Food Features

A gratin, according to the late chef Julia Child, is simply a preparation in which the top of a sauced dish is browned, usually under a hot broiler. In the first volume of her iconic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, she describes a gratin as having “a sprinkling of breadcrumbs and grated cheese, […]

Pepper production is reaching its peak at Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery in Champaign. Our walk-in cooler is filling up with a brilliant display of red, yellow, green and orange capsicums. Even though we are currently experiencing a September heatwave that feels more like July, we know cold weather is around the corner, and one […]

Subtle hints of fall have begun to appear in spite of this month’s sweltering start. There’s a tinge of gold layered into the trees and although the afternoons have been unbearably hot, there’s a crisp, freshness to the morning air. Our local apple harvest is just beginning, with early season gala and Sweet Maia apples […]

August is undoubtedly our household’s most expensive month of the year, and the busiest. In addition to both of my kiddos having August birthdays, there’s back to school supplies, clothes and registration, the Illinois State Fair and if we’re lucky, maybe a little road trip. Add in the impulse to squeeze as much sunshine and […]

My household has been under a compulsory cantaloupe consumption mandate for the past week. I’d ordered four of them from Humphrey’s Market to use in fruit salad for a large catering order, thinking I’d get standard volleyball-sized melons. The fruit that arrived was positively enormous, as large as watermelons, and they immediately filled the kitchen […]

Because everything in a restaurant kitchen requires labeling with masking tape and a black marker, a Sharpie is a permanent fixture in my apron pocket. However, I used to constantly lose them to co-workers who would borrow my Sharpie and never return it. I eventually solved this problem by swapping my black marker’s cap for […]