Our occasional vegetarian nights are becoming more popular, and they make a fun break for me in the kitchen to do something different – taking ideas that I might normally use in a meat-based meal and giving them some interesting twists. By the way, if you haven’t noticed, we’ve begun to focus on the cuisines… Read More Another Night of Vegging Out on the Mediterranean
Bodega del Fin del Mundo Extra Brut 2008, Neuquén – 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, methode tradicionale – lovely salmon pink color, fine bubbles though not a large quantity; yeast, raspberry, burnt sweet cream on the nose; medium body, good acidity, good fruit, a touch metallic on the long finish; overall quite good. Cruzat Larraín… Read More New Tasting Notes
Is there anything better than cream puffs and eclairs? Practice, practice, practice! Profiteroles, or cream puffs, baking in the oven. An interior look at the finished cappuccino cream filled puffs, topped with chocolate glaze and a dusting of cinnamon and sugar. And, cappuccino cream filled eclairs, topped with a vanilla glaze. I joined a new… Read More Puff the Magic…
This week’s little gems, masas secas – tea cookies, or, more commonly here, coffee/mate cookies. “masas cortes” – chocolate and vanilla cookies made with a simple mixed and kneaded dough and then combined in fun little shapes. And “masas batidas”, or beaten dough, which is then piped out to form various shapes, baked, and dipped… Read More Pastry Class 7
“This is perhaps the best bread in the world.” – David Lebovitz, The Grainy Breads of Paris High praise indeed for a loaf of bread found in the back alleys of Paris – or wherever it is that Eric Kayser has his shop – I simply imagine David skulking about the back alleys looking for… Read More Pain aux Cereales
“Syria has long scowled at the idea of Lebanese sovereignty. It never admitted to Lebanon’s independence, officially gained in 1943, nor did it concede to the French mandate’s separation of the two countries. And today, regardless of its diminished presence in the country, the recent rise of “diplomatic relations” between Beirut and Damascus, and their… Read More Independencia de Siria
Several people asked about where they could hear the first show I did with retired ambassador turned talk show host Alvin Adams on local radio Urbana FM, talking about the local food scene. You can go to their website and download the show to listen to at your leisure here (10.04.2010), or, you can listen… Read More On the Radio Again
A croquembouche is a French dessert, a kind of pièce montée often served at weddings. It is a high cone of profiteroles (choux filled with pastry cream) bound with caramel, and usually decorated with threads of caramel, chocolate, flowers, or ribbons. When I went through our brief pastry program back in cooking school, I recall… Read More Pastry Class 6