Maine
My recent visit to Maine was a patchwork of memories and a blossoming of experiences to add to them. I moved there two minutes before my son was born, nearly 29 years ago. I fell in love with the town the minute I saw it, mostly for the spare, lovely homes that were placed so […]
Ireland – Trad Music, Brown Bread, and the 99
Begorrah. Slainte. Shite. That’s about the sum of my Irish vocabulary, which I learned after spending a short week in the Ancient East coastal area of rolling green hills, gently capped waters, Celtic crosses, 99 ice creams. It’s what you’d expect of Ireland (maybe not the 99’s…more on that), it doesn’t disappoint. But there’s so […]
Poached Eggs
What is more wonderful than a poached egg? Many things, perhaps, but not when you’ve been traveling, or you’re in a hurry, or your child has a performance and you’ve got one hour to make and serve a decent meal. Or really at any time at all when you want something delicious and fast. That […]
The Best Summer Snack
This is the best summer snack ever, one I discovered a million years ago on a Tuscan farm, and am revisiting in a Tuscan village. It’s so easy. Take the best piece of bread or focaccia you can find. Peel a fat, new clove of garlic and rub it all over the bread, on all […]
Cutting into Cheese
I see it all the time. The cheese tray arrives and everyone around the table is in awe. The awe stems from the shape and variety of the cheeses, their aromas and runny to dry textures that promise so much, the vivid colors that can range from deep grey to blushing orange. It also stems from […]
A Taste of Asheville October 1 – 3
Step Right Up!!! You don’t want to miss the Asheville Class where for three days we cook, we learn, we laugh and we get out into the countryside to see the producers! October 1-3, 2014 It isn’t too late to Sign Up Now!
Tasty Turkey – Visions of Hatay
Thanks to a wonderful event called Mediterranean Culinary Days (admirably organized by Adnan Sahin, the president of the Anatolian Folk Cuisine Association), I spent three days in Antakya (Antioch), a city in the province of Hatay, in Anatolia. There, the wind blows with abandon, sweeping this busy, cacaphonic spot free of dust. With a bustling center that […]
Create a Cheese Tray for Easter
The cheese course is one of the crowning glories of French cuisine. It arrives at the end of the meal, before dessert, because cheese contains enzymes that help with digestion. It’s that simple! Putting together a wonderful cheese platter is simple too. Think “less is more”, quality over quantity. Four cheeses is a great number, […]
Restaurant L’Itineraire and its Vegetables
The rain has been unbelievable. Paris was submerged the other night, enveloped in a steady drizzle that penetrated everything, including my raincoat, as I walked down Boulevard St. Germain on my way to dinner at L’Itinéraire. I gratefully pushed open the door into the entry where a young waiter greeted me warmly and offered to […]
Gathering Recipes outside Sarajevo
By 9:30 a.m. the heat is already roiling up from the blacktop in Sarajevo, making our planned day in the hills above the city sound like a perfect idea. We headed first for the village of Gornje Biosko to visit the wheat, corn, vegetable and fruit farm of Spomenko Codo. He and his brother, […]
