Tarts are open-face pies. The most spectacular tart is the simplest: an apple tart created by the Tatin sisters in 1898 with just three ingredients (butter, sugar, and apples). The secret lies in caramelizing the apples, then flipping the tart upside-down so that the luscious caramel is on top. The first picture shows the baked tart with the crust on […]

A simple, well-designed tool can make kitchen prep easier, faster, and better. In addition to a sharp knife, there are probably ten tools that I use every day: Microplane grater, garlic press, lemon press, bench knife, dishers, Swiss vegetable peeler, the amazing ginger grater, the thin-and-flexible “fish” spatula, and, my all-time favorite, “the blue-handled spoons.” These two […]

Mark Sanfilippo, chef-owner of Salume Beddu and a teacher at Kitchen Conservatory, is pictured in a front page article in today’s Wall Street Journal. Mark cures pork using traditional Italian methods. He makes soppressata, coppa, pancetta, spicy and sweet sausages, guanciale, and salami. His small-batch production usually sells out, but you can taste his creations in several cooking […]

The best food to bake on an icy-cold day is bread. The hot oven helps to heat up the house and the aroma of freshly-baked bread is irresistable. I know, you should let the bread cool after baking, but I can never resist diving into the hot bread and slathering with butter, jam, or cheese. To achieve […]

Christine writes, “I’m looking for the recipe for the Amazing Peanut Butter Pie that Marla used in her peanut butter class. I have lost mine.” On a snow day, this dessert can be made with pantry items. Pastry chef Marla Scissors (who passed away from ALS in 2008) demonstrated many wonderful dessert recipes in her […]

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 […]

The worst part about New Year’s Day is the resolutions. People go on diets. They stop eating food that tastes good and try to eat food that tastes bad (so that they won’t eat too much of it). They say no when I offer tastes of delicious food. Every morsel of food that you put […]