Despite much red tape as well as some truly bizarre behavior on the part of their CEO John Mackey, Whole Foods has finally acquired Wild Oats. What happens now? Well, in the past Whole Foods’ strategy has been to acquire their competitors, then simply close them down. It remains to be seen what they’ll do […]
READ ONCompared to the tomato, the zucchini is far less threatening as a sweet item. It’s vegetable-like flavor is far milder, though like the tomato it is also technically a fruit. It’s flavor gets milder still as the zucchini grows and its sugars become diluted with water. This is why true zucchini lovers pick theirs when […]
READ ONZucchini! At least I’m pretty sure these are zucchini. It said so on the tag at the State Fair, though I don’t recall seeing zucchini with such pronounced stripes before. Maybe someone out there can enlighten me. As you’ve probably guessed, this week will be a continuation of the when-life- gives-you-lemons baking and pastry strategy […]
READ ONThis I have to say wasn’t half bad for an on-the-spot improvisation. It’s a tad rough-looking, what Saveur magazine would called “rustic”, which is of course code for “sloppy”. But then that’s what makes me Joe Pastry instead of Józef Pastry (what a stuck-up twit that guy is…though I have to admit, he does great […]
READ ONThe last selection in our sweet tomato serenade is an oldie but a goodie: tomato caramel sauce. When you think about it, tomato caramel is really just the logical extension of tomato jam, only the sugar is cooked to a higher temperature to create a complexity of flavor you wouldn’t otherwise get. What possible application […]
READ ON..and the tomato table was impressive. You should have been there. This shot probably represents about one percent of the total competition. Can I inject at this point that the corn dog is the world’s most perfect food? It is. But you need an honest-to-goodness fair to get a decent one. Fortunately, the Kentucky State […]
READ ONIt’s Gale Gand’s sweet tomato tart. And a fine thing it is, too. Happily I found some superior plum tomatoes at a local machine shop the other day. Yes I said a machine shop. This is Kentucky, friend. The guy happens to grow great produce. What? As for any tart, you want to be very […]
READ ONWell, let’s see. In the world of tomatoes there are Beefsteaks, Big Boys, Bonny Bests, Burpees and Black Krims. Jubilees, Early Girls, Ponderosas and Patios. Then you’ve got your Abraham Lincoln’s, Box Car Willies, German Pinks, Giant Syrians, Purple Russians, Hungarian Hearts, Mexico Midgets, Cherokee Purples and Hillbilly Potato Leafs. Moonglows, Shepherd’s Sacks, Purple Hazes, […]
READ ONIt used to be Joe Pastry policy that I’d never post the intellectual property of others on the site, I’d just link to it. That of course was before it became fashionable for big commercial sites (as well as many smaller ones) to deny leeches like me hot-linking ability. And it’s really been a pain, […]
READ ONMy wife, Jo Beth Pastry, just returned from her Wednesday morning coffee ritual, NYT food section in hand. What did I see when I looked at the cover? A lead story on tomatoes and a recipe for tomato and lemon marmalade. A day late and a dollar short again, Old Media! It was Joe Pastry […]
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