The first time I ate skate, I'm sure it was a fillet that was sautéed and crispy. A piscatorial classic of the bistro, it was made with lots of butter, and probably capers. It's a classic that requires an act of virtuosity, the cutting of the fillet. Fancy fish sellers and well-trained chefs turned a rather ordinary ingredient into something most cooks couldn't really do. About ten years ago or more, skate started showing up unfilleted on … [Read more...]
Declassified
You might drink some exceptional wine from a highly-prized and highly-priced vineyard in Burgundy. But if you're in the know or lucky, this vin might come labeled simply as "Bourgogne" and cost 10 euros instead of hundreds. The wine has been "declassified." Sold as something more generic and less valuable that what it really is. Government regulations in France and elsewhere stipulate how much can be produced and labeled from the most … [Read more...]