Untitled Document Ratatouille got me my first new kitchen floor. I’m talking not about the movie but the classic French vegetable stew (pronounced ra-ta-TOO-ee) that gave the movie its name. We’d moved into our historic farmhouse a month before. Farm kitchens are usually envisioned as large, warm, and welcoming, but the folks who’d built our […]
Food & Drink
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Summer’s sandwich
Untitled Document I won’t deny that Christmas held a certain cachet for me as a kid, with the oft-unbearable anticipation of Santa’s arrival and gift-delivery service, but none of it held a candle to Mother Nature’s gift of summertime, not then or now. Visions of sugarplum fairies? Not for this kid. Instead, my thoughts turned […]
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Patriotic bun baking
Untitled Document Stage left. Enter hyper-aware epicurean American, or HAEA, who’s got the latest culinary lexicon set to memory: “free-range,” “grass-fed,” “heirloom,” “pesticide-free,” “locally grown.” HAEA strolls through the aisles of Whole Foods (or an upscale foodie equivalent), shopping for the most patriotic of meals, the cookout. He examines the contents of his shopping basket, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Patriotic bun baking
Untitled Document Stage left. Enter hyper-aware epicurean American, or HAEA, who’s got the latest culinary lexicon set to memory: “free-range,” “grass-fed,” “heirloom,” “pesticide-free,” “locally grown.” HAEA strolls through the aisles of Whole Foods (or an upscale foodie equivalent), shopping for the most patriotic of meals, the cookout. He examines the contents of his shopping basket, […]
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It’s a grilling good time
Untitled Document “Make-your-own-pizza night” was an almost weekly ritual in our household when our kids were little, as well as a standard birthday- or slumber-party event. All we needed were a quick and easy dough with a short rising time and bowls filled with tomato sauce, cheese, and favorite toppings. In addition to being quick […]
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The great scape
Untitled Document This is another one of those columns that will urge you to drop what you’re doing and hightail it to the farmers’ market. An early-summer treat is in town but only for a few weeks, and Mother Nature does not play around. When it comes to garlic, she really keeps to her schedule. […]
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Some Tastes are better than others
Untitled Document We’d wanted to do it for years, but the timing just never was right — but then one year my family and I finally took the plunge. Taste of Chicago is billed as the Midwest’s largest summer festival and the world’s largest food festival. Started in 1980 as a one-day replacement for Chicagofest, […]
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A tale of two parties
Untitled Document It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the summer of 1974. The Watergate hearings were in full swing. When I wasn’t working, studying, or rehearsing, I was glued to the TV, watching the sad, sordid saga unfold. I’d been married the summer before, and we were […]
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Pudding to jog our New Orleans memory
Untitled Document “We need Americans to come see us, meet us, and hear our stories.” The impassioned plea comes from Frank Brigtsen, James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Brigtsen’s Restaurant in New Orleans. A native New Orleanian and protégé of culinary great Paul Prudhomme, Brigtsen recently stood before a group of volunteer chefs (myself […]
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Water, water, everywhere — and lots of drops to drink
Untitled Document “Would you like bottled water or tap water?” the server asks. That question, routine in upscale big-city restaurants these days, never fails to make me uncomfortable. If I say I just want tap water, do I seem cheap? As if I wouldn’t be able to pay the check if I ordered bottled water? […]
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Zen and the art of making burgers
Untitled Document A good hamburger is hard to find but shouldn’t be. It’s one of the easiest things to make, but most cooks want to make it complicated. All a burger needs to taste lip-smacking are salt, pepper, olive oil, and mindful restraint. A few notes on those four ingredients: Salt and pepper — Use […]
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What a jerk!
Untitled Document Jerk. Even the name’s fun — it could’ve been created by fast-food marketers trying to come up with a product name appealing to adolescents. Jerk originated centuries ago in Jamaica when maroons — runaway slaves — fled to the hills to escape their British masters. Wild boars were their main food source. Because […]
