Monthly Archives: April 2012

Opah in the Style of Bacon, Endive, Radicchio

Bacon is as uncomplicated to make as it is to stuff rampantly down one’s gullet: a cut of pork (usually the belly in the US, called “streaky bacon” in European countries–including New Zealand–where leaner side or back cuts are preferred) is cured or brined in a concentrated solution of salt and other flavorings. After the [...]

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Things Organized Neatly

This project’s ‘hard stuff’ factor has entered a new phase for me; one that largely revolves around planning. As I close in on the last quarter of the book, there are fewer dishes to choose from on short notice, and every dish is more-involved than most other I’ve tried so far. The techniques are more [...]

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Pine Shoots, Smoked Potato, Many Foraged Garnishes

When I bought the French Laundry cookbook several years back, I came home and sat curled up in an oversized chair and read it straight through from cover to cover. Most of the things it contained were–at the time–not real for me. I had no idea what most ingredients were, how to pronounce the techniques [...]

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Beef, Elements Of Root Beer

What’s in root beer? There are hundreds of root beer brands in the United States, and there is no standardized recipe. The primary ingredient, artificial sassafras flavoring, is complemented with other flavors, including vanilla, sarsaparilla, licorice root, anise, molasses, fennel, star anise, hops, fenugreek, allspice, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and ginger. Not depicted in the video was how [...]

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