Month: January 2006

  • Well, I promised, didn’t I? I herewith break the curse of the starch post epidemic I was suffering from to present you with a 3.3 pound piece of pork belly. Rubbed and cured and massaged and roasted, it’s actually now a 3.3 pound piece of bacon. That sound you hear? My (almost) vegetarian father and…

  • It's like I'm possessed. I set out last night to break my streak of starch-filled meals, but no matter how hard I tried, it all ended up being about the carbs. Let me explain. I had good intentions, I swear I did. I went to the store, I bought two gorgeous fillets of sea bass,…

  • I walked home after work last night on a cloud of bliss. My blog was mentioned (blink and you'll miss it) on the The Leonard Lopate Show yesterday, as Ruth Reichl, Regina Schrambling, Josh Friedland and Jennifer Leuzzi discussed food blogs. I'm so proud. My little blog! The walk took 10 minutes, so I let…

  • This photograph looks like I went a little nuts with the "warmify" button on Picasa's effects board. But that florid hue really is the color of the roll. I like to call it the FD&C Yellow No.6 effect. On Friday morning, while my failed rice pudding bubbled away in the oven, I beat together the…

  • A pound of cheese. A pound of cheese. I still can’t get over it. That Ben and I made a dish using a pound of cheese last night, and we’re still alive to talk about it. Granted, we didn’t eat the whole thing (yet), but still. A pound of cheese! I have to say, I’m…

  • I find it hard to believe that this is my first Mark Bittman recipe. But there you have it. Bittman, he of Minimalist, How to Cook Everything, and PBS fame, is not necessarily one of my favorite columnists. I like that he tries to demystify and simplify things in the kitchen, but clip and save…

  • A year ago, James Salter wrote a beautiful piece in the NY Times Magazine about his culinary experiences in France while he was stationed there in the 1950's. Accompanying the article was an alluringly simple recipe for whiskey-soaked figs, courtesy of the chef at La Ripa Alta in Plaisance. The recipe sounded glamorous yet easy.…

  • I’m thrilled to report that, in the article Have We Gone Blog Wild?, the LA Times has featured this little blog in its Food section today, along with several other newer food blogs and a few of the old stalwarts. In case anyone’s wondering, I’m doing cartwheels in my office.

  • Oh, the glory of the humble bean. These rosy, Jacob's Cattle heirloom beans are from the last delivery of my CSA a few months ago. They came encased in papery, yellow shells which crumbled in my fingers as I tried to strip the dried beans from them. The beans were deep red with white flecks,…

  • Happy New Year! 2006 is starting out well, with good food and even better company. Last night I had the pleasure of drinking a glass of rose cava (delicious! who knew?) with the lovely Miss Molly of Orangette, who was in town to visit her sweetheart. We went to Bar Carrera, and had some interesting…