February 2011

Let Us Eat Cake: Pears, Maple Syrup, Beets and Muscovado

February 26, 2011

Some of the most fun I have on this new culinary ride comes when I roll up my sleeves, butter up the baking pans and make me some cake! Though I have to admit that a good portion of that fun deals with the fantastic aromas that fill the house as a buttery, sugary cake [...]

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The Nectarine Salsa Tease

February 23, 2011

I know it’s only a matter of time before our gorgeous summer weather runs out and I’m stuck with parsnip puree for six months, so I thought I’d taunt all you Northern Hemisphere types with the fresh nectarine salsa I made from locally grown, organic ingredients: So light, so fresh, so out of your reach! [...]

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The Incidental Chef: A Culinary Week in Review

February 19, 2011

1.) Tuesday: Beef and lamb meatballs I hadn’t made (or even had!) a decent meatball in years, so as I was flipping through the A16 cookbook, I came across their basic meatball recipe and knew it was long past time. But what to do? They asked for ground pork and fatback, and all I had [...]

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How Reading Heston Blumenthal Made My Muffins Taste Better

February 16, 2011

Heston Blumenthal is the head chef and owner of The Fat Duck restaurant, a high-end eatery in Berkshire, UK that consistently ranks within the top five (mostly in the top three) of the best restaurants in the world (actually scoring the coveted pole position in 2005). Blumenthal is, to say the least, a daring chef, [...]

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The Pierre Hermé Fruit & Spice Cake = Bliss in the Kitchen

February 13, 2011

Okay, so it’s not all about the Fruit & Spice cake, because (after purchasing some new baking powder) I first tried my hand at the Pierre Hermé Coconut Loaf Cake, which was (as anything by Pierre Hermé is) terrific, with the texture of the finely grated coconut adding a wonderfully pleasing “crunch” to the act [...]

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The Incidental Chef: The Lemon Loaf Cake Fail

February 10, 2011

It started with the best of intentions, as all spectacular failures do. I trekked to Unity Bookstore (which I do more frequently than I should) and within a matter of minutes was bagged and tagged by the coy flirtations of Dorie Greenspan’s book, “Desserts by Pierre Hermé” — a collection of recipes for mind melting, [...]

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The Incidental Chef: Bill Granger’s Chocolate Mousse Cake

February 6, 2011

After reading about Kenneth Cole’s mind-boggling PR blunder, with his company attempting to hijack the violent riots in Egypt as a PR stunt to sell its Spring collection (I know, who’d of thought that piggybacking on blood in the streets, assassination attempts and a food-starved citizenry wasn’t the smartest way for a publicly traded company [...]

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Cooking with Moi: The Perils of Presentation

February 4, 2011

So this is what I’m learning so far in my trial-and-error process of cooking and baking: this “presentation” thing will be the death of me. I know (I KNOW!), people around the world have dedicated their entire lives and careers to the art and science of cooking and baking, and here I waltz into the [...]

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Mandy Aftel & Andy Tauer: Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 10)

February 2, 2011

Zurich, January 27, 2011 Dear Mandy, This year is still young and yet, almost one month is already over. Isn’t it interesting to witness how fast we get used to what seemed new and exciting only a short while ago? This exchange by letters with you has become a welcome addition to my weeks spent [...]

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