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 [...]

The vegetable garden is in full swing! Today I cut off the garlic scapes (flowers), pruned the tomato plants, fertilized the potato plants, and weeded the red currant bushes. Plus, I picked spinach for soup, arugula for salad, and radishes to eat with butter and salt. This is the best time of year to become [...]

When a soup is called a chowder, it is usually thick and chunky. Chowders may contain fish or shellfish or potato or cream or corn or tomatoes. One ingredient, though, is essential for making a chowder: bacon or cured pork. Since different styles of chowders can be made, it is a great soup for showcasing [...]

Since the weather is still clammy, it is still soup weather! Colby Erhart, who is the executive chef at Chez Leon in Clayton, demonstrated a deliciously rich and flavorful mushroom soup in cooking class that everyone loved. Chef Colby, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, loves French food and trained under Chef Pierre Chambrin [...]

Nancy asks, “How do I peel pearl onions easily? The thin papery skins are almost impossible to remove without taking a layer of the onion with them. Is there a trick to doing this? Thank you!” Yes, there is an easier way. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the onions for a [...]

My freezer contains a bag of green peas, a loaf of homemade bread, several 3-pound bags of tart pitted cherries, several one-cup containers of homemade tomato sauce from last summer, and — but wait, where’s the stock!? When I got there, the cupboard was bare. I had used up all my chicken stock, so I [...]

“I was pleased to sample the bouillabaisse last night when I was at a cake decorating class– I would love the recipe if at all possible. It was simply delicious!!!!” Chef-instructor Katy Colson taught an international soup class that included Vietnamese bouillabaisse. Traditionally, bouillabaisse is a French fish soup flavored with saffron, tomato, parsley, and garnished with a spicy mayonaisse [...]

At 5 degrees outside (and a balmy 59 degrees in my bedroom), I long for soup. Rather than venture outside, I’m using the vegetables I have on hand (butternut squash in the drawer, broccoli in the fridge, peas in the freezer, or canned tomatoes in the pantry). This generic soup recipe illustrates the seven steps to superior [...]

I know, you think for New Year’s Eve that the combination should be lobster and champagne, but grapefruit pairs beautifully with lobster. In fact, lobster in grapefruit beurre blanc is Chef Bernard Pilon’s favorite dish (don’t miss his all-scallop class on January 23). By request, here is a fabulous menu for tomorrow night: rich and [...]

We finished digging up the garlic today, despite the heavy heat. Here I am moving the bundles of garlic to a shed so that they can dry. (The chicken coop is in the background.) Yes, it is fun to drive a tractor! We are eating garlic every day, so all of the vampires have left the premises. Here [...]