It’s a labor of love making one of these Panettone, the delightful gorgeous looking Christmas season bread from Milan. A few years ago I made one based on my knowledge and experience in baking and treated it like a regular sourdough bread. It was ok, not what I had envisioned though and not a proper […]
Panettone – a Proper One Read More »
Always in demand in my household and really easy to make savory or sweet (eliminate sugar and vanilla from the savory versions) if you pay attention to a few details. We make these very frequently, mostly for dessert or breakfast. The few rules of note that I think make for great crepes are: Mix only
They look cool and are pretty simple to make, hot cross buns are in the family of enriched fruit/nut breads that are typically associated with a holiday of some sort. Others in this family include breads like Stollen, Panettone and various other European confections. I love them all. Hot cross buns are an Easter specialty
Tapioca pudding is so often looked down on I think. Not sure why. Many think of it as that goopy thing that comes out of a box and old people eat it in nursing homes. When made right though using tapioca pearls, dairy and sugar it is delightful. It has great snappy texture and just
Tapioca Coconut Pudding, Mango Sorbet and Brittle Read More »
Making pasta by hand from start to finish, mixing the flour and eggs, rolling and rolling and then shaping and filling is really therapeutic. This is the old school way that Evan Funke in his book American Sfoglino (and his restaurant in Venice, CA) preaches. He apparently despises pasta machines and blames them for inferior
Rolling Pasta By Hand – Tortelloni Burro E Oro Read More »
It’s rare that I proclaim something “the best”. Even when I do -like I am doing about this ice cream- it’s sort of a hyperbole. Maybe it should be “up until now, in my humble opinion, this is the best apple ice cream I’ve had”. So, if you had not gotten my point yet, what
Granny Smith Apple Ice Cream Read More »
Rustic, but not simple, as it gets and so very satisfying. The combination of tender polenta and some sort of saucy meat is a classic. This one, based on a recipe from the book Hello! My Name is Tasty (I’m loving this book and I wrote about it previously here), is an excellent example of
Sugo and Polenta with Over- Easy Egg Read More »
The Dude might not recognize this lovely complex drink as his favorite indulgence but the folks at Aviary, the Chicago and NYC cocktail bar, created this in his honor. It is a refined take on the White Russian and named after one of thousands of memorable Dude quotes from the Coens’ The Big Lebowski. The
Aviary Cocktail: Another Caucasian, Gary Read More »
We are a house divided. We are a house divided when it comes to Lasagna that is. My wife and youngest prefer the one common in the south of Italy while my oldest and I prefer the luxurious northern version. Recently I figured why not please everyone? Why not make both and let peace and
Lasagna al Forno: Two Excellent Versions 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 »