Food news antipasto

We start off this week's recap with some good news - Saveur just announced that it will be returning to print in 2024, just in time for the magazine's 30th anniversary. They are starting off slow, with only two issues planned for next year. In the announcement, editor Kat Craddock said that Saveur is "committed to offering you an affordable… read more

Spice support: pink peppercorns

You might have been introduced to them from the tri-color peppercorn mixes that often come with the purchase of a pepper grinder: pink peppercorns. These diminutive, brightly colored orbs are more than just an colorful garnish to be sprinkled over a dish, as Serious Eats explains in its primer on pink peppercorns. First things first - pink peppercorns are not… read more

Celebrating ‘grape’ discoveries

When a friend offers you a laundry basket full of ripe Concord grapes, what do you do? If you are me, you say "thank you" and proceed to the open EYB Library tab on your computer to find recipes that use them. I knew I wanted to make grape preserves and already knew where to look for that recipe, but… read more

Sweet potato 101

A blue-green bowl holds cooked, diced orange fleshed sweet potatoes dotted with tiny black black seeds and bits of scallion
We are headed to the time of year in the US when more sweet potatoes are served than perhaps the rest of the year combined. Families that never eat the tubers at any other time will trot out sweet potato casseroles and sides during the holidays. This serves as a great opportunity to brush up on the different varieties available… read more

Food news antipasto

It is amazing how 2023 has flown by, and now it's that time of year to make our lists and check them twice. If you have been nice, you might want to check out the kitchen equipment year in review for 2023 at Epicurious. The editors have compiled their list of "Kitchen MVPs" which are those products that they found… read more

What are your favorite make-ahead recipes?

After three years of not hosting, my spouse and I are back in the hot seat and will have a group of about eight people at our house for Thanksgiving dinner. I have been tinkering with the menu for a few days and have decided to make as many items ahead as I can because my work schedule is hectic… read more

Recipes to celebrate Diwali

Diwali, a five-day festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains across the world, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is worshipped on this holiday, which this year falls on November 12. Diwali celebrations frequently include fireworks, candles, and other forms of light displays. As with many holidays around… read more

Does everything need to be zhushed?

Does anyone remember the commercial for Rice Krispie treats that aired in the late 1980s? The commercial opens with a woman reading a romance novel while her child (in another room) asks if the treats are done yet. "These things take time!" the mother replies. Donning an oven mitt, the woman dips the mitt into the flour container, flicking flour… read more

Food news antipasto

The Seattle restaurant scene lost one of its legends this week as acclaimed chef Thierry Rautureau died at the age of 64. Widely known as the 'Chef in the Hat,' the French-born restaurateur helped Seattle cement its reputation as a location for fine dining. Rautureau won numerous awards for his restaurants, including a James Beard Award in 1998. In culinary… read more

NYT interviews Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest

Half Baked Harvest is the one of the most popular blogs indexed in the EYB Library, and the corresponding books written by Tieghan Gerard, who is the heart and soul of HBH, have also generated loads of positive feedback from our Members. That is one reason I thought that Julia Moskin's NYT profile of Ms. Gerard (gift link) would be… read more

Why don’t cookbooks talk about the cleanup?

When you read a recipe in a cookbook (or online, for that matter), the final instruction usually revolves around how the dish should be served. Left unmentioned is the mess that remains. If a recipe discusses washing up, it's to claim that it is a simplified or "one-bowl" affair that will leave fewer dishes to be washed. Occasionally the preface… read more

2023 Taste Canada Award winners

The Taste Canada Awards were announced last evening at a soiree held at the historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The Awards are presented to outstanding Canadian cookbooks in both English and French languages. This is the biggest night of the year for Canadian cookbook authors. Unlike other cookbook awards, Taste Canada presents both gold and silver awards in… read more

Food news antipasto

Another of David Chang's Momofuku restaurants is closing, this time Momofuku Ko, a two-Michelin star eatery located in New York City. The closure comes as the company moves in a new direction under the leadership of Marguerite Zabar Mariscal, who took over the reins in 2019. Momofuku plans to open another restaurant in the same space, but in the meantime… read more

The Washington Post’s new recipe site

The Washington Post, which has a large and active food section, unveiled its new recipe site this week. In the announcement, the Post said they were creating the new site to make "it easier than ever for you to find those recipes, save them, print them, use them and interact with us and other readers about them." The Post freshened… read more

Brinner is always a winner

Somehow I missed the fact that breakfast for dinner has been going by the name "brinner" since about 2014, when an article by Kathleen Purvis about the trend was picked up by a slew of regional newspapers across the US. The thought was that brinner would overtake brunch in popularity, both at homes and in restaurants. I do not believe… read more

Was this the ultimate Le Creuset deal?

After writing about the Le Creuset factory to table sale, Jane forwarded me a tweet about a deal being offered by Costco that would allow someone to jumpstart their collection and become a super collector overnight. The wholesale club was offering a whopping 157-piece set of Le Creuset that comes with an eye-popping price tag: $4,499.99 USD. While I wondered… read more

Food news antipasto

A new Australian product aims to put the real taste of chicken into plant-based meats. Called Tastilux, it's a creation of Nourish Ingredients, and is an animal-free fat that "mimics the mouthfeel of animal fat" but is made from a type of Australian fungus. Adding it to plant-based "meats" can make them taste, well, meatier. The product isn't available to… read more

Apple season is upon us

We are just at peak apple season, and every roadside stand and farmers market is brimming with bushel baskets of local apples. If you are lucky, there could be upward of a dozen varieties for you to choose from, with a range of characteristics. Some are perfect for eating out of hand, others are great for making cider or applesauce,… read more

Ditch the cling wrap with these lids

How many recipes ask you to cover an item with clingwrap/plastic wrap while it is proofing, marinating, cooling, or in some other waiting stage? Too many to count, right? If you hate wrestling with finicky wrap that seems to stick to everything except the edges of the container it's supposed to seal, Serious Eat's Andrew Janjigian has the answer, and… read more

Celebrating National Pasta Day

I was struck with the urge to make homemade pasta today, a desire that came out of the blue. After pulling the pasta machine out of the cabinet, I proceeded to make simple ricotta-filled ravioli (judging by the results, I need more practice). Imagine my surprise to later learn that today is National Pasta Day, with restaurants around the country… read more

Food news antipasto

As we become immersed in the new season of the Great British Bake Off, it's tempting to do armchair quarterbacking on strategies or ideas the contestants have chosen. It is easy to opine from the comfort of our living room, but a former contestant on the US version of the show reminds us that baking in that iconic tent is… read more

When you can’t look away

I'll begin this post with a disclaimer: I am not on TikTok and have no plans to join any time soon. When I report on TikTok trends it's because I learned about them via someone's cross-shared post on Instagram or through an online article, like Aaron Hutcherson's latest in The Washington Post. He discusses the reasons we are attracted to… read more

The thrill of the score

As I talked to shoppers at the Le Creuset Factory to Table sale, a common refrain popped up: LC did not fit into their budget unless they could purchase it a steep discount. While I saw some carts filled to the brim with boxes, others contained only one or two small items because those bargain hunters didn't find the prices… read more

Embracing the change

Tonight we turned off the water going to the outdoor faucet, a yearly ritual that is repeated in reverse come springtime. That means it is officially autumn. I'm generally a spring/summer person because I abhor being cold, but it is during autumn that my cooking senses really come alive. Baking in the summer, as we have witnessed on the Great… read more

Food news antipasto

This week we learned the sad news that chef Michael Chiarello has died at age 61 following a severe allergic reaction that led to anaphylactic shock. The chef hosted shows on PBS, Food Network, Fine Living, and Cooking Channel. He also appeared on Top Chef Masters and was a judge for Top Chef. The partners in his restaurant group said… read more
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