Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of kneading dough in my new kitchen for the first time. I had a bit of a ‘moment’, as the sun shone in the two windows flanking a lowered piece of counter top [roughly 30″] that happens to perfect for kneading dough [36″ is just too high for this short guy]. A view of … Read More
Canette au Vin – more Burgundy…
Important facts: this was my first trip to France where I had a kitchen nearly the whole time I was resolved to cook classics [ex, coq au vin was on my list] the french have so many options for poultry, it will make your head spin A ‘canette’ is a young duck, so this was a rich dish that was … Read More
More Burgundy: Poulet de Bresse
Ever since reading Jacques Pepin’s memoires about cooking chicken in his home-region of Bresse, I’ve wanted to try one of the birds myself. And long before leaving for France, acquiring and cooking a Bresse bird was firmly on my list of things to do while in Burgundy. AOC chicken. I had to try it.Admittedly, I wasn’t aware that buying such … Read More
Bacon
I have Michael Ruhlman to thank for getting me making bacon at home. I will forever be indebted. I also must thank Gracianne, Maryann, and Yen for prodding me to post about it. It’s been a long time coming. Yen had wanted to get his hands dirty and learn how I did it, so with Ruhlman’s recipe in hand for … Read More
Things to do when windchill is into the -40’s
bake chocolate chip cookies, share with your daughter share a big breakfast with your wife bake a chocolate-espresso swirl cheesecake
Chicken Provencale Revisited
I actually did it. I actually went back to the store, in -35C temperatures [-47C with windchill], bought another chicken, and tried yesterday’s chicken dish again. This time, the whole bird. Head, feet and all. The conclusion? It was not a one-off yesterday. I’m in love with this dish right now. The meat is succulent and chicken-tastic. I can’t believe … Read More
Tastiest Chicken I’ve Made. Period.
Yes, a lofty and potentially deluded claim. I buy chickens whole and do whatever we feel like with the parts, using the rest for stock. I don’t know if this was a particularly tasty bird. Was it ‘finished’ well at the farm? Was I just really hungry? Not sure. But I’m gonna write this one down to try it again. … Read More
Chicken Stew
I forgive your shock for actually seeing a new post up here. I’ve been negligent. I’ve been consumed by real estate sales, purchases, kitchen design, and work. Life happens. And food and wine continue to happen in between, but sometimes you lack the time to post about it. Such is life. Tonight’s dinner was a simple chicken stew. Nothing fancy. … Read More
Another ‘buy-my-house’ Loaf
My wife asked for bread as she has an odd craving for sandwiches. We happened to have some potential buyers seeing our place this evening [which has been happening once or twice a day lately]. So out comes the bread. Again. This place had better sell or we’re gonna put on some pounds from the carb-fest. As previously admitted, baking … Read More
Shitake & Enoki Scrambled Egg
When one spends a night in the hospital with his sick infant daughter, arrives home at 5am, and is up at 6:30am, what does one make for an arriving brunch guest? Luckily, this particular brunch guest arrived with bags of ingredients, and suggested the dish. All I did was execute as best I could in my overtired state. Our little … Read More