Almost more than any other Lebanese dish, I crave Kibbeh Nayeh the most and immediately request that my mom or grandmother make a plate of this iconic dish as soon as I am back home visiting. Growing up this was our typical Sunday lunch. Back then I honestly did not appreciate it as much and would’ve […]
Kibbeh Nayeh – Raw minced Beef and Burghul with Spices and Herbs Read More »
I have a lot of cookbooks. By some measures too many but compared to others really not that much. If a book adds one or two recipes to my rotation that everyone loves in my family then it has done it’s job. Better books add more to the mix like a new technique, ingredient or
Salmon, Sauce Bois Boudran and Crushed Potatoes Read More »
Yeah, foam is a crazy new fad. Afterall, no chef was making any food with “foam” ten or 50 years ago. Right? Well, no. Wrong. Foam in cooking, baking and beverages is everywhere. Sometimes it is obvious like a nice froth on a cappuccino. Other times, like in this dessert, it’s a bit less recognizable.
French Laundry: ‘Coffee and Donuts’ Read More »
A week before our much awaited dinner at The French Laundry (I’ll post something about that at some point…hopefully soon) I wanted to make the family a meal from one of my favorite cookbooks. I thought of it as an appetizer of sorts. Of course my meal was not a 10 course 4-hour extravaganza but
Francisco Migoya from the CIA (the Culinary Institute of America, not the other CIA) is a superb pastry chef and judging from his books, an excellent teacher. He has 3 books and I got a hold of two of them so far, Elements of Desserts and Frozen Desserts. While I have many high end, modern
Pear, Caramelized Genoa Bread, Chocolate Veil Read More »
There are so many intriguing dishes with familiar and odd flavor combinations in Mugaritz, the book about the cuisine of Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz. There are interesting techniques and very cool and whimsical dishes. The ideas are bold and they focus on mostly minimalist presentation and straightforward flavors. I knew from the second I started
Mugaritz: Edible Stones Read More »
It’s been a couple of years or so since I posted a gratuitous bread post and picture on my little corner of the web. This particular one is just so beautiful that I had to post it up here and use it as a desktop wallpaper as well. This also gives me the opportunity to
Bouchon Bakery: Pain de Campagne Read More »
This is a vegan gelato and I was going to label this entry as Vegan PB&J Gelato, but somehow this misses the point and emphasizes the wrong thing. This is a delicious intensely flavored gelato that happens to contain no eggs or dairy! The good people from the Modernist Cuisine books set out to make
Modernist Cuisine: PB&J Gelato Read More »
I love it when a book never disappoints, whether I am doing a complete verbatim recipe or in this case using it for a template and making parts of a recipe. The book I am talking about is of course the French Laundry Cookbook. This lovely plate of confections is based on the recipe for Chocolate
French Laundry: Chocolate Cakes and Gelato with Toasted Hazelnuts and Syrup Read More »
I’ve had a fig tree in my back yard for the past eight or nine years maybe. I also first heard or read about wrapping fish in the leaves even before that in a Food and Wine article about Alice Waters if I am not mistaken. I cannot tell why it took me so long
Fig Leaf Salmon, Grilled Leeks Vinaigrette and Red Wine Sauce Read More »