Favorite Things # 4 & # 5

Drum roll here....favorite thing # 4 is French wine! I consider wine one of the major food groups and tasted as many yummy wines as I could on my trips to France.One night in September at Le Bistrot de Paris, my dinner companions and I shared an $85 bottle of Pouilly Fume that was wonderful. I've sipped roses across Provence. But my very favorite French wine is the one I'm toasting with here in Patrick's tiny upstairs kitchen....a lovely red wine called Cahors. It's specific to the Lot region of the Dordogne and is made by only a few families there. I first read about it in Michael Sanders' book "Families of the Vine," which follows wine families of this region as they work their vineyards and produce their wines. I don't have an educated wine palate, so I can't describe this wine in terms of the subtle flavors in it. I can tell you that it's big and bold and almost black in color. It holds up deliciously against the most complex and richly flavored foods. The best thing about it is...I can actually buy it in Des Moines! A bit pricier than it was in Paris and Provence, but still a very special treat.

Here's # 5 on my list of favorite things from Paris and Provence....pastis. It's an anise-flavored liqueur that is very popular as an afternoon aperitif in the South of France. "51" is one of the popular brands and the glasses are made especially for pastis. You pour the liqueur up to the white line, add an ice cube, and fill the rest of the glass with cold water. The clear amber liquid immediately turns cloudy. Sip slowly and enjoy the Provencal afternoon sun! Yes, I brought the bottle and the glasses home from France and managed to do it without anything breaking. I noticed as I set these on my dining room table that the pastis bottle is getting low...time to make another trip to Provence!