• Crabs Are Delectable Summer Fare - Although crabs are available year round in coastal areas, their consumption is most associated with the summer... (Added: 11-Aug-2004 Hits: 1700 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Cranberries: Leaving Turkey Aside - When most people think of cranberries they inevitably envision them next to their Thanksgiving turkey, even though most cranberries are utilized for juice production. Indeed, it takes over 4,000 berries to fabricate one gallon of juice. As we shall see, the type-cast cranberry has a multitude of other uses aside from playing sidekick to the driest meat on the planet. (Added: 7-Mar-2007 Hits: 329 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Cream of the Crop - Cream is one of the yummiest substances on earth. Why? Because of the fat baby! You can malign fat all you want. Blame every disease in the universe on it if you must. But one fact is incontrovertible: Fat tastes good. Not only does it taste good, it facilitates the emergence of many other flavor compounds. It unlocks their potential much like hot water does for a tea bag. Fat content is also what differentiates the various types of milk and cream (Added: 4-Oct-2007 Hits: 165 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Crepes Suzette: Woman of Mystery - Crepe is the French word for pancake. Crepes differ from traditional pancakes in that they are lighter, thinner and are utilized in both sweet and savory dishes. Crepes can be topped or filled and rolled with fruit, meat, cheese, or vegetables. They are often accompanied by some kind of sauce and form the basis of an appetizer or main course. Crepes Suzette are sweet crepes accompanied by an orange flavored butter sauce, and flambeed with orange liqueur. (Added: 25-Jan-2006 Hits: 480 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Culinary Connections - Food feeds much more than our immediate hunger. Food, food customs, and the people who embody them, are vehicles by which we maintain meaningful connections to others. The culinary world and its practitioners are sources of inspiration, mentors, and transferors of traditions. (Added: 14-Jun-2006 Hits: 314 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Custard's Last Stand - A custard is a mixture of eggs and milk and/or cream that can be hot or cold, sweet or savory. Most custards are desserts such as crème brulee, flan, and cheesecake. Quiche however, is a savory custard. (Added: 24-Aug-2005 Hits: 912 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Cutting the Mustard - Mustard originated in the Mediterranean and Asia and has been used by man for at least 5,000 years for both culinary and medicinal purposes. There are white (or yellow), brown and black mustard seeds. The brown and black are the most pungent. Mustard comes in different styles depending on the types of seeds used and/or the addition of other ingredients. In general, mustard is made from ground mustard seeds, seasonings, and some type of liquid such as vinegar, wine, water, etc. (Added: 7-Jun-2007 Hits: 207 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Dangerous Liaisons - My wife and I were having a romantic meal at the Upper Crust, a superb European Bistro in Boonton, NJ. She was luxuriating in the braised short ribs while I enjoyed the New Zealand lamb chops. We shared a bottle of the 1995 Lynch Bages, a magnificent Bordeaux destined for precisely the type of hearty fare we were savoring. At the adjacent table sat two women also drinking a bottle of red; but with fish and chips! Scrod to be precise. Now I know what you're going to say. If they enjoy scrod with red wine then who cares? What difference does it make what foods and wines people pair as long as they like it? Shouldn't people just eat and drink what they like? (Added: 18-Jan-2007 Hits: 307 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Debunking the Myths - As intelligent as man is, (or thinks he is), mistaken notions about reality will always be a part of the human condition. Granted, as mankind continues to progress and learn more about the true nature of the world, certain absurdities are dispelled. We no longer believe the earth is flat or that it lies at the center of the universe.... The culinary realm is no exception to human fallaciousness. Let's try to put some of those myths to rest.... (Added: 27-Dec-2006 Hits: 390 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Defining Moments - Take a Delmonico steak for example. What is a Delmonico steak? That depends on who you ask. Get used to that answer right now. It'll make the remainder of this discussion easier to, uh.....swallow.... (Added: 9-Oct-2007 Hits: 233 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Deglazing: Fond Memories - Deglazing is the process by which the caramelized residue of seared foods is dissolved via liquid in order to incorporate it into the target dish for the purpose of maximizing flavor. Deglazing is the foremost method by which to make a "pan sauce," i.e., a sauce made in the same pan that the primary item was cooked. Most often the seared item is some kind of protein but it could also be vegetables, either as a main dish or as a building block of another dish. (Added: 23-May-2007 Hits: 108 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Devilishly Good Food - To "devil" food means to impart it with hot and spicy seasoning, inevitably from some form of hot pepper. However, as we shall see with devil's food cake, it can also refer to dishes that are inordinately rich and decadent. Either way, sometimes it's good to be bad! (Added: 25-Oct-2006 Hits: 563 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Do You Measure Up? - One of the most common questions I get from students in my cooking classes is "How much?" How much oil did you use? How much salt? How much pepper? How much this or that? Some ingredients I almost never measure. With the exception of vinaigrettes, I rarely measure oil. I just pour it in the pan until the bottom's covered. (Added: 7-Nov-2007 Hits: 163 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Easter Pie - Every Easter when I was a boy I looked forward to my mom's Easter pie. An Italian tradition, "Easter Pie", as it is colloquially known, is a quiche-like, savory pie, filled with eggs, cheese, meat, and a variety of other possibilities. As a kid, all I knew or cared about was that it tasted great. Little did I know that decades later I would be dissecting the intricacies of this festive preparation. (Added: 23-Mar-2005 Hits: 2207 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Eggplant: A Botanical Identity Crisis - To begin, eggplants are not vegetables but fruits and to take it one step further, a berry to be exact. (Added: 21-Aug-2008 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Eggs Benedict: Nothing's Over Easy - The difficulty with making eggs Benedict is properly poaching the eggs, and even worse, making the dreaded hollandaise. Poaching eggs presents two problems: prevention of the dissipation of the whites, and knowing when they're done. (Added: 5-Jul-2007 Hits: 215 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Excuse Me Waiter, My Soup is Cold! - Cold soups make for excellent summer fare. The best vichyssoise I ever had in my life was at a French restaurant during a Montreal summer. Humor me. Try the soup in the traditional manner but then, if you must heat it up, (sigh), go ahead. (Added: 30-Jun-2004 Hits: 523 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Fancy That - People customarily use the word fancy to describe an upscale restaurant. "Where are you going for your birthday?" "Oh, my husband is taking me to a fancy restaurant." What exactly is a "fancy" restaurant? What are the exact criteria that differentiate a "fancy" restaurant from a regular restaurant? I polled about 50 of my friends and various contacts from my culinary work and asked them that specific question. Here's what they said. (Added: 14-Mar-2007 Hits: 197 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Fast Food - A trend in America that is picking up speed is an increased interest on meals that can be made in a short amount of time. For us cooking buffs, that's shortening our time immersed in an activity we enjoy. (Added: 18-Aug-2004 Hits: 528 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

• Fennel: The Spice of Angels - Fennel is quite versatile. It can be braised, roasted or sautéed and incorporated into a wide array of dishes. Personally I like roasted fennel the best. Simply cut it into chunks, coat it with some olive oil, add salt and pepper and the herbs of your choice, and roast it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. This is a simple yet splendid way to enjoy fennel. Or, try roasting combinations of fennel and other vegetables. It pairs well with root vegetables such as carrots, celery root, parsnips, and onions. (Added: 24-Apr-2008 Hits: 125 Rating: 0 Votes: 0)

Prev 20 Next 20