Wander into a charcuterie anywhere in France and you will see a dizzying variety of meat concoctions of various consistencies, generally known as pâté, made from an equally confusing selection of animal parts. Some are elegant, expensive, and intended for special occasions. A few are great looking but vile,
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I like fish…I really do! When I go to a restaurant that seems as if the cooks know what they are doing, I will happily order it. But there is nothing so disappointing as an overcooked piece of fish, and I have, on occasion, been the cook who disappointed. Fish is far more
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My life has recently been hectic in a way that kept me out of the kitchen; in part because there were occasionally no other diners besides me (and I have awful manners and wouldn’t want to eat with myself. Pace, Lucullus), and in part because I haven’t
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Yes, it’s an odd pairing, right up until you taste it. And then it becomes a lovely idea. Actually, grilled steak with Gorgonzola is a tried and true combination, so I am not sure why I thought Jamie Oliver was even crazier than normal
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More butter…more cheese…more salt…more oil…that’s the mantra in many kitchens, both commercial and home. And admit it, it is an easy way of improving the taste of a dish. Not clever, and it requires very little skill, but it works. Yes, I am as guilty as
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We spent a relaxing week on the east end of Long Island* and near Portland, Maine, focused almost entirely on what we were going to eat for the next meal. Oddly, we ate no lobster in Maine, but we were careful to stop at a lobster pound on the way back to Shelter Island and [...]
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Just do it. The difference in quality between freshly ground meat, and the stuff that comes in the Styrofoam and plastic-wrap containers from the supermarket, is huge. I can’t think of anything else in cooking
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Ingredients and technique are the two things — really, the only things — that matter in cooking. Some will argue that without a good recipe, the highest quality ingredients and impeccable kitchen skills will be all for naught. And they would be correct, but
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I like gadgets as much as the next guy, but the vast majority of my cooking-tool use revolves around a couple of wooden spoons and my trusty tongs. The spoons are great because they don’t scratch anything, and their edges conform to the corners of most pots and pans. And don’t minimize their
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There are many, many recipes for this regional dish, but the common ingredients are potatoes, duck fat, garlic and parsley. And really, what could be better? Supposedly every single one of the 60 plus restaurants in Sarlat, this dish’s namesake, serve
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