Multi-Culti Cauliflower

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:06:13 +0100

I have rarely met a cauliflower dish that I didn't like (well, since my boarding school days, but that's a lifetime ago). This cruciferous vegetable lends itself to salads and curries, soups and beignets, gratins and pasta dishes.

Dessert Through the Ages

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:00:01 +0100

Whether Michael Krondl's latest -- "Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert" -- is a must-read depends not on the size of your sweet tooth but on the extent to which you're a history buff. The latter may well devour his painstakingly researched exploration of the evolution of dessert in a few key places around the world, places chosen "because I th ...

A Top-Level Pinot

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:06:20 +0100

Last week, while drinking with friends in Le Cirque's Lounge and Bar in Manhattan, I discovered a terrific wine of the week lurking on the restaurant's expensive list. The succulent 2007 Au Bon Climat La Bauge Au-Dessus Pinot Noir is silky-textured and delicate, with luscious cherry-berry flavors, notes of spice, leather and damp earth, an ...

The Price of Cheap Food

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:02:09 +0100

Equating junk food to tobacco, HBO is cruising for a food fight. "The Weight of the Nation," the cable network's special report on obesity in America, pummels the food industry with the statistics and science necessary to justify an overhaul of a food system the producers call "hostile to healthy eating." The una ...

When Life Swallows the Family Meal

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:59:16 +0100

Like most American families, we lead a busy life. My 12-year-old daughter has crew from 4:15 to 6:15 in the afternoon. Her 8-year-old sister has ballet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. My wife has a book club at 7 p.m. For most people, the problem might be figuring out how everyone gets where they are supposed to be. For me, the dilemma is: How are we going to eat dinner ...

A Chicken Renaissance

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:02:16 +0100

Sometimes you want something fresh and spring-like and also ultra-exotic. I've got one for you, and it's even within the scope of that recent trend to dishes with a minimum number of ingredients. Or almost within. It's pretty much nothing but chicken, sugar and chopped-up lemons. In a way it recalls that old-time dessert foodies are periodically rediscovering, Shaker lemon pie, ...

Memorable Food Faves

Thu, 10 May 2012 07:05:06 +0100

Everyone has foods they love and certainly foods they detest. What I am wondering is why I seem to remember the preferences of others, especially foods they dislike, even though I don't necessarily know the people involved and am not likely to invite them to dinner. This is especially true for those no longer with us. Ro ...

Snails as Tapas

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:37:25 +0100

Snails, those creatures of ill repute among gardeners, are good food for foragers. All the shell-housed gastropods, whether from land or sea, are edible, though some are too small to be of culinary interest. No need to buy them ready-cooked in a can for reheating with garlic butter when supplies are available ...

In Search of elBulli

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:09:17 +0100

So much has been written about the wildly creative Spanish chef Ferran Adrià, who brought molecular gastronomy into the spotlight, that a fresh perspective seems impossible. But when journalists take trips that are more about the journey than the destination, ...

A Wild, Brilliant White

Mon, 07 May 2012 13:26:17 +0100

Last Friday night I blind-tasted a dozen Sauvignon Blanc samples I'd received in the past couple of weeks and picked out this brilliant creamy, chalky 2010 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon from New Zealand as a winner. Its layered minerality, rich grapefruit, lemon and herb flavors, and s ...

Get Beyond Vintage

Mon, 07 May 2012 13:20:21 +0100

Vintage and terroir are borrowed paradigms, bulwarks of the Old World adopted by the collective consciousness of a young and impressionable American wine scene. They represent powerful ideas and shape the way wine is produced, sold and enjoyed. Of all the products humans create for consumption, none is more influenc ...

Feel-Good Foods

Fri, 04 May 2012 08:04:15 +0100

Grilled Asparagus and Leeks with Romesco Sauce. Salted and Pickled Anchovies on Grilled Flatbread. Trout a la Navarra prepared with kale and Serrano ham. Confit ...

Food and War in Baghdad

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:42:14 +0100

Food memoirs can be hit or miss. No matter how many times a writer spins a tale of eating in a foreign land or following a grandmother around the kitchen, it's often an awkward dance between good writing and good food. But Annia Ciezadlo's

Wine Pioneer's Progress

Wed, 02 May 2012 13:28:02 +0100

For years, Paul Dolan's biodynamic, organic wines have been a go-to pairing for eco-conscious gourmet menus on Earth Day, or any other day. But this ye ...

Tips for Eating in Greece

Tue, 01 May 2012 14:22:05 +0100

One would think having Greek food in Greece is a natural choice. Curiously, it's a bit harder than you think. I first went to Greece in 1971 and had an opportunity to spend a bit of time there having been in a car accident that landed me in the hospital. I've been back half a dozen times over the years, have visited every region including a bunch of islands and ...

Fancy a Bit of Stuffed Peacock?

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:46:33 +0100

What extraordinary things people eat! Just now we are being urged to switch from meat and fish to bugs to "save the planet." How about using "fresh roasted crickets" for walnuts in your muffins, or savoring an Australian witchetty grub, grilled for two seconds over t ...

Time for a Food Bank Deposit

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:10:12 +0100

Hunger is escalating in America, and its face is changing. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Louisiana where food insecurity is rising because of the weak national and local economies, high unemployment and the increased cost of living. Louisiana currently has the second highest poverty r ...

Embrace the Digital Cookbook

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:10:03 +0100

I shudder to think what cookbook authors around the world thought when they read Julia Moskin's article, "Are Cookbooks Obsolete?" in The New York Times last year. Moskin, who also caused a stir with her

Mitt Romney's Safety Net Isn't Working

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:03:00 +0100

Mitt Romney caught a lot of flak in February when he told CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien that he was "not concerned about the very poor" because they have a "safety net." While his opponents, Republicans and Democrats, took full advantage of the opportunity to capitalize on yet another Romney gaffe, the ...

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