The Best Thing About Rite-Aid in Bridgehampton

No, you can't buy wine there. But you do have to pass by Channing Daughters Winery to get there from Sag Harbor. And if you stop by the winery on your way to the drugstore, you will have a chance to sample and buy all four of their new Rosato releases before they sell out, which they always do, before the summertime, when you really want to drink them.

Happy Byproduct of 10th Grade Spanish Assignment

Last week, I bought this jar of roasted peppers at Citarella's under the mistaken impression that my daughter needed peppers for her tapas homework. I was afraid that if I put it in the cabinet I would forget about it, along with other random items I've bought by accident over the months (years)--Newman's Own salsa, carrot juice, canned cherries, concentrated beef broth. So I just let it sit on the counter until I remembered this savory red pepper loaf cake recipe:

Polenta Loaf with Roasted Red Peppers and Provolone
Makes 1 loaf, about 12 generous slices

Sliced and then cut into cubes, this made a great snack with my Channing Daughters Rosso Fresco.

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teapsoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablepsoons sugar
4 ounces Provolone cheese, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup roasted red pepper slices, patted dry and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large measuring cup.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Cream together with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary, about 3 minutes. On low, mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture. When incorporated, mix in half of hte milk mixture. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk mixtures, ending with the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for 30 seconds. Stir in the cheese, peppers, and parsley.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the loaf is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, invert onto a rack, re-invert, and let cool completely before slicing and serving.

Typical Sunday

It was a typical Sunday here in Sag Harbor, full of small triumphs and disappointments. I woke up early to make a loaf of buttery white sandwich bread, and while the mixer was kneading my dough I received an e-mail from my brother-in-law in Vermont, with a photo of a Shelburne farm stand where crowds flock to buy cider doughnuts. Those doughnuts must be good, because I'm sure there hasn't been a crowd that big in Vermont since the Jonas Brothers played the Champlain Valley Exposition last summer. Hoping against hope that someone had opened up a cider doughnut stand on Main Street overnight, I headed out. Since the Hamptons International Film Festival has been going on all weekend, I was betting on seeing Sharon Stone (who was due to appear at the Bay Street Theater at 1:30) eating a doughnut. But I was disappointed. No doughnuts and the only movie star I've seen this weekend is Alec Baldwin. No offense Alec Baldwin, I think you are hilarious! But I've seen you so many times before on Main Street that I wonder if you are following me! I'm afraid the closest I got to a cider doughnut was a gallon of Milk Pail cider from Falkowski's (Scuttlehole Road and Millstone in Bridgehampton). It was almost 2:00 when I walked into the tasting room at Channing Daughters and felt my luck turn. They had not yet sold out of their newest release, a coppery-colored wine called Ramato that I knew would be perfect with my Thanksgiving turkey if only I could get my hands on some of it. On the way home, I saw that Bay Burger had some new Fall ice cream flavors, so I stopped to pick up a pint of pumpkin. When I sit down tonight to enjoy my bread and ice cream, secure in the knowledge that I'll have plenty of wine to drink on Thanksgiving day, I'll only feel a little bit sad that I never got my doughnut.

Join the Club

I've never been much of joiner. I don't belong to a book group, a country club, or a knitting circle. I believe I am the least active and effective member of the Sag Harbor P.T.A. Several years ago, however, I found a group that made few demands on my time, energy, and social skills while providing an inordinate amount of pleasure: The Channing Daughters Wine Club. I didn't have to submit to an interview or provide a letter of recommendation. To join, all I needed was a valid credit card number and a reminder to drive over to the winery every other month to pick up two new bottles. Perks of membership include 10% off all Channing Daughters wines and the chance to enjoy the sight of rows of Long Island grapes growing under a spectacular sky when you are there. The winery was especially beautiful yesterday afternoon when I stopped by to pick up the newest releases, a bone-dry, crisply acidic Tocai Friuliano, and Sylvanus, Channing Daughers' vin de terroir made with grapes grown in the field adjacent to the tasting room on Scuttlehole Road. I may very well return this weekend with my houseguests (another perk--as a member I'm allowed to bring up to 5 friends with me for free tastings) to enjoy the view, and some of the half-dozen wines they're pouring from 11 to 5 each day.