Coq au Vin is classic French comfort at its best: slow-cooked, rich, and deeply satisfying. Traditionally made with rooster, we use hens or regular chicken today, since true hens are rare. Braised with bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions, it shines alongside Château-Fuissé Juliénas 2022, a lively Gamay with red fruit, floral hints, and bright acidity that lifts the sauce and keeps every bite vibrant, rustic, and unforgettable.

Steamed mussels, butter, white wine, and a glass of Pouilly-Fumé - simple, briny, and wildly satisfying. This classic dish gets a French accent, a flinty Loire pairing, and just enough swagger to turn weeknight seafood into something worth lingering over.

A pot of lentils so good it deserves its own headline. Earthy, comforting, and endlessly adaptable, these heroic lentils play beautifully with crisp-skinned salmon or rich, savoury pork. Add a glass of Canadian wine - bright Riesling or a confident Cabernet Franc - and suddenly dinner feels intentional, cozy, and a little bit celebratory. Proof that simple food, done well, is never boring.

Pissaladière is a classic Niçoise onion and anchovy tart. Not a pizza. A thick, bread-like crust is topped with slow-caramelized onions, anchovies, and black olives: no tomato, no cheese, by design. Paired with a dry Provençal rosé, it’s an instant escape from Calgary’s winter to the south of France. Comforting, snackable, and perfect Friday-night movie food.

Some couples celebrate their anniversary with candles or getaways. Ours falls on December 29, stranded between Christmas exhaustion and New Year’s chaos. This year, we leaned in. What followed was a full-blown spaghetti-western anniversary dinner: wild boar burgers, smoked Gouda, Cognac mushrooms, and a solemn bottle of Barolo as the sheriff of the table. Costumes were donned, Morricone played, dignity surrendered. Dinner became theatre, and the anniversary - against all odds

Foie gras is a once-a-year indulgence that demands intention, and the right wine. Its richness calls for contrast: sweetness, acidity, and structure. Classic pairings like Tokaji Aszú or Sauternes balance fat with honeyed intensity and sharp lift, turning excess into elegance. Dry whites or Champagne can work, but this is advanced play. Foie gras isn’t about restraint; it’s about choosing indulgence wisely. Happy New Year 🥂

Chablis & Jambon Persillé in Aspic, or, outside France, leftover ham in jelly, is one of Burgundy’s quietly brilliant pairings. The richness and gentle wobble of the parsley-set ham call for acidity, not power. Enter Chablis, a cool-climate, unoaked Chardonnay from northern Burgundy, whose sharp freshness, saline minerality, and citrus lift cut cleanly through the pork while echoing the dish’s herbal notes. Rustic food, precise wine: a match that proves restraint beats embell

I found impossibly cute pink savoiardi at my local Italian supermarket and, of course, couldn’t resist. They resurfaced later, right as I was planning dessert for Christmas Eve. Since yuzu sake had already slipped into the menu via yuzu-sake–cured gravlax, it felt only polite to invite it to dessert too. A gentle splash brought floral lift to a citrusy tiramisu: lemon curd, mascarpone, no coffee, no cocoa. Just winter sunshine, layered and softly festive.

Christmas Eve at our table travels far. Scandinavian gravlax meets Canadian maple and Japanese yuzu sake, woven together by tradition gently bent. A pescatarian ritual rooted in memory, this dish pairs Nordic restraint with citrus brightness, cured slowly and served with quiet ceremony. Champagne bubbles echo the salt and silk of the salmon, while yuzu lends winter sunshine and floral lift—proof that geography matters less than balance, intention, and a table that knows how t