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 ... 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 pl... 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 l... 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 Tabl... 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... 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 pi... Read More