The Croissant

The New York Times reports that the iconic French breakfast item, the croissant, will henceforth be made in a straight, rather than curved, shape–at least in several important outlets in Britain. The Brits say it’s easier to spread preserves on a croissant when it’s straight. (Bloody hell, jam is such a chore!). The word croissant refers to the pastry’s crescent shape. Croissants came to France from Austria, probably in the 1830’s.

A wine that has taken on baked or cooked flavors as a result of being exposed to high temperatures for a sustained period of time is known as:

A. Volatilized

B. Maderized

C. Caramelized

D. Autolyzed

Maderized is the term for a wine that has been subject to a long period of heat. The best-known example is Madeira, a wine that is both maderized and oxidized. Historically in the case of Madeira, the wine was stored for decades in producers’ attics which built up tremendous heat under the Madeiran sun. Today, Madeira wine is more commonly heated slowly in tanks (a process known as estufagem) until it reaches temperatures as high as 130 degrees F. Needless to say, table wines should not be maderized.

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The number of years that the Italian wine Brunello di Montalcino Riserva must to be aged before its release. The name Brunello (dialect for “the nice dark one”) is derived from the sangiovese clones used to produce the… Continue reading

The Croissant

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