A hot soup on a cold day is warm and satisfying, but let’s add some pizzazz. An extra garnish can elevate a homey soup into a memorable dinner. Be sure to add the garnishes to the individual soup bowls, not to the soup pot. Here are some examples:

Add cheesy croutons to tomato bisque.
Sear scallops or […]

Stew season is here, so I am celebrating cold weather with my favorite warm-up: a slow-cooked beef stew flavored with sweet raisins and honey and sour balsamic vinegar.
Beef with Agrodolce Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds chuck roast or beef short ribs
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 […]

Duck fat biscuits, which Wes Johnson (chef-owner of Salt) is teaching on January 10.
Pizza with fig jam, prosciutto, and blue cheese, which Christie Maggi is teaching on January 14.
Tuna confit salad with white beans, which Cassy Vires (chef-owner of Home Wine Kitchen) is teaching on January 18.
Pave d’amour (a cake with two different buttercream frostings […]

One year, I forgot to remove the bag of giblets from inside of the turkey. We laughed and took a picture of the bag of giblets cooked inside the turkey. Yes, the turkey was safe to eat. The stress of cooking a big meal on a big day for a lot of […]

Recipe writers often repeat directions without considering whether that instruction is the best way to make the dish. Here are some common mistakes in recipes:

Don’t flour the meat before browning. Many stew recipes call for tossing the meat in flour before browning in fat. But the flour easily burns and adds an off taste to […]

Lots of recipes call for topping with breadcrumbs. For many us, breadcrumbs are an afterthought and we grab the nearest cardboard box. Bread from a box usually tastes just like cardboard. But breadcrumbs can add more than just crunch; they can add a lot of flavor.
Good breadcrumbs come from good bread. Just like the rule […]

Yesterday, a customer called to ask how much flour she should add to canned apples to make apple pie filling. There is a better way. Here are some tips to make a scrumptious apple pie:
1. Choose a fresh apple that is good for baking. I like jonathons, jonagolds, or macintosh.
2. Do not overfill the pie […]

Kitchen Conservatory is now selling heads of garlic for planting. Garlic is an easy plant for home gardeners to grow. Fresh garlic tastes so much better than what is available at the supermarket. (Garlic from the supermarket cannot be planted.)
One clove of garlic will yield one head of garlic. Be sure to plant the cloves […]

When I was growing up, fresh asparagus was a special treat whose spring arrival was much anticipated. We only were able to eat asparagus a couple of times a year. The rareness of asparagus was part of its allure. I once hosted an all-asparagus dinner party, featuring that delicious vegetable in every course.
Then asparagus became […]

Some amazing food products are now available at Kitchen Conservatory. Please taste and test them these delicious new ingredients!
Academia Barilla makes the very best balsamic vinegar I have ever tasted. Called “Condimento Balsamico” or balsamic must, this rich, aromatic, and smooth vinegar is delicious on salads. It’s too expensive to use in cooking, but this […]