With New Year’s Eve around the corner we thought it a perfect time to celebrate bubbles. Of course, to some extent Champagne—and Cava, Prosecco, and a host of sparkling New World siblings—seems wasted on the holidays. Naming a time that’s wrong for champagne is like choosing a favorite child: nearly impossible. “I think Champagne goes…

While everyone else is trying to decide what Washington wine to pair with their favorite holiday dish, we suggest you spend some time putting together a punch. Punch is the great equalizer. It’s something everyone from Uncle Joe (still muddy from the late morning pickup game) to perfectly-put-together Aunt Mary, in her elbow length tea…

Indulging in Desserts this Valentine’s Day? Similar to love, it took the Heartwood team a few tries to get this year’s Valentine’s Day dessert just right. Chef Varin and Amanda Reed are constantly reworking recipes and adjusting the most minute flavors, textures, and ingredients to create an intriguing pairing. In this case, a yogurt panna…

Each year after the ball drops in Time Square, fireworks finish bursting in the sky, and the dust settles, Americans begin avowing change. They resolve to lose weight, to learn something new, to save money, and live life to the fullest. To all of these we have a solution: Start smoking. We aren’t talking cigarettes…

Recreating the Red Ryder cocktail has become one of my favorite holiday traditions. I came up with this recipe years ago for a holiday pairing dinner with cinnamon as the theme, and have made it for friends and family ever since. Not only is this cocktail seasonal and festive; it is also easy to make…

The stretch between roasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie—the weeks between now and Thanksgiving—is ripe with opportunities to work with pumpkin. So, we tapped Chef Varin for a gourd-ish twist on desserts for the holiday season. He gave us an alternative to the standard pumpkin pie recipe: an effortless pumpkin cake. “As summer winds down and…