Author Archives: David

St. Julia’s Day, Part 2: Mousseline au Chocolat

If you’re serving coq au vin for dinner on St. Julia’s Day, then it follows that you should serve chocolate mousse for dessert. The recipe in Mastering is the second chocolate mousse recipe I learned; the first was taught to … Continue reading

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Market Doldrums

It’s hot, too hot to cook let alone think about what to cook for the upcoming week. But I forced myself to think ahead and plan my market visit for some of the meals I’ll make in the cooler days … Continue reading

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St. Julia’s Day, Part 1: Coq au Vin

I used to refer to Julia Child as Saint Julia. She was revered by millions, was responsible for the miraculous daily transsubstantiation of base ingredients into delicious meals, and was certainly prayed to in an effort to avert uncountable kitchen … Continue reading

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Kind of Bloop

Lots of musicians pay with 8-bit music composition programs, reworking pop favorites to sound like they were generated by old video game systems. But few have tried their hand at chiptune jazz, a deficiency that Andy Baio of Waxy.org sought … Continue reading

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Au Pied de Cochon

The best meal I ate in Montreal was planned months in advance, inspired (predictably, if you’re a regular reader) by the Quebec episode of No Reservations, first aired in April of 2006: Yes, I remembered this restaurant for three years, … Continue reading

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Kind of Blue

Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the release of what is widely considered the greatest jazz album ever recorded: Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. Although the record didn’t spring Athena-like out of Miles’ head, there was precious little warning … Continue reading

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Market Recovery

We returned from Montreal to an empty pantry and fridge; nothing yesterday’s trip to the market couldn’t fix. More new vegetables and fruits are arriving as the season progresses, so it was time to sample some new offerings. Above we … Continue reading

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Viande Fumée C’est Très Bon

Our second Montreal lunch adventure proved much more satisfying than the previous day’s mediocre hot dog and poutine. Acting on a tip from friends, we set out in search of another local delicacy: viande fumée (smoked meat). I was told … Continue reading

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A Montreal Culinary Baseline

The Shaw clan spent six days in Montreal, where we attended the 67th World Science Fiction Convention. In keeping with He Who Will Not Be Ignored’s ongoing project to eat a hot dog in every new city he visits, we … Continue reading

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Some Politics with Your Food?

Two articles caught my eye recently, both elaborating on points made in Michael Pollan’s essay “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch.” The first is “Farmers Can Feed the World,” a Wall Street Journal editorial by Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, … Continue reading

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