The art of cuisine is in the making of sauces. A delicious sauce elevates a ho-hum dinner to a sublime feast. Our favorite sauce is tomato chutney, also known as ketchup when it is pureed until smooth. Originally created by Brenda Vanden Bos, this sweet-and-sour chutney with six ingredients is a staple in our refrigerators. […]

A great sauce can make the dish. Add this delicious fruit chutney, which is chock-full of cranberries, apricots, pears, and brandy, to your repertoire. Cranberry chutney is a perfect compliment to poultry and pork dishes, plus this relish pairs well with cheese. Cranberry-Apricot Relish is Number 7 on our list of the Top Thirty Recipes […]

Guacamole is now a typical American food and served at most parties. What makes one guacamole any better than other? This recipe contains an unusual addition: smoky and spicy fresh poblano peppers. Chef Dave Rook, whose creative skills were on display in the kitchens of Crazy Fish, Aqua Vin, Copia, and now Oceano restaurants, created […]

Our recipe countdown continues with #29: Roasted Asparagus with Salsa Verde. We have never tired of eating this fresh, colorful, and piquant salsa. Originally created by Kirk Warner of Kirk’s Traveling Kitchen, the asparagus salsa is a favorite topping for grilled fish, but the salsa is also delicious on omelets, beef, and chips — or […]

Strawberries and rhubarb are now in season, which means that the summer canning season has begun. Preserving the bounty of fresh fruit is so satisfying, especially when you open a jar in the dead of winter and smell the freshness of summer. Kitchen Conservatory sells all of the necessary canning jars and equipment. Our Recipe […]

Although the extra-cool Spring has been frustrating to gardeners (we lost our tomato plants last night due to an unexpected frost), the time is right to plant herbs. No plant is as satisfying to grow as herbs, since they generally grow like weeds. Every cook appreciates a bunch of fresh herbs readily available by the […]

By request, here are our all-time favorite dishes for Thanksgiving from the staff of Kitchen Conservatory. We wish you a happy and blessed and delicious Thanksgiving Day. Our store will be closed on Thursday, but we are open on Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Sweet Potato-Chipotle Gratin from Dawn Meyer 4 […]

Nonpareil means “without equal.” In the food world, nonpareils are tiny balls of sugar used to decorate cookies and cakes. Kitchen Conservatory sells lots of nonpareils in different colors, plus larger sugar decorations: dragees (gold and silver balls), jimmies (oblong sticks of sugar), sprinkles (various shapes that are larger than nonpareils), glitter (flat sprinkles), and […]

If you like to cook from scratch, eventually you stop buying packaged condiments. The homemade versions of ketchup, mayonnaise, yogurt, jelly, pickles, and caramel sauce taste so much better than anything you can buy. Still, there are some purchased bottles left in my cupboard. Then, my husband started making his own charcoal from cherry wood […]

Sometimes a cooking class can change your eating habits. I was never a fan of yogurt; it seemed like boring diet food. Then, Maria Sakellariou taught a class on how to make homemade Greek-style yogurt. Wow. I started making yogurt regularly at home. I find excuses to use my yogurt in foods (homemade yogurt mixed […]