From the category archives:

food & cooking

Meat & Market

June 26, 2010
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Two market trips today, as this was also my monthly meat CSA pickup day. New vegetables appeared for the first time this week, and a few are already on the way out. Cucumbers (new, time to make pickles!), carrots (finally a usable size), sugar snap peas (the last of the season as they turn into [...]

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Crimes Against a Cuisine

June 23, 2010
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As a parent, I’ve leared how to say no to requests from He Who Will Not Be Ignored that originate from watching television commercials. It’s easy to deny requests for toys or games, but it’s harder to refuse suggestions about food, not because I think the advertised product has any merit, but because He Who [...]

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A Critic Is Born

June 22, 2010
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Today was the last day of school for He Who Will Not Be Ignored. Included in the sheaf of art projects, returned tests, and other work sent home from his classroom was a stack of poems from his most recent unit of language arts. A note from his teacher explained that he really enjoyed the [...]

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Market Restrictions

June 19, 2010
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Too much work, not enough cooking, and a flat-out refusal from He Who Will Not Be Ignored to eat any more leafy greens for a while (and I did manage to get him to eat kale, chard, and spinach in the span of a single week) have all conspired to make today’s market trip a [...]

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Braised Pork in a Rich Glaze

June 15, 2010
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It’s the start of a new season of Hell’s Kitchen, and already I have to remind myself that chef Gordon Ramsay is an accomplished cook and restaurateur, not just some ex-footballer who yells at slack-jawed “executive chefs” with delusions of adequacy. What better antidote to endless cries of “Move your arse, you donkey!” than to [...]

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Market Promise

June 12, 2010
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Today was another Saturday at the farmer’s market when it was threatening to rain, but it didn’t deter the locals. I’m using a different approach to my shopping this season, buying only what I’m absolutely sure I plan to cook within a week, rather than picking something because it looks god and i might be [...]

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Chocolate Terrine with Custard Sauce and Pistachios

June 10, 2010
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At long last, we come to the dessert for the Fifth Annual Birthday Dinner. I knew that it would have to be something with components that I could prepare in advance, requiring only a final plating before service. I also knew that it should be chocolate, especially after asking my guests to try something as [...]

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Dry Caramel, Salt

June 8, 2010
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It would be cool if you could figure out a way to use these,” said She Who Must Be Obeyed, dropping a package of sterile culture tubes on top of my Bouchon cookbook. I was still in the planning stages for her Fifth Annual Birthday Dinner, and now she had made her first — and [...]

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Market Return

June 7, 2010
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The Union Square Farmer’s Market, just a few block away from Chez Belm, opened for the season this past Saturday. I braved the gathering storm clouds and made sure I was one of the first to arrive to check out the fruits of the rainy spring. I exercised some restraint, which was helped by my [...]

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Degustation de Porcelet, Final Plating

June 5, 2010
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It was the day of the birthday dinner.  I had spent most of the previous evening lying awake trying to work out the best timing for all of the dishes and their components. Although the cauliflower panna cotta only required a spoonful of caviar to finish before serving, I had to blanch and shock asparagus [...]

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