I polished off a rare treat with last night’s dinner: lovely, golden raw-milk mozzarella lightly broiled on baguette halves and topped with a few Oregon black truffle shavings. Unlike the rubbery, tasteless mozzarellas sold in stores, this one was creamy with that grassy flavor evident in really, really good butter. The cheese’s superior qualities are even [...]
Don’t you hate it when someone talks to you or — worse yet — to the TV when you’re immersed in a program? Sadly, I’m one of those irritating people. Yet my husband, Will, recognizes when it would be cruel to impose a gag order. That’s why he recorded a recent “60 Minutes” interview with Slow [...]
After almost four long months of waiting, I could again cook a farmers market meal last night. Of course, this time of year, possibilities at the Rogue Valley Growers and Crafters Market aren’t exactly endless. But seasoned market shoppers know they can count on plentiful spring greens, farm-fresh eggs and a few overwintered root vegetables [...]
When my husband, Will, and I wanted to sell our first house several years ago, we knew we wouldn’t get far without sprucing up the yard. So we ripped out the pathetic, postage stamp-sized lawn in the back and carved out some pea-graveled paths. Will built some planter beds out of mossy rock and assigned [...]
Like any born-and-bred Oregonian, I’m more than willing to debate the superiority of Pacific seafood with anyone who will listen. I’m not so enamored, however, that I would consider consuming it on the other side of the country. Fish and shellfish simply aren’t good travelers. But to crowds on the Atlantic Coast, Alaskan halibut, salmon [...]
Great culinary minds produce much in the way of new cooking techniques and flavor combinations, but it’s rare that an entirely new ingredient crosses a chef’s radar. You can read about one, though, in this week’s A la Carte section. Black garlic is the next “it” ingredient, having found its way there by way of [...]
Since chocolate’s never really been my thing, inspiration for a blog on this weekend’s Oregon Chocolate Festival didn’t come easily. Then I saw Jim Craven’s video on the chocolate sculpture chocolatier Jeff Shepherd built for the festival at Ashland Springs Hotel. Now, that’s edible art I can get excited about. Maybe it’s because I love [...]
Although I enjoy decadent dishes as much as the next food-lover, I’m a kitchen minimalist at heart, firmly grounded in the belief that delicious meals can be created with the barest essentials. It’s a point of view that occasionally clashes against my husband Will’s love of gadgets and countertop appliances. I’ve had to concede that the Cuisinart [...]
