My favorite party dish is crispy chicken leg quarters. I turn on the heat when the doorbell rings, enjoy the cocktail hour, and magically, the chicken entree is perfectly cooked! Chef Mike Johnson taught this technique in a cooking class fifteen years ago and the whole staff has been cooking chicken this way ever since. […]

On cold and blustery snowy days, I like to eat brightly-flavored food that will warm me up. This Thai-style chicken dish features a strong citrus taste and is delicious served over rice cooked with peas. The turmeric gives the sauce an attractive color. The heat of the chile peppers will warm you up! Lemon-Lime Chicken […]

Garlic is a bulb, which is planted in the fall, to be harvested next year on July 1. Garlic is a wonderful addition to your garden, because it is a low-maintenance plant that delivers delicious results. To plant garlic, separate the heads into individual cloves. There is no need to peel the cloves. Plant each […]

An elegant dish to serve for the holidays is duck. Since duck parts are not readily available, I have to buy whole ducks and bone them, which is actually an advantage, because one duck can make four dishes. Make duck stock (and then soup) with the bones. Make duck liver pate with the liver. Make duck confit with the […]

Roosters are sometimes identified as “useless roosters.” They consume, but they do not produce and multiple roosters in a coop can create an unsettled environment (see the picture of the rooster chasing the hen!). When we buy chickens, hens cost $5, but the roosters are free. (If you buy chicks, the sex cannot yet be determined, […]

A flattened chicken is easier and faster to grill than a round chicken. One way to flatten is to cut out the backbone and lay the bird flat by cracking the breastbone, known as spatchcock chicken. Here’s a novel way of flattening a chicken, called “leaping frog” chicken by Gourmet magazine. Cut the skin between […]

Parties are just more fun when they have a theme. I love duck, so why not an all-duck dinner? Great, except no one wants duck liver ice cream, so I served a mousse (not a goose or a moose) for dessert. I bought seven ducks, saved the livers, cut out the leg quarters for duck […]

My father always told me that the surest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But I have found that not any food works; there are some controversial foods that do not bring the desired outcome. But this particular dish is sure to result in satisfaction – for all parties involved. Chicken-Leek Pot Pie (Cock-a-Leekie) […]

I love chicken-and-waffle restaurants. They combine the best part of breakfast and dinner: waffles with sweet syrup and salty fried chicken. Who needs bacon with your waffles if you can have crispy fried chicken? Chicken and waffles are a perfect Sunday food — breakfast or dinner or any time of the day. Waffle irons are […]

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 […]