There was a decent article on it in the Dining & Wine section of last week’s New York Times. Of course it’s a huge topic, especially here in Kentucky where the vast majority of the stuff is made. There’s a prevailing myth that in order for a corn whiskey to be called “bourbon” it has […]
READ ONThe National Restaurant Association just released it’s second annual “What’s Hot and What’s Not” chef survey, and I can’t say there’s much that’s very enlightening there. Like the similarly titled items you see popping up in men’s and women’s fashion magazines, its only real use is for double-checking whether or not something you still think […]
READ ONSeveral of you have written in to ask: Joe, if this recipe of your parents’ is so great, why aren’t you posting it so we can try it? Won’t they share it with you? The answer is no. Such is the rough-and-tumble, take-no-prisoners world of fruitcake.
READ ONThere’s been quite a lot since last week, as you can see. By the time I got back over the weekend the exterior of my new brick oven was entirely put up. Only the top of the chimney remained, and that went on yesterday. As you can see I bought a load of old bricks […]
READ ONBaking season. That and something else having to do with the birth of the Christ child. What’s it called again…? Anyway, what with everybody out there planning their ginger-almond bread puddings and vintage chocolate Bûche de Noëls, I thought it’d be nice to get down to basics with the all-time most undervalued Christmas confection: the […]
READ ONWell it was a memorable holiday with the extended Pastry family up in French Lick, Indiana (no snickering, you in the back!). What, you mean you’ve never heard of French Lick, Indiana? It’s only the home town of Larry Bird, one of the greatest NBA players of all time. It also happens to be the […]
READ ON…may not be your fault. According to a new study by researchers at Oxford University, tryptophan, the amino acid in turkey that’s known to cause drowsiness, also negatively impacts the human sense of trust. So if you feel like your mother is casting you a strange sidelong glance and your brother is plotting to steal […]
READ ON…have officially begun. Turkey sandwiches, turkey salad, turkey hash, turkey casserole (or “hot dish” as I knew it when I lived up in Minnesota). Let the egg and oil emulsion extravaganza begin! And while you may be tempted to go for the usual Hellman’s or Kraft, I recommend a heaping spoonful of Duke’s if you […]
READ ONYou know you’ve got hold of a good, solid traditional fruitcake recipe when the ingredients list is as long as your arm. These recipes date back hundreds of years in America, but their pedigree goes back to at least the High Middle Ages, when European bakers emptied their pantries of every last good thing they […]
READ ONScrambling to get my affairs in order before we bug out of town for a long Thanksgiving weekend. However I wanted to provide a brick oven update for the curious. It is indeed coming along. Great strides will almost certainly be made by my intrepid mason in my absence. For now here’s where we are. […]
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