Vermouth

Here I go again, extolling the virtues of what I feel is an under-appreciated wine.  Yes, vermouth is a type of wine!  In fact, it's a fortified wine.  That means that at some point either during or after the fermentation of the grapes, alcohol is added to increase its shelf-life.  What makes vermouth unique amongst fortified wines is that it is also flavored with herbs, spices, and other botanicals.  All of those layers of flavor make it great for a really interesting cocktail, an aperitif, or for cooking.

It has become fashionable to order a martini without vermouth now that there are so many top quality vodkas and gins available to us.  Back in the day when there was a dearth of understanding for fermentation technology and the intricacies of distillation, spirits were bit more rough and primitive.  The vermouth was often added to mask the undesirable flavors and to "smooth" out the spirit that it was blended with.  In the case of a Martini or a Manhattan, it also brings the overall alcohol level of the drink down, making it possible to have more than one over the course of a night.  Believe it or not, both of these used to be two ounce drinks and were never intended to fill the huge seven or eight glasses that are commonly used in restaurants or bars now.  If you are ordering a vodka with no vermouth, you are drinking three to four shots of vodka!  I don't know how people manage to drink two or more in an hour's time and are still able to taste food, let alone stand.

Fabulously Fierce Friends, Dot

Like many retired folks, I found myself with lots of free unplanned time in the fall of 2005. Since that time I have declared a love of travel, cooking and reading. I even learned to knit to pass the time. Also, I found a world of volunteerism out there. I spend a few hours a week volunteering at a local hospital. I also love to play duplicate bridge (a passion) and have joined a book club of like-minded women. I hope to share travel, books and cooking ideas on my blog. Hope you will enjoy my ramblings.

The Spaulding Collection, MFA

One of the most fun parts about my membership at the MFA is that I have discovered so many new parts of the museum from just wandering around that were previously unknown to me.  Yesterday, after seeing the wonderful Melendez show, I poked around in the Asian wing.  Tucked away in a small corner I found a sampling of Japanese prints from the Spaulding Collection.  This huge collection of original Japanese block prints was donated to the MFA by the brothers Spaulding with a unique stipulation.  Due to the fact that these prints tend to fade quickly in sunlight, the brothers asked that the collection not be shown to the public.  With the invention of UV protecting glass, however, the museum is now able to show some of these stunning graphic works which are now on display.

Here a couple of my favorites that I'd like to share with you.  There are quite a few more to see. You can view low-res scans of these prints online at the MFA's website by clicking here.

Fabulously Fierce Friend, Sonja

To a certain degree, your friends define who you are.  You identify with them and admire them for their best traits and often take on the characteristics that you admire in them.  This series will profile some of the amazing people that I have met over my years in music and the food service industry.  I'd like to share with you how fantastic they are. Starting on the first Friday in February, I will publish a different Fabulously Fierce Friend's answers to a standardized list of questions along with a little of their backgrounds.  I think you will enjoy reading their responses as much as I have, and maybe even learn a little something along the way too.

Sonja writes: Sonja Tonnesen aka Mistress Botrytis was born and raised in New York, where she currently resides and serves as Director of Food and Beverage of the Millenium Hilton Hotel. 90 percent of her calories come from raw seafood and champagne. Sonja loves the Yankees, the novels of Tom Robbins, red and white Burgundy, and her 2 year old niece. Her ambition is to be Food and Beverage Director of the Universe, when along with Citrus Quark will spend the days educating people on the proper wine pairings for Everything Tuna with Cucumber Sauce and putting repeat offenders of the Never Order Fish and Chips policy to violent ends.

Luis Melendez at the MFA

I stopped off at the MFA yesterday to see the Luis Melendez exhibition that just opened.  I didn't know a thing about the artist until I first read about him in the morning before heading out of the door.  From my research, I learned that he is highly regarded for his still life paintings.  What drew me to the show in the first place were the pictures the MFA advertised of his food paintings.  I figured that any artist who is as obsessed with food and wine as me would be someone whose works I would like to know more about.

The show was a real treat.  It started at the National Gallery in DC, and is on display here in Boston for a few months.  Melendez aspired to be a court artist for the Spanish royalty in the 18th century, but instead was recognized by the Prince for his skill in rendering food and culinary implements.  He painted the same objects and foods over and over again, and as you can imagine, became very good at it.  You can even see some of the original implements on display at the MFA.  The prince commissioned him to paint a series of the indigenous foods of Spain, which in turn defined Melendez's output from that point on.  There were even a few still-lifes that had been painted over portraits that he never managed to sell.