The Wednesday Chef

Month: February 2006

  • Amanda Hesser’s Hazelnut-Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

    I'm sort of torn about The New York Times Magazine food page. There are times when I don't even bother to tear it out, and other times when it's among the best food writing I've read all year. I can't stand the flimsy paper – the recipes end up getting grease-soaked and dog-eared after three…

  • Donna Deane’s Halibut with Grapefruit and Blood Orange Sauce

    It wasn't on purpose, but this is my second Donna Deane recipe in one week. And I can think of nothing further to say about this. So! We're starting off nicely, aren't we. This doesn't bode well. The aforementioned apartment hunting, my out-of-town visitors, preparation for non-blog-related professional activities, and the lack of any and…

  • Blue Ribbon Bakery’s Flaxseed Bread

    Can it be? Finally, after a spate of splendiferous food, a recipe that I plan on chucking into the garbage straight after I write this post? I can scarcely believe my eyes. Okay, well, it's not like this was inedible. But what's the point of throwing a few flaxseeds into a straight-up white-bread bread? I'd…

  • Donna Deane’s Raised Buckwheat Belgian Waffles

    My dear Ben is a bit discombobulated as of late. He must, you see, find new living quarters. The era of living in style and being my neighbor in Chelsea is coming to an end, quickly. And if there's anything worse in the world than giving up your home, especially one that you love, to…

  • On Tom Douglas’s Seattle Kitchen Radio Show

    If you’re near a computer with high-speed Internet on Saturday afternoon (or evening, depending on where you live), tune in to Tom Douglas‘s radio show on 710 KIRO Seattle to hear an interview I did with Tom and his friend Thierry last week. Their show is on from 4pm to 8pm, Pacific time. My segment…

  • Harris Ranch’s Pecan Drops

    I've been a bit puzzled by the LA Times food section lately. "Breakfast" pizza with a topping that includes sour cream, eggs, sausage, and two kinds of cheese? No, thank you very much. A vegetable soup recipe that requires almost three hours of preparation? And in an article about the "pure joy" of clear soups,…

  • Suzanne Goin’s Romesco Potatoes

    I've been on a nice run of pretty good recipes lately. There are a few here and there that haven't been exactly stellar. But it's been a while since I've thrown out the results from a night in the kitchen. And on the other hand, it's been a while since I've made something so delicious…

  • Bobby Flay’s Citrus and Cumin Roasted Chicken

      "How come my chicken never comes out looking like this?" was Ben's cry as he spotted this burnished bird resting on the windowsill last night before dinner. For a moment, I considered smiling pompously beatifically and telling him to just leave the cooking to me, but then I relented and explained: rubbing a raw…

  • Regina Schrambling’s Beans with Lardons and Sage

    Oh, I don't know. This is an unspectacular picture illustrating an unspectacular recipe. I had such high hopes for it! Dried beans, fresh sage, canned tomatoes: I feel like it's a parade of some of my favorite foods. I looked forward to making this all week, but then was totally deflated when the stew ended…

  • Maple Drive’s Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

    When your sweetheart has finished the freezer bag of scones you made for him and turns to you to tell you plaintively that they made each of his mornings a little bit better warmed up in the oven and munched on the way to work along with a mug of spicy tea, I defy you…