I am interrupting my European travel journal this week to interject a few words about the best darn chickens I have ever tasted. Now many of you might naively believe, as I once did, that all chickens are created equal and that they all taste the same, but you must trust me when I say that you are dead wrong. I first stumbled upon Soul Food Farm last year w... Read More

The mention of macaroons in the U.S. usually brings to mind a dense, coconut packed, knob shaped cookie. This isn’t the case in France, however. Their version of the macaroon (or macaron, as they spell it) is a delicate, crispy-chewy sandwich cookie that nestles a thin layer of creamy filling, usually made from ganache, buttercream or jam.

The origin of the macaroon, in any form, is a bit sketchy, but the most common story des... Read More

British food has a pretty dismal reputation — bland meat pies, greasy fish and chips, unfamiliar animal parts — but let me assure you that this is no longer the case. The second part of my European travels landed me in London, a city whose food scene I had high hopes for, but entered into with a bit of wariness nonetheless.

I quickly learned upon arriving in London, that my wariness was premature and that, in fact, the food culture here is alive ... Read More

We have been making our own fresh apple cider for years but this is the first time I have documented the process and wish to share it with all of you.

We have a bunch of different varietals in the orchard including: Mackintosh, Red Barons, Sweet Sixteens, and Northern Spys.
I will also purchase a bushel or tow to help even out the flavor.
This year I purchased Paula Reds and Jon-a-Golds for their sweetness.

We have a wooden hand cranked cid... Read More

I arrived in Paris a week ago and have been in a state of culinary bliss since the minute I stepped off the plane. I am staying in the apartment of some friends while they are away on their own vacation, and I must say that this is the only way to do Paris. Sure I have to make my own bed and open my own doors, but in exchange I have a kitchen to cook in and a place to store all of the delicacies that I accumulate throughout each day. This also means that, unli... Read More

As I mentioned in last week’s entry, I spent a number of months early in my career as a bread baker. While baking bread on a large, restaurant scale bored me, baking bread at home is one of my favorite things to do. To this day I find few things as gratifying as the simple act of mixing flour, water and yeast together and watching as it transforms from a lumpy mass to a smooth ball and, ultimately, to a delicious soft or crusty loaf.

While... Read More

Safe Tables was kind enough to invite us to attend a teleconference discussing the Senate FDA Reform Bill this Wednesday night at 8:30 pm ET.  Senator Dick Durbin (D-Il) and the FDA’s Mike Taylor will answer questions from the Safe Tables community about the proposed legislation and how it will improve food safety.  Please follow us ... Read More

The thing I am asked the most by people I’ve just met (other than where I work or my favorite restaurant) is my favorite thing to cook. This question, to me, is like asking a mother her favorite child or a composer his favorite chord. Cooking is less a specific study for me than it is a progressive journey and focusing on one area might mean missing out on many others, so I tend not to limit myself. I’m not sure if it’s extreme curiosity or j... Read More

As the autumn air gets crisp and the leaves start to change color, my thoughts inevitably turn to pie and suddenly I start to picture everything before me swathed in a flaky crust. So you can imagine my excitement when I opened my front door this morning to find that my neighbor had left me about 20 pounds of freshly picked apples from his tree. I knew that a pie was in my very near future.

Filed under: Baking, Favorite Ingredients, How To's, Recipes, Uncategorized — Chef Drea @ 22:01:13, October 4, 2009

I am convinced that white chocolate, the once eschewed, ugly step-sister to the more popular and desirable dark chocolate, is about to kiss the frog, bite the apple or have some other fairy tale-like transcendence out of the dungeon and into the limelight.

Most chocolate lovers maintain that white chocolate is not “real” chocolate and certainly is not worthy of mention in the same breath as other chocolates, but the fact is that... Read More