Ditch the Sticks?

Generally speaking, the Japanese are well-mannered, and they’re most enthusiastic about dining’s refined rituals. (Actually, that can be said, with minor qualifications, of many peoples.) Anyway, it’s not too often a Japan-forward company will advise diners to put down their chopsticks and to eat with their fingers. Yet, that’s precisely what Toiro, a company specializing…

You’re Invited

There’s room in the car; we’ll stop by soon to collect you. The more, the merrier, right? Not that tonight isn’t going to be ecstatically fun already, what, with everybody being in such a good mood. Optimistic and happy to greet the new year. Perfect setting for a party, really. Plus, there’s sure to be…

My Pie, That’s Why

Doesn’t everybody love baby spinach, pineapple and mushrooms on their pizza?  Seriously?  Why not?  Weirdos. The beauty of Cast Iron Pan Pizzas, though, as dreamt in the January & February 2020 Cook’s Illustrated, is that each pizza is customizable for each person at the table.  In the great deep-dish/thin-crust debate, these pan pizzas definitely side…

How Did This Happen?

Today’s creation requires little elaboration, as it’s a savory herbed pancake covered in a delicious mixture of mushrooms sautéed with leeks, then topped with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and lemon zest.  Sound good?  It is, clearly so, yet things become murky when it comes to the name, Dutch Baby.  Wait…what? All right, here are details.  A…

Near the Border

Here are a couple tickets for an overnight train trip, complete with sleeping compartment and dinner beforehand in the dining car, courtesy of James Porterfield’s Dining by Rail.  In this case, the meal includes two lines’ specialties, Roast Quebec Capon, as enjoyed for decades aboard the Canadian Pacific’s trains, accompanied by Savory Mushroom Dressing, a…

Plums, Grapes and Pomegranates

The table set before you makes use of all three, taking advantage of the agricultural bounty one finds in Georgia – the country, not the US state.  Though home to some of the Caucasus’s towering peaks, the fertile valleys in between and the Black Sea coastline grant Georgia an abundance reflected in the country’s cuisine.…

Aquaculture

Tilapia enjoys a happy coincidence, its sustainability accelerating smartly with its increased popularity.  As ever more people appreciate the fish’s flavor and culinary versatility, the industry has discovered the freshwater creature adapts particularly well to farm production, ensuring the supply will match demand. Today features two, or perhaps three, recipes from the January/February 2019 Cook’s…

Upstaging the Shrimp

Not an easy thing to do, actually, as shellfish is a personal favorite.  However, as wonderful as the shrimp is in today’s attempt, the shitake mushrooms are even better.  By some degree.  In fact, the dish would be just as scrumptious, just as amazing, with no shrimp and a double serving of mushrooms.  Shocking, but…

Where to Begin?

There’s so much happening in a soup like Cháo Bôi it’s difficult to decide how exactly to classify it.  Sure, broadly speaking, it’s Vietnamese, the recipe found among the pages of a great gift one of you sent a few years back, Andrea Nguyen’s Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. What kind of soup is it, though? …

Identities

When chef Ludo Lefebvre learned his ancestors came not just from France, but from most nations bordering it as well, he honored the Belgians among them by adapting a classic French country dish.  What he created is Poulet à la Crème, made distinctly Belgian by replacing the wine with a good beer from the region. …