No, it’s true! Despite the demonic titles, both of today’s selections are legitimately delicious, a combination that, despite divergent sources, pair well. Deviled Beef Short Ribs and Salad with Devil’s Rain Dressing only sound diabolical, but they taste, well, glorious. It’s Halloween after all, meaning a shiver or two are in order, but first and… Continue reading The Devil, You Say!
Category: Nero Wolfe
Orrie’s Tasty Problem
Once again, a favorite source, the Nero Wolfe canon, yields a tantalizing food mention that not only stokes the reader’s appetite, but which burnishes also the author’s fine cooking credentials. Rex Stout was a serious gourmet and, so inspired, he often kept a well-appointed table close to his mysteries’ pulse. In Death of a Doxy,… Continue reading Orrie’s Tasty Problem
Sleuthing Is Hungry Work
Obviously, and a full day of genius requires a solid and inspiring start, preferably with a spread dreamt up by a novelist. Once again, we turn to a favorite, the Nero Wolfe canon, and from its pages we learn what Wolfe’s private cook, Fritz Brenner, has prepared for the great detective’s breakfast. The Mother Hunt… Continue reading Sleuthing Is Hungry Work
Why Share?
Particularly when a thick, juicy porterhouse steak sizzles before you, just a bite away from surrendering its juices and rewarding your anticipation with a full measure of the grill’s potential. Especially not when it’s served with watercress and grilled sweet potatoes, offering mild, pillow-y sweetness beneath a crispy, golden jacket. No way. Get your own… Continue reading Why Share?
Fancy Name for Comfort Food
Today’s entry draws its name and inspiration from a French preparation, yet Chicken Fricassee is, pretentious label aside, an ideal comfort food blanketing against the cold. In fact, it’s essentially Chicken and Dumplings. The bird is poached in a mix of complimentary vegetables, celery and carrots among them, and, for a personal touch, some white… Continue reading Fancy Name for Comfort Food
Archie’s Snack
Those are the house rules. In Nero Wolfe’s brownstone, in his universe, any food enjoyed outside the dining room is a mere snack. No matter how exquisite or thoughtfully prepared the dish is, serving it in the dining room is the only action that elevates it to a meal. More soon on this injustice, but… Continue reading Archie’s Snack
Why Do We Remember Such Things?
Often, perhaps even usually, memories rise when bidden, a pleasant if reliable process. Occasionally, though, the journey is a little more convoluted, and experiences remain submerged until something else summons them. Such happened recently, when reading Rex Stout’s The Doorbell Rang, in which the narrator’s phone being tapped causes him to rely on a neighbor,… Continue reading Why Do We Remember Such Things?
Better Start Saturday
What better way to initiate a Sunday morning, or any morning for that matter, than with a buttery, flaky breakfast roll slathered in vibrant fruit jelly? The combination delivers a warm hug of flavors and textures, with the jelly’s fruity sweetness served up on a pillow of fluffy, yeasty richness. Achieving such perfection requires considerable… Continue reading Better Start Saturday
What Archie Missed
When, in Champagne for One (arguably the very best of Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels), a personal commitment prevents our narrator from enjoying one of Fritz’s spectacular meals, we’re left with a hint of what might have been: Fritz was at the big table, spreading anchovy butter on shad roe. “Cross me off for dinner,” I… Continue reading What Archie Missed
Dine As a Detective
No less a detective, of course, than Rex Stout’s great Nero Wolfe, whose culinary tastes have inspired our explorations before. Today it’s Squabs with Sauce Vénitienne, the latest attempt at a recipe found in The Nero Wolfe Cookbook. Accompanying the squab (or, in the dish pictured above, a Cornish hen halved lengthwise) are Roasted Brussels… Continue reading Dine As a Detective
The Terrified Amateur 