Breaking up with sourdough

Back in the early days of the pandemic (I'm sad that I even have to type that phrase), when yeast was nowhere to be found on store shelves, intrepid bakers rolled up their sleeves and went to work making bread the old-fashioned way: creating their own sourdough starter. I was one of those intrepid bakers, fastidiously weighing rye flour on… read more

Eating (and cooking) as a coping mechanism

Confessions of a stress-eater: I really didn't need that second homemade mint-chocolate chip ice cream sandwich, but I ate it anyway. It was delicious and I regret nothing. Perhaps when I am forced to wear regular pants again I might think otherwise, but for the time being I am taking joy where I get it, and for me food -… read more

July 2020 Eat Your Books Cookbook Club Summary

Each month we offer at least four cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. This month we’ve been cooking from the following titles: Main Selection: Falastin: A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi or See You on Sunday: A Cookbook for Family and Friends by Sam SiftonBaking Selection: Any recipes from Alice MedrichOnline Option: Sami Tamimi online, Alice Medrich online, Sam Sifton onlinePlant-based Option: Any recipes from Angela Liddon (Oh She… read more

July 2020 New Cookbook Review

What July is lacking in the number of its releases, it makes up in the quality of books. As I was preparing this month's review, I noted additional fall/autumn titles are again being moved to 2021. The looking forward to 2020 cookbooks post provides an outline by month of when cookbooks are slated to be published. I continue to update this preview… read more

A Table for Friends – Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our US/UK giveaway to win a copy of A Table for Friends: The Art of Cooking for Two or Twenty by Skye McAlpine. Skye is the author of A Table in Venice: Recipes from My Home one of the books that resides on my kitchen bookshelf. This high-rent space is limited and reserved for only the best. I need quick… read more

Cool as a cucumber

Whether they are pickled, tossed in a salad, or used in a dip, cucumbers find their way into many meals. They are not typically the stars of any meal, although the team at Serious Eats thinks they are underrated. Reminding us of "the cucumber's sweet, grassy flavor and refreshing crunch", Serious Eats provides 22 cucumber recipes to keep you cool… read more

Food news antipasto

We'll start this week's roundup of food news with an announcement from Saveur magazine. In a recent IG post, the magazine said it is bringing back the Saveur 100. You can help contribute to this special issue by telling Saveur about your favorite places to eat, must-have kitchen tools and gadgets, and game-changing techniques. In the past few weeks, social… read more

Learning from the masters

Television cooking shows can offer useful cooking tips, workable recipes, and creative ideas on how to showcase unusual ingredients. Sometimes, however, what is being done on the small screen - especially in competition cooking programs - does not exactly translate to the real world. Good Food (AU) Eloise Basuki explains this is a humorous, snark-filled article on 12 unrealistic cooking… read more

This week: Recipes for fruit preserves, preparing your baking pantry, cookbook previews, giveaways and more

There are a few things that are always in my pantry - honey, maple syrup, and several jars of fruit preserves. Often times for dinner, I will have a piece of whole-grain toast with jam and on my bagels, I like a little cream cheese and a dollop of jam. I am not a jam snob - Bonne Maman is… read more

Moldy jam causes a stir at Sqirl

Earlier this month I wrote about how there is no clean part of moldy bread. Perhaps I was sensing mold in the air because recent events have brought the subject to the forefront. Jessica Koslow, owner of the highly regarded Los Angeles cafe Sqirl, has come under fire for reportedly scraping the mold off containers of Sqirl’s house-made jam and… read more

Fear of an empty pantry, part two – the baking edition

Earlier this month, Darcie wrote a piece entitled Fear of an empty pantry. I think we can all relate to battling our fears of ingredient shortages since we've been dealing with the pandemic. A friend once called me MacGyver because every time she needed anything while we were at the park with our kids, I had the item in my… read more

John deBary on the most underrated cocktail

Almost no one has been as steeped in the world of cocktails as John deBary. With law school as his goal, he landed what was supposed to be a temporary job at Jim Meehan's famed NYC bar, PDT, in 2008 during the cocktail revival. He got hooked on mixology, ditched his law school plans, and went on to be the… read more

Rose’s Ice Cream Bliss – Cookbook Giveaway

Enter to win one of two copies of Rose's Ice Cream Bliss by Rose Levy Berenbaum open to US/Canada members. Two weeks ago, I did a short preview of Rose's new book in a weekly roundup: As with everything that sweet Rose does, you can expect nothing short of greatness! The pineapple caramel recipe is alone worth the cost of… read more

Ideas to use up your zucchini glut

One of my neighbors gave me some zucchini from her garden last week. I had been waiting for this moment, as I don't plant it in my own garden. Like most people who grow zucchini (aka courgettes or summer squash), my neighbor ended up with more than she could use and began giving it away, which worked out perfectly for… read more

Another famed restaurant closes permanently

The headlines about top restaurants that are closing permanently continue to pile up. Even long-standing establishments that have weathered recessions and natural disasters are not immune to the financial pressures created by lockdowns and the public's reluctance to resume in-person dining when it is available again. This time it is K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, a staple of the New Orleans dining… read more

Recipes of Youngstown – Community Cookbooks & Giveaway

We have written about community cookbooks a few times for our members: Community cookbooks make a comeback and A not-so-guilty pleasure: Community cookbooks. Today, I would like to share a little about a community that banded together to create cookbooks to help their town and its residents. Recipes of Youngstown's first book was first released in 2014 to help replace… read more

Food news antipasto

Two world-famous NYC-based culinary schools announced their merger earlier in the week. The International Culinary Center (formerly the French Culinary Institute) is closing its doors after over thirty years and will be absorbed by The Institute for Culinary Education. We don't know the plans for the ICC's legendary instructors )Jacques Pépin, Jacques Torres, André Soltner and Alain Sailhac) although ICE… read more

Beautiful to grow and wonderful to eat

Gardening has long been a hobby for me. I inherited the gardening bug from my parents, who grew an assortment of vegetables, fruits, and flowers in gardens scattered across our small suburban lot. While it's obvious when you are growing vegetables that you plan to eat them, the same cannot be said about gardens that showcase beautiful blooms. There are… read more

This week: Tomato, tomahto – let’s find recipes to use them up, cookbook previews, giveaways and more!

Is a tomato a vegetable or a fruit? The correct response is that tomatoes are a fruit since they grow on a vine. But in Nix v. Hedden, 149 U.S. 304 (1893) the Supreme Court of the United States decided that under U.S. customs regulations, the tomato should be classified as a vegetable. This case came before the Court as… read more

Let’s call the whole thing off

Back in February (which personally seems like a decade ago), I shared my thoughts on the demands and judgment of the internet reader in Order up: one recipe, hold the narrative. Recently, one of our most-loved cookbook authors, Dorie Greenspan wrote about Joanne Chang's Maple Blueberry Scones for the New York Times. The comments on that article are enough to… read more

Sur La Table to close nearly half of its stores

I have always appreciated dedicated kitchen stores. The tempting displays of cookware, gadgets, serving platters, niche foods, and tableware provide inspiration, even if some items are a bit too precious (does anyone really need to brand their initials on a steak?) or priced out of reach for us working class folk. I will never forget the sense of awe I… read more

Neil Perry announces his retirement

In news that came as a surprise to the industry, Australian superstar chef Neil Perry announced that he is hanging up his chef's whites this year. After a nearly 40-year career that saw the launch of a successful restaurant empire, Perry is "stepping away from the role of culinary director and ambassador within the Rockpool Dining Group but will remain a… read more

Falastin – Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our US giveaway to win one of three copies of Falastin: A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley with one additional copy being offered worldwide by Eat Your Books. Falastin is our July main cookbook option in the Eat Your Books Cookbook Club (published 3/26/2020 in the UK; the US release 6/16/2020) With just as much anticipation as that afforded to… read more

Lockdown bakers get creative

Whether it's a seasoned baker making an impressive tart or a newbie tipping his toes into the bread-baking waters, the pandemic has spawned an obsession with baking. Part of it has to do with the 'comfort-food' factor, while shortages and disrupted shopping schedules also play roles. As an avid baker who has long attempted (mostly unsuccessfully) to drag my friends… read more

Bitter Honey – Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our US/UK/AU/NZ giveaway to win one of three copies of Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from the Island of Sardinia by Letitia Clark. In Bitter Honey, seasoned chef Letitia Clark invites us into her home on the beautiful island of Sardinia. Cooking on this Mediterranean sea paradise reflects life: it is a slow and relaxed affair and the most… read more
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