In the immortal words of The Nanny theme song, it was “style and flair” that got Fran Drescher the gig as nanny in the Sheffield’s home. With the addition of style and flair to a common house gathering, you can get the gig as an all-star host or hostess (hopefully sans the nasal voice) of…
Confit – the traditional preparation of cooking proteins such as pork or (more traditionally) duck underneath fat – may at first not seem like the most appropriate topic in the months of bared mid-drifts and love handles but, as with most classic techniques in modern foodie vogue, it is now associated with anything cooked under…
Ascribed to Cleopatra and Casanova, an oyster on the half shell has been an element of sexual connotation almost by default. The truth behind the oyster as an aphrodisiac lies in an elevated content of zinc. Oysters deliver 110-1,200 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for every 3.5 ounces consumed. Zinc is associated with…
A greenish-grey exoskeleton, antennae and five pairs of arms. Sounds like a description of an invading alien race instead of one of the most sought after proteins in the American diet, lobster. Summer to me always screams lobster. Every year, we would dig a large shallow hole in the yard, start a fire and throw…
I am continually talking about using leftover kitchen liquids as sorbet but have not delineated the exact process or fundamental concerns to its preparation. I could devote an entire book chapter to the principles behind ice cream making but here I’ll give you a concise overview. An ice cream maker is one of those unnecessary…
I think it is safe to assume that most of us have been brought up on the potato: French fried, baked, mashed, stewed or gratinéed, its versatility is apparent while lending nutritional components to our daily recommended requirements. But which potato to choose from the wide assortment available in today’s produce section? Almost all available…
I may be past my prime – but from now until July, strawberries will be in theirs. Of course they are bought with good intentions but probably not a wealth of ideas. It’s just one of those items that look so good in the market that one wants to buy, and then ends up growing…
Probably the most assertive and controversial item, corn appears as overflowing piles of ears, husk and silk at the farmer’s market during the transition from spring to summer. The ambiguity of corn as a starch and not a vegetable might present a conundrum to some, but is easily solved by focusing on its content and…
Guilt! I know I carry it along with me about a great many instances and occurrences: things I have done, things I have not done, and things I have failed to do. I don’t know if it is my Catholic upbringing or just a sense of self-masochism, but guilt follows me perpetually. In the realm…
Whether you choose to plant in early March or have been anticipating their arrival in the markets, heirloom tomatoes are beginning to peek their misshapen, bulbous little heads out at us all over town. Almost grotesque in their beauty of multicolored stripes, smoky purple hues and vibrant greens and yellows, these amazing fruits’ quantity will…
