Author Archives: David

Eat Your Books

I recently received an invitation to attend a reception at the headquarters of America’s Test Kitchen to celebrate the launch of The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook. I don’t know how I came to their attention, but I never turn down an opportunity … Continue reading

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Breakfast for Dessert

As soon as The Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook arrived, I knew I would be revisiting one of my failures – the cereal milk panna cotta, certified by the authors of Momofuku as a non-working recipe. The first chapter is devoted … Continue reading

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The Power of Pancakes

Yet another of my friends has managed to make a blog into a book. Michael Goudeau, author of The Pancake Project, has finally turned what started as a way to make entertaining breakfasts for his kids into a how-to book, … Continue reading

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Rabbit Wrapped in Fennel and Bacon

When I saw the rabbit in my local market’s freezer, I knew it was time to take the plunge and cook a bunny for dinner. I wanted a simple recipe that would highlight the flavor of  the meat without obscuring … Continue reading

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Packin’ Heat

My success with growing jalapeños led me to try a crop of mixed pepper varietals. I set up my AeroGarden to grow two each of three varieties: more jalapeños, purple super hots and red fires. Unfortunately, during the week I … Continue reading

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Hunt, Gather, Cook

During my Boy Scouting career (before it became just “Scouting”), I spent quite a bit of time in the woods learning how to fell a tree, catch a fish, pitch a tent, tie knots, and navigate by the sun and … Continue reading

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On a Roll (Charcutepalooza Challenge 10)

These Charcutepalooza challenges can be frustrating at times, mostly because of their timing. More often than not, I have already made something using the technique of the month, just not within the month required by the challenge. In the case … Continue reading

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Thinking Differently

Steve Jobs changed my life. It was a gradual process that began in the fall of 1984, when I first interacted with a Macintosh. I had moved into Castle Moose, a house full of game-playing Harvard graduates and later the … Continue reading

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Fried Chicken, Again

Once again, He Who Will Not Be Ignored demanded fried chicken for dinner, and did so with less than twenty-four hours notice. I was inclined to indulge his whim, but didn’t have the time to make something as time-consuming as the … Continue reading

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A Brief Career in Science Journalism

Like Howl’s moving castle, Chez Belm houses a collection of autonomous processes over which I have little control. In the (almost) sixteen years that I’ve lived in the house, I have noticed that books and other printed matter eventually collect … Continue reading

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