What should I pair with Amarone? This is one of the most common questions I am asked whenever discussing Amarone. Luckily, the times really are a changin’ and many winemakers are now producing more balanced and savory wines that make bringing a bottle of Amarone to the dinner table a much more palatable option than in the past. So, what do you pair with Amarone? When all else fails, make a Risotto.

It had to happen sooner or later. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring cookies to Vinous in The Kitchen, at a time when families are home and projects with the kids make for a great way to spend quality time together. Even as someone who has been gluten-free for nearly a decade and stays far away from sweets, when my daughter came to me and asked if I would make her my “Famous” chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, I couldn’t resist. Because the fact is, even if I can’t enjoy them myself, I take great pleasure in sharing them and watching her eyes light up. Let’s face it, making cookies from scratch has become something of a lost art. We all loved the mom or aunt who made them and shared around the holidays, yet the average person seldom makes cookies themselves. My goal is to change that today.

Graphic artist, children's book illustrator, musician, designer, amateur chef and professional chocolate taster (you read that right); these are just a few of the talents that make Genevieve Leloup one of the most interesting people I know. However, what inspired me to invite her onto an episode of Vinous in the Kitchen is Genevieve’s ability to mix her passion for chocolate and cooking to create some of the tastiest and thought-provoking dishes imaginable. Now, if your mind has suddenly taken you to thinking of simple samples of fine chocolate and sweet dishes gingerly laid out for the taster’s enjoyment, STOP. Instead, imagine a meal centered on every manifestation of chocolate imaginable. Savory, salty, sour and sweet.

I must admit that the first time I made hot wings, I was quite intimidated. However, I was determined because with the world outside feeling upside down, I needed the comfort of one of my favorite foods. And so, I decided to make it all from scratch and figure out how to achieve crispy wings in the oven.

I will never forget my first experience with a perfectly cooked, fall-off-the-bone, rack of ribs. Granted, at the time, it was slathered with a heavy sweet-and-spicy barbeque sauce, but even with the intensity of that sauce, the flavor and texture of those ribs shined through like a beacon in the night. In my opinion, no other dish is quite as decadent and satisfies all of the senses, while also being nourishing to the body, mind and soul.

Today we are going to talk about fire roasting a whole fish, dressed with a sauce of lemon, olive oil and herbs that will practically make itself. We are also going to prepare the same fish to be served as fillets with the same sauce, without tearing up any of the tender juicy meat. For this preparation, I'm going to look to a classic fish that can be found on menus around the world and at any self-respecting Mediterranean restaurant, and that’s Branzino, also known as sea bass. However, you can use this process and the tips below to pick out and prepare nearly any whole fish. Also, don’t be afraid of the term “fire-roasted” because we are going to make this from start to finish under the broiler in your oven. Lastly, to top it all off, we are going to prepare a Horta using Swiss chard, one of my absolute favorite sides when eating Mediterranean.

What is the perfect burger? Is there really any such thing? Let’s be honest here - my idea of the perfect burger may be similar to yours, but it won’t be the same for everyone. In fact, in my house, I have four people who all love different levels of doneness, with or without cheese, bacon over or under the cheese, toasted buns or not, and then me – I go bunless, but with a bigger patty that includes ground lamb. I’m sure you can imagine the production burger night is at my home.

Frankly, anyone can stock a pantry, but there are a few things that separate my family from the average household, and these have given me some interesting insights. For one thing, since the day I graduated culinary school, it was decided that I would be doing all of the cooking in the house. And so, like many households where a chef or ex-chef does all the cooking, there is a certain set of necessities that we were taught to always have on hand. Therefore, our pantry is incredibly diverse, and it has been now for over a decade, which has given me a number of thoughts into what should be in a well-stocked and maintained kitchen. Plus, just to make sure I had all of the bases covered for the average family, I made sure to quiz as many highly-qualified moms from around my neighborhood as possible.

It took me far too long into my culinary career to finally invest in a stock pot and start down the path of creating my own chicken, beef and mushroom stocks. My experience with stock in professional kitchens started in school, where we learned the fundamentals; yet after that, it was always the late night or early morning crews who would tend to the massive stock pots. I began to respect the importance of a good stock when I left restaurants and began cooking in my own home. That was when it dawned on me that I could make my own stock.

I can still hear it now...the 1940s big band music that was always playing in my grandmother’s kitchen. Like something out of a movie, she was the patriarch of the family, having devoted every moment of every day to her family first. When you were in her home, you wanted for nothing. Each end table had a small bowl of spice drops and one of chocolates; there always seemed to be tea and coffee made, not to mention a piece of cake or biscotti to accompany it. What’s more, she never sat down when the family dinner was served. Instead she would continue to usher in plate after plate of food to the dining room table, until finally my grandfather or father would holler for her to sit down before everything got cold. Through it all, the music played.

One of the first things I was taught when learning to cook professionally is the power of nostalgia. In fact, it was presented to me as more of an ingredient than a response from a client. It’s because of this that I will forever want tomato soup with my grilled cheese, or why a simple plate of Pasta Con Le Sarde will easily transport me back to happy childhood summers and the memories of running through sprinklers on hot asphalt. The same goes for pancakes. I could be in the fanciest restaurant for brunch, at the finest high tea, or just huddled up with a cup of coffee on a porch in Vermont, and what would bring me the most happiness is pancakes.

Low and Slow is the name of the game. When I search to see how other cooks prepare braised pork shoulder, it amazes me how many home chefs rush the process and miss out on the fall-off-the-fork goodness that a perfectly braised pork shoulder should deliver. It took me a long time to bend my brain around the fact that the more connective tissue a piece of meat has, the longer it should cook. However, the temperatures need to be low, and the type of cooking should include moist heat. In fact, there are many chefs that will bring the oven temperatures down even further than I do and braise for hours on end. What we need to do to get at that flavor is to break down the tissue that holds the meat together, hence the fall-off-the-fork tenderness that you get when it’s cooked properly.

Roasting a duck while properly rendering the fat and getting that perfect crispy skin can be quite intimidating. However, with just a few simple tricks and the right preparation, you’ll be hitting your family or holiday table with a platter of perfectly moist, seasoned meat and the crispiest skin you can possibly imagine. It’s so good that you won’t even need the stereotypical citrus glaze to go with it, but we’ll cover that as well. So, get your roasting pan ready, and don’t forget your glass because we also have some wine pairings that will complement all that crispy goodness.

Imagine if you will; trust me, it won’t be hard. You’re a foodie and lover of wine who has explored the cuisine of all of your favorite wine-producing regions. Why? Well, that’s simple; as they say, “what grows with it goes with it.” However, your experience has been at the top fine-dining establishments around the world, your own exploration from cookbooks, or better yet, an authentic local restaurant close to the vineyards. Now you’re with me, right, and you think you know just how amazing it is to experience the perfect pairing of regional wine and cuisine? But you’re wrong.

As a lover of all things meat, and being a huge fan of grilled and pan-seared steaks, there is no other fish that speaks to my soul as well as a seared piece of salmon. It provides a hearty, flavorful, and texturally seductive experience, which bridges the gap between sea and land. However, like most people, seared salmon was one of the most intimidating preparations for me to start making at home.

Not just a cool name, Cast Iron Chicken is a huge crowd-pleaser, which also gives the chef (you) the ability to do most of the work beforehand through proper preparation. Also, imagine a perfectly cooked chicken with moist white meat, intensely flavored dark meat, and crispy skin. What’s more, you can build your entire dinner in one large pan. Serve it family-style or plate it; you’ll be everyone’s hero the moment they get to the table.

There I was, a young culinary school student with a background in central and southern Italian cooking, but very little knowledge of the north, when I came to realize that our lesson that day was making Risotto. I suddenly felt tense, as a wave of anxiety washed over me, remembering when our Chef-instructor had explained at the beginning of our semester that the two preparations that define an expert chef are the perfect French omelet and Risotto. What’s more, it seemed alien to me, having grown up with my grandmother making fresh pastas and sauces based on olive oil, tomatoes, and herbs from our backyard. Flash in the pan preparations were my forte, using a minimal amount of ingredients. The idea of spending a ½ hour standing over a pot—no way. That is of course until I made my first Risotto, or should I say, when I tasted my first Risotto.