Sparked with inspiration by Blake’s duck proscuitto , I procured Michael Ruhlman’s Charcuterie and dug in. Don’t let anyone fool you; it’s intimidating stuff. Curing food is the exact opposite of the cooking I’ve become used to. I love to take fresh ingredients and then cook them quickly, without much fuss. This process, hopefully, highlights the good quality of i...
My favorite passages from Bill Buford's Heat are set in the Babbo kitchen, when he describes with fear and awe the wonder that is a busy restaurant kitchen at dinnertime-- tickets flying, steam vaporizing, oil popping. Orders arrive faster than they can be made; you are perpetually behind. The heat, of course, is unbearable-- like a shimmering wall when you enter the kitchen. Sweat...
Quality ranges considerably; the worst come in a brine or packed in oil (often rancid); the best anchovies tend to be packed in salt, are worth seeking out, and can be delicious by themselves.
- Michael Ruhlman, [ The Elements of Cooking A to Z ](Paupered Chef - Salt-Packed Anchovies )
On one of my last Brooklyn weekends before the big move to the Mid-West, I spent most of my time...
Welcome to 2008! Abby and I spent New Year's Eve constructing the ultimate meal. We spent a small fortune at Whole Foods and walked away with a lot of shellfish and a fillet mignon or two. Since we weren't going to some fancy black tie event, we felt okay about spending more money than we would for a weeknight meal. We sort of had a carte blanche to create whatever we could dream up. He...
"No, no, no!" our waiter was saying, dashing across the room to our white-tableclothed table, where we were sitting in front of a grilled Turbot. I was politely transferring a portion of the fish's glistening meat to my plate with two forks.
"It's very important to us," he began to explain, almost out of breath, while taking my fork and knife, "to eat with our hands." He picked up the fis...
On my way home from work every day, I walk down Lexington Avenue and risk the smell, squeeze, and auditory onslaught that is the Grand Central station subway stop. I never get to see the beautiful, soaring interior of the actual terminal , which looks like a starry night's sky. No. Only the passage where everyone else shoves into this awful, grubby stairway under a Strawberry clothing...
I wondered often about what I'd have to give up, culinary speaking, when I moved from New York to Ohio, but most my fears have proved to be unwarranted. There is a fantastic farmer’s market and utterly divine regional specalities (try Jeni's ice cream!). But fish has been hard. Most of the stuff in grocery stores looks decent, but it has been previously frozen and thawed at the store....
I just watched Emeril make shrimp etouffee in about 10 minutes. I’m sure some of that time was saved thanks to the precut vegetables, pre-made stock, and carefully placed commercial breaks. But it was still a little disconcerting to see him whip up a slow moving dish with such manic energy. He made it look quick and easy, which can't be said about this one. Not only does this version...
After some disappointing lobster rolls , the raw beauty of a national park was just what we needed. We drove into Acadia after dark, paid for a campsite, pitched our tent, and fell asleep immediately. The sun rose hot and early, and I woke up squinting. For a few minutes I thought we were going to start the day at 5 in the morning, but then I was able to pull the hood from the sweatshirt...
After we left Portland , we didn't have much of a plan. We knew we needed to arrive at Acadia National Park, about 150 miles away, by nightfall. On the list was, of course, lobster. We also wanted to see the famed L.L. Bean store. A friend had insisted we see a place called Popham beach, and we also wanted to visit Blue Hill, where E.B. White used to spend summers.
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