aile de poulet de Buffalo

Buffalo wings

Food trivia is fun. I love the surprises it holds.  In the 1970s, German chocolate cake was popular amongst my circle of friends. Everyone thought that it originated in Germany, but the recipe apparently originated in Texas in the 1950s. The original name was German’s Sweet Chocolate cake because it was made with Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate, a brand name for a particular baking chocolate that is now produced by Kraft Foods. more »

suprêmes de satsuma

satsuma segments

All my life I’ve been a collector. I’ve collected menus. I’ve collected matchbooks. I’ve collected English‑language Chinese cookbooks. I was once accused of collecting dust. One of my current collections consists of pithy little phrases related to food. One phrase in my thoughts more than the rest is, “Good ingredients, barely touched. more »

salade de coquille Saint-Jacques et d’oignons

scallop and onion salad

Coquilles Saint‑Jacques was a French mystery food when I was young. You would hear actors in movies order it in French restaurants. And I can still hear Julia Child pronouncing the words with her high‑pitched French accent and the two silent s’s. I do not recall ever seeing the full‑sized version on any menu at the fine San Francisco restaurants in the 1950s. more »

pementos de Padrón

padron peppers

Thursday night, June 23rd, 2011—my wife and I land at Aeroport del Prat and head for our hotel in Barcelona. For four nights, we’ll be based near the eastern corner of the Barri Gòtic, where Barcelona originated and where today tourists throng. This is our first trip to Spain, and we’ve come to see the highlights and eat. more »

chocolat noir et blanc

black and white chocolates

With a myriad of shell‑molded chocolates available from multiple sources in most towns—they certainly are popular—why go to the bother of making your own for a mignardise plate? For the challenge? To increase your personal skill set? Quality control? Flavor? Personalization? Customization? To kill an hour or two? To snack on the rejects? Satisfaction? Kudos? Illegal fillings? Unusual flavor combinations? Bragging rights? For me, the best answer is probably “satisfaction. more »

roulé de porc séché

dried pork rolls

It all started with bresaola. I had arrived in the old Swiss village of Gruyères to stage with my friend Frédéric Médigue. He was in his new position as chef⁄manager of the Hostellerie Saint‑Georges. I think the year was 2003, but it may have been a year later. The set‑up here was much different than his previous position where he was the chef⁄owner of a small hotel and Michelin one‑star restaurant in the village of Amondans in Eastern France. more »

mousse de foie d’angeau « Ritz »

lamb liver mousse on a “Ritz” cracker

“Everything tastes better on a Ritz,” or so the advertising slogan goes. When I was growing up, that certainly was the case in my home. There were only two types of crackers found in our kitchen pantry, Ritz and Triscuits. In those days, there wasn’t the various flavors and sizes of Ritz Crackers available today, or if there was, not in my mother’s kitchen. more »

flan coco

coconut custard

As a cooking teacher, I’m given at times to spouting aphorisms. One that I’ve said on multiple occasions is, “The whole world is a custard.” Think about it. It’s true. There are oodles of dishes in many of the world’s culinary traditions that involve solidifying some liquid with eggs, or parts of eggs. more »

pâtes de Parmesan

cheese noodles

Did you know that there is an International Culinary Tourism Association? Until a few years ago, I didn’t even know I was a culinary tourist, let alone there was an association for the likes of me. I think without realizing it, I’ve been a culinary tourist most of my life. I’ve never passed up an opportunity to visit a food processing facility—it was about fifty years ago that I visited my first cheese factory in Tillamook, Oregon. more »

tomate verte frite

fried, green tomato

Starting in the early summer of 2011, my visits to jail became regular. Prior to then, I was occasionally called upon to teach the inmates some knife skills, but a new grant arrived that provided enough funds so that each week there could be one class for the men and one for the women. more »