Easier Done than Said

Today’s recipe is labeled Southeast Asian Beef and Rice-Noodle Soup, at least that’s what Gourmet called it when it showcased the dish in February 2009, but in reality, it’s phở. The ingredients list is unmistakable; this is the deeply flavored and intensely aromatic Vietnamese soup that is perhaps its country’s most famous culinary treasure.  Thanks…

Go for the Gold

If the eyes ever foretold what was in store for the taste buds, it would happen with this week’s entry, a double billing featuring both Deviled Chicken Drumsticks and Roasted Potatoes Poupon.  Both are coated with Dijon mustard before baking, giving them a golden tone that also signifies the highest savor. After the mustard coats…

#47

By the time New Mexico gained statehood early in the 20th century, it already drew on culinary traditions reaching back centuries, even millennia.  What New Mexicans were, and are, eating took in influences sequential residents, be they Anglo, Mexican, Spanish or, before them, the Pueblo and the Zuni, contributed to the melting pot. Today’s preparations…

Something for the Holidays

When putting together a memorable gingerbread worthy of the high holidays (in one form or another), best to pack it full of flavorful spices exciting intrigue followed by a comforting warmth.  A great ally in this effort is a cup or so of Guinness Stout, effervescing the spices to unexpected heights while contributing a rich,…

No Fish Fry Tonight

Fried fish is wonderful, but it’s not worth all that oil.  Pity, as there’s no other way to get that crispy, golden crust.  If only there were a loophole, some way to indulge, to delight in the crunch, while reaping the benefits of clean, healthy baked fish. Leave it to Gourmet to find a way…

Oh, You Have to Try This!

Like most guys, probably, the author appreciates chocolate, but doesn’t quite understand why there’s so much fuss.  That was the position, at least, until yesterday afternoon, when it was time to prepare this weekend’s recipe.  One of the requisite ingredients was a bar of chocolate.  Godiva inspired the imagination, especially as it has such a…

C) Both of the Above

“Fusion” cuisine takes quite a few hits, admittedly on these pages, and elsewhere.  Perhaps this dismissal is too hasty when cooks offer inspirations like today’s effort, Bánh Mì.  Though the sandwich was developed in Vietnam and is among that cuisine’s most prominent preparations, bánh mì claims at least one French grandparent. It’s only natural, of…

Just Peachy

Peaches are so bright and vibrant, they’re summer’s perfect ambassadors.  In turn, they give any food they accompany a spirited excellence.  Well, in today’s offering, Brandied Peach Pork Chops, the brandy has a little to do with the “spirited” part, but peaches are what makes the pork sing. The recipe appears in the late, great…

Beneath the Waves

Nestled among the kelp gently swaying in the shallows are shellfish grown plump in the nutrient-rich waters.  Today’s dish provides a taste of this idyllic scene, though with inland greens filling in for seaweed in the broth.  This keeps the meal ethereal and fresh, both in color and in taste, making it ideal for a…

A Square Meal

A fresh salad is a great way to welcome summer, particularly when it celebrates the exuberant greenness that’s, well, everywhere now.  Adorn it with a juicy steak, meltingly tender and sliced thinly across the grain, and you have a complete, satisfying meal perfect for bright sunshine, sultry evenings and other perks of a season of…