Think of grilling, and most of us probably think of those American standbys — hamburgers, steaks and even chicken — before we think of pork. Bacon, sausage and ham constitute much of pork’s appeal, owing to their fatty makeup. And the tougher cuts, like the ribs and shoulder, become tender and succulent with long, low-temperature [...]
As the season for grilling accelerates, this week’s food section acknowledges that good steaks need a good sear. But chicken constitutes most backyard cooks’ trial by fire. It’s unfortunate when the well-meaning grillmeister marinates chicken for more than a few hours in hopes of it becoming tenderer and remaining juicy. In reality, long marinating times [...]
While this blog lay fallow for the past couple of months, my garden compelled me to get cooking. Stories slated for the newspaper’s food section provided some of the seasonal inspiration. It started in April with rhubarb for compote and a crostata with store-bought puff pastry that was supremely simple but far enough off my [...]
This blog, for the past seven years and more than 650 entries, has been an extension of the Mail Tribune’s weekly food section. Blogging also has provided coverage of local food news and events that don’t make it in A la Carte, whether for issues of space, timing or newsworthiness. It’s been a platform for [...]
To go with the deviled-egg recipes circulating in food publications and on websites around Easter, egg-salad recipes abound. It’s so predictable you’d think this holiday was the only time anyone hard-boiled eggs. Of course, there are people (my husband being one) put off by what they perceive as the sulfurous smell of hard-boiled eggs. And [...]
It’s been a couple of years since this blog tackled the old lamb-or-ham-for-the-holiday question. I’m confident it’s a common enough quandary as a co-worker cooking her first Easter brunch for family asked my opinion this week. A staunch advocate of lamb, I had to hedge and admit that because she had so many other dishes [...]
Every newspaper story about the genesis of that candy turned pop-culture phenomenon — Peeps — relate that the first marshmallow chicks were piped out by hand. While it’s hard to imagine how that feat was ever accomplished on a commercial scale (even to meet 1950s levels of demand), piping a few marshmallow chicks in the [...]
You don’t have to be kosher or celebrating Passover this week to have reason for trying recipes that could compose a traditional Jewish Seder. Almonds, both ground as meal and slivered and toasted for garnish, are the main ingredient in several flourless, kosher desserts touted by food writers over the past week. Almonds, of course, [...]
Asian greens, touted in Joy magazine’s March Season to Taste column, are among the first items of produce at local farmers markets. Fresh vegetables are scarce, of course, because local farmers are relying on crops hardy enough to either overwinter in the fields or keep in cold storage. At least one farm, however, has less to sell [...]
Today’s Tempo dining review acknowledged that sushi is one of the fastest-growing restaurant genres in the Rogue Valley, likely mirroring a nationwide trend. Diversity in dining options is never a bad thing, but it is too bad that local sushi establishments seem to be going the way of Chinese and Mexican eateries — all offering [...]
