Even with the sheer number of cookbooks in my library, there are times when I gravitate to certain sources for recipes. The common characteristics are that the recipes are well edited and work in our hands. For weeknight cooking, it helps that I don’t need to make special trips to get obscure ingredients that I …
Category: Food
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/01/08/reliable-sources/
Jan 02
For Future Reference
I have over 500 cookbooks, folders full of recipe clippings and internet downloads, and index cards I’ve compiled over the years. Keeping track of what I’ve tried has been challenging. However, I’ve developed a three-pronged system that works for me. (I’ll discuss later how it works for Julian.) The recipe cards were relatively easy to …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/01/02/for-future-reference/
Jan 01
Getting my Goat
I’ve developed a liking for goat meat over the years. It started with our friend Beverly’s Jamaican curried goat dish. We’ve had it several times when we’ve visited her and her family north of Miami. Since then, I’ve ordered goat in several other restaurants of varying ethnicities. Goat is not easy to find. Most standard …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/01/01/getting-my-goat/
Dec 26
Christmas at Casa Sammamish
Our Christmases over the years here have evolved into a pattern: Christmas Eve with our friends for food and the white elephant exchange; A quiet Christmas à deux (actually à quatre, including the cats); followed by “Jewish Christmas” dinner with friends. I had the morning and early afternoon to myself, given Julian’s propensity to sleep …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/12/26/christmas-at-casa-sammamish/
Dec 25
Macaroons et Macarons
This year for the annual Christmas Eve dinner and white elephant extravaganza, I wanted to make something that the maximum number of attendees could eat. The vegetarians weren’t there, but the gluten- and allium-phobes were. Hence, I made macaroons and macarons. Both of these cookies use beaten egg whites as structure and leavening. Macaroons are …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/12/25/macaroons-et-macarons/
Dec 22
One Hit, One Miss
I’d thawed some boneless pork loin chops for dinner earlier in the week. We also had leftover sauerkraut and fresh cabbage. These ingredients whispered in my ear: Eastern Europe. Off I went to the cookbooks. I found a recipe for pork chops with mustard and cornichon pan sauce from Pierre Franey’s More 60-Minute Gourmet. I …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/12/22/one-hit-one-miss/
Nov 30
The Apogee of Applesauce
Along with cranberry orange relish and two loaves of bread, I made applesauce on Thanksgiving. It did not go to our friends’ house. A day or so later Julian asked, “What did you do to this batch of applesauce?” Usually when he asks a question like that about one of my creations, it’s because he …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/11/30/the-apogee-of-applesauce/
Nov 24
Happy Thanksgiving 2016
While I’m waiting for stuff to happen in the kitchen (bread to rise, apples to cook down), I grab a cookbook and browse. Today I picked Marcus Samuelsson’s The Soul of a New Cuisine. Samuelsson is an Only in America story: Orphan in Ethiopia gets adopted by a Swedish family and becomes a successful restaurateur in …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/11/24/happy-thanksgiving-2016/
Nov 06
Fennel for the French Dinner
We hosted the crew last night for a Provençal French dinner. Julian made a daube (beef stew). I made polenta and fennel salad. We also had cheese and assorted appetizers, including some tinned foie gras that we brought home from our trip. The fennel salad is one I’ve made many times over the years. The …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/11/06/fennel-for-the-french-dinner/
Oct 18
Socca
One Provençal delicacy we didn’t try in France was socca, a thin flatbread made with chickpea flour. Given that several of our Friday night regulars are intolerant of wheat or gluten, this seemed like a good recipe to try. Attempt #1. I used the recipe in Mireille Johnston’s Cuisine of the Sun. The batter was …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/10/18/socca/
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