The Wednesday Chef

Month: November 2005

  • Russ Parsons’ Garlicky Braised Cauliflower with Capers

    Are you getting sick of Russ Parsons yet? I'm not, though I realize it might sometimes make for monotonous blogging when I post entry after entry about recipes of his I've made with success. I'll try and be more varied, I promise. In the meantime, drown yourself in a plateful of this cauliflower. You might…

  • Wee Sprouts

    I know that Jack climbed up a magical beanstalk, but when I saw this woody branch in my CSA basket a few days ago, I imagined him climbing up it instead, using the bulbous growths as steps all the way up to the hungry giant’s lair. There are days when the newspaper cooking gets to…

  • Paula Wolfert’s Madeleines from Dax

    These could also be known as My Bumpless Madeleines. The recipe was excerpted from Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of South-West France (which is being reissued now, and is gorgeous) in an article from the LA Times this summer about Wolfert's house and life in Sonoma. While I worship at the altar of Wolfert, these madeleines…

  • Spaghetti Squash Gratin

    Spaghetti: is there a more perfect food? I think not. So when it gets bandied about in certain food circles that spaghetti squash is a good, calorie-conscious substitute for those chewy strands made from durum flour, it makes my hackles rise. There's nothing wrong with a little pasta, people. In fact, I'd venture to say…

  • Regan Daley’s Poached Quince with Vanilla and Cinnamon

    I grew up snacking on chewy squares of quince puree, dried to leathery whips by a dear family friend, breakfasting on toast spread with quince jam made by my mother and a Greek colleague, who added blanched almonds to her batches, and finishing dinner with wedges of quivery membrillo eaten alongside pungent cheeses. It wasn't…