Peaks, valleys and peaks.

When harvest ends in the Napa Valley, you can almost hear a collective sigh from the vineyards: The days and nights of watching the sky, checking the sugar levels of grapes, reading weather forecasts, walking the vineyards — all the endless hours of work all come to a finish, more or less. 

Turning the spotlight on the hottest new culinary trend in America — Spanish food and wine — the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone hosted some 70 Spanish chefs and a wealth of their New World counterparts at a three-day conference at the beginning of November.

When Americans talk about food today, they talk about Spain, according to José Andrés, the colorful and often flamboyant conference chairman for the annual Worlds of Flavor conference last week at Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. 

Adapted from “Café Beaujolais” by Margaret S. Fox

This time of year, I’m never more than 15 minutes from an apple pie.

I have seen the future of food, and it’s bizarre. And wonderful. And mind-boggling. And delicious. And funny.

Daunted by the thought of entertaining during the upcoming holiday?

The trouble with lowfat baked treats is that they usually taste it.

Paella Valencia

(Peruvian Lemon Pudding)