
Menu
Pork Potstickers, Apricot Dipping Sauce
Elegant Leek & Celeriac Soup, Smoked Gouda Ciabatta Toast
Pork Roast Roulade
Stuffed with Sausage, Pistachio & Chestnut
Cider Gravy
Wild Arugula Salad with Pistachios, Sherry Vinaigrette
Chocolate Pineapple Soup, Pound Cake Crouton
Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 (Thanks Adam!)

Asparagus Risotto with Gorgonzola

Asparagus Risotto with Gorgonzola
Recently I was the happy recipient of some beautiful bundles of thick and thin asparagus from my friends at Gourmet Trading Company. Elegant asparagus’ peak season is Springtime. If you are in the depths of a really cold winter, maybe this post can lift your spirits? Spring is (almost) around the corner. Gourmet Trading Company imports and distributes top-quality fresh asparagus from the areas where it grows naturally in the Americas. This month asparagus is flourishing on their farms in Peru.

Trim thin stalks of asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces and steam in salted boiling water until tender. Shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

Travel Wine & Dine

I recently had over 3 hours to kill at Newark Liberty International. While shopping for some airport souvenirs I stumbled upon this fabulous upscale wine bar Vino Volo. And the time just flew by…

There are Vino Volo locations in several airports in the US. They offer an interesting menu that complements the wine selections, including small plates of cheese and cured meats. Wine by the glass, tasting flight, and bottle are all available.

Albóndigas Soup with Hatch Chiles

Mexican-style Meatball Soup
Pasilla & Cumin Scented Beef Broth with Rice & Zucchini
Roasted Chiles from Hatch, New Mexico
Garnished with Fried White Corn Tortilla Strips
Lime and Cilantro

Last summer I wrote about Hatch chiles. The famous chile from the “Chile Capital of the World” in Hatch, New Mexico. I addition to lots of fresh chiles, I also bought some pre-roasted chiles to keep on hand in my freezer. They were perfect for this albóndigas recipe.