A process more than a recipe. I bought some really lovely salmon and decided to make tartar with some of it and had no intention of posting about it, but then I took some nice pictures and here we are recorded for posterity. It’s based on the recipe from Thomas Kellers’ Bouchon cookbook, my reference […]
Bouchon: Salmon Tartar Read More »
Cool name but really this is a delicious classic combination of pork and beans made all the more refined and nuanced because it’s another recipe from Paula Wolfert’s The Cooking of Southwest France. It’s perfect for the cool weather months and simpler to prepare than a Cassoulet or Garbure (It’s been a while since I
Glandoulat: Red Beans and Pork with Carrots from the Southwest of France Read More »
Summer is winding down supposedly, even though it is still close to 100 F out there. I do not much like summer in Houston. It’s too hot, too humid too…sunny. Autumn is by far my favorite season and I look forward to its -hopefully- lower temperatures and cooking. Summer does have some things going for
Plum Tart with an Almond Crumble Read More »
Noodles are just awesome. Italian spaghetti, Vietnamese bowl of Pho, a bowl of spicy Thai curried noodles…they are all awesome. A bowl of Japanese ramen is right up there in the culinary Pantheon of noodles. I’ve had a lot of the stuff and I’ve cooked it at home a few times. I have never made the
Ivan Ramen: Toasted Rye Noodles Read More »
The Manresa cookbook from the three- star restaurant of the same name in California is a beautiful, inspiring and thoughtfully written book. I read it cover to cover and frequently flip through it to read various parts every so often. Chef David Kinch got my attention when he was featured on a season of The
Manresa: Assorted Potatoes, Curds and Whey, Norinade Read More »
Seafood gently poached in fat is a great way to cook. Lobster poached in butter and tuna in olive oil are both such examples. The fat slowly cooks the meat and is kept at a relatively low temperature, about 44 C to 52 C (110 to 125 F) depending how you like it cooked, leaving
Citrus-Cured Salmon, Parsley-Chive Coulis Read More »
Pierre Hermè makes desserts with flavors that really pop. If it is a fruit dessert then it sure tastes like that fruit. If it’s a rose litchi macaron then it is the essence of the flower and the tropical fruit. His book on chocolate desserts with Dorie Greenspan is a classic and I’ve been cooking
Pierre Herme’s Awesome Rich Chocolate Cake Read More »
Back to that endless well of inspiration and technique, The French Laundry Cookbook. It’s like a small mini cooking course for every…course. I refine, learn and always end up with an awesome dish or two. This dessert was from a couple months back when pears were at their most abundant. I had some of the
The French Laundry: Pear Strudel with Chestnut Cream and Pear Chips Read More »
Superbowl and wings are perfect party companions. I made wings this Superbowl Sunday but I did not just fry some wings and toss them in hot sauce (as delicious as that is). These are boneless wings stuffed with zippy pork dumpling filling and tossed in a fermented black bean sauce. Boneless chicken “wings” have been
Boneless Stuffed Chicken Wings with Black Bean Sauce Read More »
Cotechino with lentils is the classic, but in the American south eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is the tradition. So, here the Hoppin’ John stands in for the lentils and a mighty fine stand-in it is too. Making Hoppin’ John is not difficult but it does pay to have a solid recipe to
Lowcountry Hoppin’ John and Cotechino Read More »