Food & Drink

Show yourself some love this Valentine’s Day with beets. These deeply pigmented vegetables are a glorious addition to winter menus, providing visual pop, sweet earthy flavor and loads of nutrition. Rich in iron, manganese, potassium, vitamins and B6, beets also are a source of plant-based nitrates, which research has suggested can increase blood flow and […]

Polenta, a type of cornmeal porridge or mush, is a humble peasant dish from northern Italy that predates the Roman Empire. Before Christopher Columbus introduced corn from the Americas to Europe, polenta was made from ground barley, fava beans, spelt, rye or buckwheat. Modern-day polenta is typically made from medium to coarsely ground yellow flint […]

Countless cooks caught the sourdough baking bug in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown. Yeast was scarce and with time on their hands, modern bakers discovered the joys of this ancient process. I was fortunate to grow up with artisanal sourdough baking, but as a Midwestern kid in the 1990s it was anything but […]

I’ve become fascinated with the backstories behind the recipes I’ve made and the ingredients I’ve worked with. I love to collect and browse old cookbooks, especially those from the 1800s. The great cooks of yesteryear were the ones who knew how to coax optimal flavors from simple ingredients, and in many cases, they had better […]

Did everyone have a great December? I certainly did. It was quite a run of eating and drinking and I have no regrets. Unfortunately, my once roomy jeans are no longer roomy and the ache in my joints is a reminder that there are consequences to my gluttony. As lovely as all those cookies were, […]

There’s nothing more comforting than walking into a house and being greeted by the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from the kitchen. It’s a smell that can bring you a sense of happiness and contentment. Some real estate brokers even contend that the comforting aroma can increase your chances of selling your house. I […]

Of all quintessential holiday flavors, eggnog might be one of the most divisive. Folks either love it or hate it, however it’s hard to argue that this richly spiced and strongly spiked holiday beverage has left an indelible mark on the American holiday tradition. Eggnog is widely believed to be a descendant of posset, a […]

The holidays are a time for family and friends to gather and enjoy delicious food. Unfortunately, far too often, over-ambitious baking and meal preparation turn this joyous time into a stressful kitchen marathon. One year I decided to make a classic pâté en croûte, a terrine of ground pork and duck encased in a pastry […]

I finally got my act together this year and got a head start on holiday baking preparations. Last weekend’s blustery weather practically begged me to bust out the stand mixer, put on some jaunty carols and get to work. I’ve been making holiday treat boxes for friends and family for years and always find myself […]

Five years ago, I attended a book-signing for the highly acclaimed Noma Guide to Fermentation. Noma is a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen, considered by many to be one of the world’s best. In his presentation prior to the book signing, Noma’s chef, Rene Redzepi, criticized the restaurant’s two previous cookbooks: Noma: Time and Place in […]