On a snowy Sunday, the best thing to cook and eat in front of a blazing fire is caramelized popcorn. Cracker Jack was invented in 1871 and a customer gave it the slogan, “the more you eat, the more you want.” It’s true, you cannot stop eating salty-sweet popcorn. It is very worthwhile to pop […]

The most popular day of the year for a party is the first Saturday in December. Here are a few tips for successfully hosting a cocktail party: 1. Small, pre-cut morsels of easy-to-eat food are more popular than a hunk of cheese or meat that require the guests to cut and then place on a cracker. Great appetizers do not […]

Today we roasted our turkey in the Big Green Egg — a charcoal-fired ceramic oven that is big, green, and egg-shaped. I stuffed the turkey, placed it on a v-rack in an 18-inch round aluminum cake pan, which fit perfectly in the Egg. The inside temperature of the Egg is moderated by opening or closing […]

On the Thanksgiving checklist is to buy the turkey, turkey lifter, and turkey stock. Add one more item: get your knives sharpened. A dull knife is a dangerous knife, because the knife will slip while cutting slippery onions. A sharp knife is not only safe, the slices of turkey breast are beautifully straight and not shredded. Kitchen Conservatory […]

I need to take a sweet potato dish to a Thanksgiving party, but I don’t want to take my mother’s super-sweet syrupy sweet potatoes. Do you have a suggestion? Yes! Sweet potatoes are already sweet, so why do we add more sugar? How about this creamy gratin: Sweet Potato-Corn Gratin 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled […]

Stop by on Sunday, November 23 for our annual Champagne Stroll from 12 to 5 pm. We will have delicious holiday goodies and, of course, our favorite champagne punch available. Kitchen Conservatory and the other merchants on Clayton Road between Brentwood and Hanley roads all participate in a scavenger hunt. The winner gets a gift […]

Food scientist Harold McGee confessed yesterday in the New York Times that he does not brine his turkey. Neither do I. His complaint with brining is that the turkey drippings are too salty and tasteless for making a delicious pan sauce — and the gravy is the crucial component. I do not brine turkey because I find it an […]

Chef Bruce Piatek II is the executive chef of Eleven Eleven Mississippi. His wife, Anne Piatek, is also a chef. She works as a personal chef to families creating nutritious and healthy meals. Together, Bruce and Anne teach really wonderful cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory because their different styles compliment each other so well. At their last […]

Anne Cori will be on Show Me St. Louis (KSDK, Channel 5) today (Monday, November 10, 2008) at 3:15 pm. Tune in to watch her demonstrate this recipe: Smoked Trout and Smoked Shrimp with Peach Sauce 1 trout, boned 1 pound large shrimp, shell on Salt and pepper 4 cups fresh arugula In the bottom […]

Today, the Kitchen Conservatory culinary book club’s topic is The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken. The author, Laura Schenone, will be calling in to join the discussion! This very interesting book covers an Italian-American family’s recipe for ravioli and the search for the original recipe in Italy. Pictured here is cheese ravioli made by hand-rolling […]