What would a dinner table be without its salt and pepper? They've become so ubiquitous in everyone's kitchen. However, we rarely wonder why. Both were heavily used in cuisine for hundreds of years, but so were several other spices. What made people focus on salt and pepper?
The story begins with salt. In Ancient Rome, it gained popularity as a condiment. Italians during the Renaissance served salted dishes at the same time as sugared dishes. It was not until the 17th century that the French created a salt-sweet divide. Salted foods were eaten throughout the meal because they stimulate the...
I first experienced the combination of hazelnut purée and dark honey at Slow Foods' cheese festival in Italy. The Piedmont region of Italy is known for its hazelnuts. You can find the most succulent rich hazelnut cakes and cookies. My favorite hazelnut concoction was hazelnut purée and dark honey. My first taste on toast brought about a dionysian state of gastronomical enchantment. The sweet nutty flavors and intensely smooth creamy buttery texture were all so overwhelmingly perfect!
When I returned from my trip, I looked all over NY for another hazelnut...
Crêpes decorated with a dash of raspberry coulis and lemon curd
Ah, where to begin with my long-lasting love affair with the crêpe, the delicately thin French pancake? I think it started with a photo my parents showed me of them eating crêpes with my older sister in Paris. Perhaps, it was the toppings that attracted me. Since I have such an insatiable sweet tooth, it didn't take long for me to get hooked.
I recently crafted some crêpes with just a few different berries, raspberry coulis, and lemon curd. It was the first time I used raspberry coulis in...
I remember the first time someone clued me in that it was possible to make salsa at home, I was agog (I was 13). It took me a few minutes to wrap my head around the fact that it didn't need to come from the grocery store in a jar or a tub. Even more amazing was that the ingredients were fairly basic and easy to come by. Fast forward about fifteen years and homemade salsa fresca is one of my favorite summer treats. Here's what you do.
Wandering the aisles of my local Acme (part of the Albertsons chain for you west coast dwellers), I stumbled across a clever packing idea. The folks at Heinz have bundled three bottles of condiments into a single unit*, making it easy to grab everything you need for a picnic or cookout. I used to organize monthly potlucks for a large collection of friends, and during the summers we'd make a point of meeting at a local park for frisbee and grilling. I would have happily grabbed one of these packs in those days, as some how we always found ourselves with relish,...
I've become obsessed with wasabi. I love the stuff. I don't remember quite how it started, but after having something with the flavor, I've tasted everything with wasabi that I can buy or whip up, from delicious wasabi-covered almonds to wasabi mashed potatoes to tasty lumps of it with sushi. However, did you know that it's not only a spicy, tasty nose-cleaner, but something that can also improve your health?
That's Fit recently posted an ode to wasabi that gives the low-down. If you buy the good stuff, and not the cheap, fake substitute, the tasty condiment can offer a variety of perks due to it containing
Does mayonnaise diminish the risks of food poisoning?
The wonderful benefits of industrial food! According to a recent New York Times article, it turns out that vinegar and a mix of other ingredients make the majority of commercial brands of mayonnaise protect against food spoilage. So, this summer, when you make sandwiches for a picnic, you can use plenty of mayonnaise without wondering whether or not it will cause food to rotten and cause food poisoning.
During the summer, many of us get concerned that in the scorching heat food will turn on us. And so, considering the...
Every July 4th, I find myself at a barbecue eating the usual: a hamburger, a hot dog, some potato chips, guacamole, and a few beers. This year, I want to celebrate Independence Day the same way, but with the best condiments, drinks, and chips. Below are 8 delicious foods that are perfect for July 4rth:
Chips d'Allauch - What could be more patriotic than honoring the French who helped us fight the war of independence? These French potato chips are the best I have ever tried. They come from Provence and are made from golden yellow...
Today is all about mixing sweetness into the usual savory fare. Above, you can watch Chef Johan Jansen make fruit pizza on the grill -- scone dough, berries, a cream cheese-based fruit dip, and whipped cream. It's basically a bbq'd dough topped with dessert goodies, but I wonder about switching it up a little to make an actual cheese pizza -- dough, fruit, and maybe some brie? Still, it looks darned good.
But I'm also going to alert you to one more that has an interesting idea, even if the cooking practices leave a little to be desired. PunkAssChef has posted...
What'll ya have? those are the words I heard many a time when I approached the counter at the Georgia institution of hot doggery, The Varsity Drive-In. I lived in rural, middle "Joe-Ja" out on a hidden cove on Lake Sinclair near Milledgeville for two years of grad school. Broke, working on two masters degrees at the same time, my entertainment budget was nill. Cheap eats were the norm and my roommates (two pretty gals, a blonde and a redhead) raised a lot of our own food and hunted, fished, and bartered for the rest. Every now and then we'd take a road trip and go...
