Sally C’s comment below references another general-purpose sweetner that was once common in the Midwest and southern states: sorghum syrup. But what exactly is it and where does it come from? Well, like wheat, sorghum is a grass that produces small seeds. About the size of millet, sorghum seeds are bunched together in a head […]
READ ONMany Americans see healthy foods as “bland” tasting and are less likely to pay extra money for them. Also in the news today from researchers at UNC Chapel Hill: married people often gain more weight than their single counterparts. Lastly this late-breaking bulletin from Glasgow Caledonian University: chewing gum may help curb appetites between meals. […]
READ ONDespite 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 ONNothing like springing out of bed at the crack of dawn for an early morning round of crêpe making. Only I forgot how hard these things really are. I also switched recipes, since I only now noticed that the one I linked to last week is for savory crêpes. It has no sugar to speak […]
READ ONOne of the great advantages of being a resident of Louisville the week before Derby is being able to rise before sun-up and go watch the horses warm up at Churchill Downs. Standing in the dirt while the horses fly down the track…well let’s just say it’s one of those take-your-breath away moments that are […]
READ ONI want to say this now because it might not be obvious later: I like Michael Pollan. I like his books. I greatly enjoyed and regularly recommend his latest, Omnivore’s Dliemma. Likewise his previous effort, The Botany of Desire. Both are elegantly written collections of essays on his adventures in the world of food. They’re […]
READ ONHad a hilarious conversation with a good friend who’s involved in one of the dial-a-chef services I talked about a week or so ago. It’s funny how almost all of us, regardless of our experience, tend to romanticize things we read about in the newspaper or see on TV. When I read that WSJ article […]
READ ONThe cool and crazy thing about pain à l’ancienne is that it delivers almost all of the characteristics bread bakers seek — flavorful crumb, chewy texture, nice big holes and a deep brown crust — all with a minimum of effort and time. You simply mix up a dough of flour, yeast, salt and ice […]
READ ONCorn gets a mighty bad rap in some quarters these days, and that seems unfair to me. For as far as I can tell, the most corn has ever done to us is prove itself incredibly useful. It must be, since we in America grow about 10 billion bushels of the stuff every year. We […]
READ ONArtisanal bread bakers, let’s be honest, the can be a little…flaky. Crunchy. Granola. You know what I mean. As a group they’re a hugely enthusiastic bunch, and more often than not make amazing bread. But when I hear one say something like I feel about my starters the way most people feel about their children, […]
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