So, why do servers “flame” things like Bananas Foster at the tableside? Obviously, for the tips. Greek waiters long ago realized the connection between pyrotechnical displays and gratuities, which is how saganaki came into being. It all started in Chicago back in 1968 when the owner of The Parthenon, a legendary Greektown restaurant, first thought […]
READ ONSigh. Steered wrong again. Reader Dave clues me in to the fact that the Cleveland Browns were not, in fact, named for the elven brownies of old. They were named for their legendary coach, Paul Brown.
READ ONReader and professional pastry maker Evan offers this: With regards to Gerhard’s question. I have lived and worked in France in French restaurants. I can tell you that American brownies are to some extent fashionable there right now. You wouldn’t find them for sale very often in patiseries–though I have seen it–but low to mid-range […]
READ ONIt’s a busy day at Joe Pastry world headquarters, so I’m going to cop out on writing my own history of Bananas Foster, and instead just drop in the official history as it appears on the Brennan’s restaurant web site. That’s the New Orleans institution that invented the dish, so they should know (plus, I’ve […]
READ ONThis is really a fun idea. Thanks to Halley, the reader who submitted it all those months ago. Bananas Foster is one of those famous table-side desserts that all of us old enough to remember formal restaurants with black-tie service can really relate to. Since it requires no baking, and is further spooned all over […]
READ ONI was wondering why I hadn’t heard from him all week. Turns out he was on vacation. Gerhard writes: One of my original brownie-questions was: “How come something so highly appreciated by Americans is regarded as a cake gone horribly wrong in Europe…something that shouldn’t be eaten but thrown away…?” By that of course I […]
READ ONReader Henry writes in with some interesting questions: Thanks for your great posts on brownies. I’ve got a few questions: 1. Most fudgy brownies call for very little flour with the instructions that you should stop beating the batter as soon as no or very little flour is visible. I’ve tried this sort of recipes […]
READ ONI was surprised over the weekend at how many notes I received about my Fannie Farmer post, mostly from women, saying in essence that they had no idea women were making so many advances in Nineteenth Century America. Indeed so. I’m no Gender Studies professor, but I do know that one of our great societal […]
READ ONThis photograph is but a peek into the irretrievable past. How so? Because I’ve eaten all these already. Don’t judge me. I might even make them again this weekend. I’ll start by preheating my oven to 300 and preparing a baking pan as in the previous brownie recipe. Then I’ll combine my dry ingredients in […]
READ ONA couple of you good folks have already written in about the post down below, thinking that I’m insinuating that there’s no creative baking in Europe. All I can say to that is: are you nuts? Europe is the home of the finest, most exquisitely executed pastry in the world, and probably its best bread. […]
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