Havens Logo 23 White Small

D’Artagnan’s Cassoulet Kit for Home Cooks and Armchair Travelers – Part I

Cassoulet

Anyone who has indulged in Cassoulet will tell you that between the layers of duck fat and decadent sausages—confit duck legs and bone white Coco Tarbais beans—that there is pure magic. It is easily Gascony’s most celebrated and recognizable dish, named after the deep earthenware vessel it cooks in, the cassolle, Cassoulet inhabits a romantic place in […]

In search of the hidden harmonies between Rhône Valley wines and Asian Cuisine

Manila Lion

Like any great operatic singer, Rhône wines have range. They can be muscular and profound with a black-fruited core that ripples through a percussion background of pitch-perfect tannins, acidity, and that earthy, smokey feralness that lets you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re drinking something Old World—something with history and roots thrust […]

Spring Getaway: Dining in Champagne

Amuse bouche

My previous life as a winemaker found me living amidst the rolling hills of southeastern Washington’s Palouse. Carved out by the Missoula floods and crowned in layers of wind-blown loess, it’s a breathtaking landscape that attracts photographers from all over the world. Following harvest, the region changes her gown from green to gold. In the […]

Cultivating Self-Sufficiency in Jackson Hole

Vertical Harvest

An interview with architect Nona Yehia of Vertical Harvest Jackson Wyoming is best known for its upscale resorts and breathtaking Teton mountain backdrop. It’s a city that averages 38 feet of snowfall annually, with a short four-month growing season. A playground for skiers and outdoor enthusiasts it may be, for gardeners not so much. Thanks […]

Art of the Macaron: Cooking Classes at Aubergine

Pastry Chef Ron Mendoza at Aubergine

It’s small. That was my first thought on entering the tidy, well-lit kitchen at Aubergine. I had attended an eight-course dinner there the month before, a sumptuous and innovative menu featuring white and black Alba truffles, expertly woven into each luxurious course. I knew what sort of magic could come from the belly of this modest […]

La Balena Cucina Toscana & Foradori Fontanasanta

La Balena Cucina Toscana

Dappled sunlight bathes La Balena’s patio in a warm and languid light, and, in spite of the fact that it’s mid-January here in Carmel, I’m regretting the jacket I’ve worn over my light cotton dress.  A nearby fountain with a salt-stained patina, seated in front of a hedge of flowering Bougainvillea, lends the atmosphere to […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com