[1] Food histories from A (almonds, apple brown betty, avocado and 14 more), to Z… [2] Zucchini bread (photo #1 courtesy Tio Gazpacho, photo #2 courtesy Betty Crocker). [3] The Edible Series books have deep histories of foods and beverages. [4] A historical novel for lovers of great food and intrigue. Get your copy on […]
People have asked us to recommend chocolates for Mother’s Day, and this year’s recommendation is William Dean Chocolates. We first encountered the brand at a chocolate show in New York City, a short time after its founding in 2007. The chocolates were—are—stunning, and the story of the chocolatier, Bill Brown, even more so (William is […]
[1] Spring Pea Crostini (photo courtesy Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog). [2] Spring peas fresh from the field (photo courtesy The Chef’s Garden). [3] Fresh mint (photo courtesy Good Eggs). [4] Fresh spinach (photo courtesy Good Eggs). [5] Garlic, to infuse the olive oil (photo courtesy Domain Image). One of the great treats of […]
Looking for Mother’s Day gifts? Here are some tasty items that won’t break the bank. 1. CHUAO CHOCOLATE BARS Chuao (chew-WOW) chocolate is one of the leaders in America’s artisan chocolate bars. We’ve been fans for a long time. Give a gift set of these gourmet chocolate bars for to a chocolate aficionado, […]
[1] Milk Chocolate Almond Toffee (both photos courtesy Fowler’s). [2] White Chocolate Cashew Toffee. We love toffee/buttercrunch (here’s the difference). So when we receive a gift of it, we tingle with anticipation. Sometimes that tingle pays off on the palate, sometimes not. When you’re a food writer who has tasted thousands of products a […]
April 24th is National Pigs In Blankets Day. Some people call the food Pigs In A Blanket, but there’s only one pig per blanket. So, it’s Pig In A Blanket or Pigs In Blankets; and since no one has ever eaten just one, go for the plural. But across the U.S., what caterers declare to […]
[1] Sparkling rosé for Mother’s Day, Pata Negra also has a beautiful bottle (photo courtesy Pata Negra). [2] The different shades of rosé wines depend on the types of grapes and length of skin contact (photo courtesy JotDot). [3] Ditto! (photo courtesy Good Eggs). [4] Riedel’s new Fatto A Mano pink-stemmed rosé glass (photo courtesy […]
April 23rd is National Cherry Cheesecake Day. For most of us in the U.S., cheesecake means a cream cheese batter with a crust of graham cracker crumbs. Most of us know cherry cheesecake as the plain cheesecake topped with [usually] canned cherry pie filling (photo #2). But often the canned filling is glop, and there […]
[1] Head to the farmers market to pick up wild ramps. Or, if you live in the eastern U.S. near mountains, pick your own. They grow in rich, moist, deciduous forests, from North Carolina and Tennessee as far north as Canada; and west to Missouri and Minnesota (photo courtesy Rick’s Picks). [2] Wild ramps at […]
At this time of year, we receive nonstop recipes for tequila cocktails in anticipation of Cinco de Mayo. Personally we love Margaritas—plain and flavored with fruit purée. We prefer to focus on other celebratory ideas—like a Taco Party. The renowned master of Mexican cuisine, Chef Rick Bayless tells us that the name for a taco […]