Much is made in the media of the shortcomings of home cooks, and their increasing inability to compete with the quality of restaurant food. Which in and of itself is a kind of irony, since for most of the last century dining out was what people did when they didn’t have access to the good […]
READ ONOne of my pet peeves is TV chefs throwing the word “carmelization” around everywhere. Sour grapes? Well, yes actually. But just because I’m ticked that Tyler Florence gets to jet around the country making pot-au-feu with pretty single women while I’m sitting at home blogging in my underwear doesn’t mean I’m not entitled to carp […]
READ ONI’m constantly struck how neighboring regions have such different culinary traditions. Lousiville is just 5 short hours away from Chicago, yet it is unequivocally part of The South. Here, biscuits rule instead of Italian loaves, and people reminisce about country ham and salt rising bread. The pizza’s terrible but the barbecue kills. And when I […]
READ ONI don’t know why the significance of the pairing of apples and honey in this week’s pastry recipe didn’t strike me before. The combination is of course eaten the night of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, to bring blessings in the upcoming year. It was the unusual choice of honey that got me interested […]
READ ONWell, I pulled a mighy fine pie out of the oven last night for the Superbowl. Not quite star quality, but mighty fine nonetheless. The crust, as I’d hoped, was dense (without being too dense), rich (without being too rich), flavorful and flaky. All the qualities one would look for in a biscuit, or as […]
READ ON…is simplicity itself: Puff Pastry Apple Tarts with honey glaze. It’s a fantastic illustration of the kind of baking feats that can be achieved with just one or two carefully selected ingredients, and of course an ample stash of puff pastry in the freezer.
READ ONThis week it is anyway. I had to try the recipe right away, so kill me. It’ll make good superbowl eating. The dough has been retarding in the fridge all night. Looks good!
READ ONYou’ll have to forgive my excitement, but it’s my first one. I’ve gotten so used to seeing all those little zeroes at the bottom of the posts, I never check for them. This one came from a good friend (and world-class chef) by the name of Tim Coonan, in regard to the (possible) Arab origins […]
READ ONThis recipe is a close match to the legendary Gino’s East cornmeal crust. The Ingredients: 7 ounces (1 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour 3 ounces (1/2 cup) cooked russet potato, grated (or riced) and cooled 2 ounces (1/2 cup) finely ground yellow corn meal 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast 1 teaspoon salt 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) […]
READ ONHaving spent about an hour roaming the web looking at various attempts at Gino’s-type pizza crusts, I’ve come to a few conclusions. The most important of which is that many of these folks are vastly overcomplicating the matter. Maybe it’s the fact that Gino’s famously guards its “top secret” crust recipe. Maybe it’s the fact […]
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