Last year about this time Steve and I went to Rome and not surprisingly we loved every minute. A few of our "When in Rome" highlights: a close-up of the Pope; the Borghese Galleries; tracking down Bernini sculptures in some lesser-known churches; and the Diocletian Baths. And of course, the food, the food, the food! Armed with recommendations from friends we felt we did well … [Read more...]
SCOTCH EGGS
By all rights Scotch eggs should be a lot more popular than they are. Hard boiled eggs, yolks just barely firm, are wrapped in sausage meat then breaded and fried. What could be bad? I suppose it's the frying part that holds most people back. But why professional kitchens don't whip up Scotch eggs along with the megatons of French fries and chicken fingers they pump out is a … [Read more...]
GREEN GODDESS DRESSING
One of my food rules (and there are many) is always order the things with avocado when in California. The west coast seems to have a way with them, consistently butter soft and flavorful, enriching eggs, sandwiches, quesadillas and just about anything else you can think of. This rule was validated on a recent trip to San Fran and L.A. One of the highlights was a Green … [Read more...]
OIL POACHED MONTAUK TUNA NICOISE
Tuna Niçoise calls for canned tuna. Sure, California-style versions featuring thick strips of grilled red-rare slices of tuna are pretty to look at and tasty in their own right. But the real deal? No. Oil-packed canned tuna (don't get me started on water packed) imparts the unmistakable character of this classic. Seriously people, haven't we learned by now that our European … [Read more...]
BALSAMIC VINEGAR BALLS: FUN WITH MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY
Nothing says meth lab quite like a little foray into at-home molecular gastronomy. Digital scales weighing out grams of white powder, funnels, squeeze bottles and spoons for thermometer-controlled cooking and cooling. But no need to cover up the windows with old sheets. The delight provided by glistening jet black orbs of vinegar is 100% legal -- the ultimate expression of … [Read more...]
POPPED CHERRY TOMATOES
You know when you go a restaurant and the food seems simple and straight forward and yet it tastes so much better than you expected it ever could? Out in San Francisco Tyler Florence's Wayfare Tavern and El Paseo restaurants serve up these epiphanies plate after plate, night after night. Having access to the best meats, freshest vegetables and fine butters and oils and … [Read more...]
SPECTACULAR SUMMER SALAD OF SHAVED VEGETABLES
For a limited time only: A Spectacular Summer Salad of Shaved Vegetables. This dazzler is less about a recipe than having the best ingredients and some easy techniques. Isn't it the Italians who say you first taste with your eyes? Armed with a few key kitchen tools and an abbodanza di verdure (heaps o' fresh vegetables) straight from the hand of God you can't go wrong. The … [Read more...]
BLACK FRUIT SALAD SSD #13
Time for a new entry in our series of Simply Spectacularly Delicious (SSD) recipes: Black Fruit Salad. This couldn't be any easier or more elegant. The single-color fruit salad (or crudité platter) is right out of Martha Stewart's play book. A good friend, who is an unassailable authority on all things Martha, shared the domestic doyenne's three … [Read more...]
A SPECTACULAR CELEBRATION OF POMEGRANATES!
I happily accepted POM Wonderful's invitation to host an all-things-pomegranate dinner party. And what do you know? In short order an enormous box of the brightest fresh fruits arrived at our door. Now it was up to us: we needed to dazzle them with new recipes, fabulous decor and fun times. No sweat. That's the way we roll at … [Read more...]
AUTUMN POMEGRANATE SALAD
This autumn pomegranate salad recipe is one of those is-it-really-a-recipe? dishes. Really, it's just as much a shopping list as a how-to. Because at this point pretty much everyone has the salad concept figured out. Get nice tasty and fresh stuff you like to eat, cut it up, mix it up, pour a dressing over everything (nine times out of 10 a … [Read more...]