In a few short days, I’ll be eating oysters in Paris. This weekend I head to France with mon amour Carol to celebrate my birthday. My daughter, who is flying in from Afghanistan, and my son will meet us there. I will not say which birthday this is, only that I am turning thirty, plus, plus, plus this year.

 We're starting the trip with a few days in Paris, where we will of course be celebrating with champagne and oysters (With the dollar in a nose-dive right now, I'm thinking that it will cost about $20.00 per oyster. Recession, what recession?). After Paris, we head to the small town of Villé in Alsace where we will spend a week visiting relatives and touring some of the wineries that supply L’Auberge Chez François with wines.
 
Again, I don’t want to get into age specifics, so I’ll just say that it has been thirty, plus, years since I've visited Villé. Our family has a small house there, built as a home for my grandparents, where I spent many summers as a child. I will always remember the time my cousin and I were playing in the orchard when he—and I swear I had nothing to do with this—decided to throw an apple into a bee’s nest. We both went running back to the house with a swarm of bees in pursuit. I was bitten all over and, after getting a smack from grandma (I think we'd call that ‘tough love’ these days), I was sent down to the doctor’s house to get treated for the stings.
 
I hope to spend more time on this trip tasting wines and reminiscing with my cousins than running from bees, although after enough wine tasting, anything is possible. One of the wineries I will be visiting is Trimbach, an estate that has been producing wine since the 17th century. They are best known for their Riesling wine, which we feature on our list at the restaurant.
 
This month, I’m sharing a recipe for a traditional Alsatian dish, braised cabbage. This recipe calls for white wine, and I suggest using a good Alsatian Riesling. You only need a cup of wine for the recipe, which leaves the rest of the bottle for the chef.  
 
I am especially excited about the Champagne Celebration cooking demonstration and luncheon December 12, so be sure to check that out! 
 
See you all when I return.
 
Best Culinary Wishes,
 
Chef Jacques