[1] Sacher Torte, a classic with the word “Sacher” inscribed on the top. Here’s a recipe from Chic, Chic, Chocolate. [2] The real deal from the Hotel Sacher, which garnishes its cake with a chocolate medallion specifying Sacher Hotel Wein (Vienna) (photo courtesy Hotel Sacher). [3] The glaze is poured over the cake. Here’s a […]
November 28th is National Sardines Day. Every year we make a different dish for our Feast Of The Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. They’re typically the easiest to make—which is good news, when you’re cooking seven fish dishes. In the U.S., fresh-caught sardine season begins in July and lasts for a few weeks. They’re great […]
[1] Is it sparkling coffee or coffee soda? North St. and most other new entries are made from brewed coffee, then carbonated. So: sparkling coffee. Old-school soda is made from flavored sparkling water (photo courtesy North St). [2] Most sparkling coffee is sold in cans, following the trend in the craft beer industry (photo courtesy […]
November 6th is National Nachos Day, In fact, the dish was invented by accent, when customers arrived at a restaurant after the kitchen had closed. The manager, named Nacho (the diminutive of Ignacio), threw together some ingredients in the fridge to feed the folks. The rest is history (here’s a bit more on history of […]
November 4th is National Candy Day, and we’d like to introduce you to a type that’s relatively new in the U.S.: brigadeiros. They’re a Brazilian cousin to the original chocolate truffles: smooth, creamy and intensely chocolate, with no hard shell, but rolled in sprinkles or nuts (photo #1). The chocolates have an interesting history. In […]
November 1st is National Vinegar Day. While we’ve written about the different types of vinegar, today we’re focusing on rice vinegar, also called rice wine vinegar though it’s not made from rice wine. Rice vinegar, made by fermenting rice, is the prevalent vinegar in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Basic rice vinegar ranges from colorless […]
October 8th is National Fluffernutter Day, honoring an American sandwich that has been beloved by generations: a combination of Fluff marshmallow cream and peanut butter. The invention of smooth, creamy Marshmallow Fluff in Massachusetts led to many recipes, including the Fluffernutter Sandwich, a combination of Marshmallow Fluff and peanut butter. Today we have a Fluffernutter […]
September 29th is National Mocha Day. What is mocha (MO-kuh), and where did it come from? The coffee bean, which was first discovered growing wild in Ethiopia, was not extensively cultivated until the 15th and 16th centuries. Then, extensive planting of the trees was undertaken in the Yemen region of Arabia (the history of coffee). […]
The fourth week in September is National Wild Rice Week. Did you know that wild rice isn’t rice? A COUSIN OF TRUE RICE Wild rice is a member of the Poaceae family, genus Zizania; it is a cousin to true rice, the genus Oryza. Like Orzya, it grows in in shallow water. Instead of […]
[1] A classic apple dumpling, decorated with pastry scraps to look like an apple. Here’s the recipe from Martha Stewart. [2] Add some ice cream, pan sauce or caramel sauce, and maybe some toasted pecans. Here’s the recipe from Jo Cooks). [3] Apple dumplings as rugelach. Rugelach was rolled with a filling, but not apple. […]