In honor of Norman Drey

Artichokes are now available in the markets at $1 apiece, so it is time to indulge in a totally delicious vegetable. As much as I love artichokes, what does one drink with them? Like the African fruit synsepalum dulcificum (though not as strong a reaction), artichokes leaves a lingering buzz in the mouth that makes […]

Well, yes, because I accidentally did the experiment today. I made chocolate sauce and didn’t have quite enough of my favorite Valrhona chocolate. So I added a bar of supermarket-quality chocolate that I found in the cupboard. The result? The inferior chocolate never melted! Since real chocolate melts at body temperature, I shudder to think […]

ketchup recipe

More rain and now we have had twice the amount of rain as in a typical year. What does all this rain mean? Nothing has been planted this spring in our field of mud. The spring flowers look lush and marvelous, but the steady rain washes out the nectar in the flowers. The flowers need […]

The Belgians have invented some great foods: waffles, miniature cabbages, beer that tastes like champagne, and Belgian endive. Fully grown, endive is a curly, dark green, bitter leaf. But, over a century ago, a Belgian farmer mixed up his endive and asparagus and instead covered his endive crop with dirt to prevent photosynthesis in order […]

If you like to cook, you can always make dinner out of the refrigerator. My refrigerator essentials are eggs, butter, and cream, so when in doubt, I make an omelet. My favorite way to complete a dish is to add a poached egg on top. Not sure what the dish needs? Add a poached egg. […]

A liaison (as a cooking term) describes a thickening agent, such as a butter-flour roux, which is used to thicken sauces and soup. A really wonderful liaison is custard — egg yolks and cream — which thickens and transforms a sauce into a delicious concoction with a delicate and voluptuous mouthfeel. Custard sauces are tricky […]

Many traditional Italian cooks react in horror when they see anyone grate cheese on top of a pasta dish that contains fish or shellfish. It’s as though you just added a dollop of chocolate mousse on top of liver-and-onions. But what’s so wrong with fish and cheese; after all, the French do it all the […]

I would like to cook creme brulee and I have been told that it’s best to use a bain marie? What is the best method to use when cooking it? Rob from London Creme brulee is a custard, which means the combination of eggs and cream heated to 180 degrees. A perfect custard is voluptuous […]