I don’t know if there’s any kind of pie I don’t like, but strawberry rhubarb pie is without a doubt my favorite. In January, opening a jar of this jam is the next best thing to pie. It’s peak strawberry season here now, so I made a big batch of jam last night, and we may have to have pie this weekend too. Continue reading
The weather was chilly and grey today, and after a quick stop at the garden to check on things after work, I wanted soup. The first local asparagus turned up the co-op last week, and I had a bunch of it waiting at home in the fridge. This soup is very simple and barely takes half an hour to make, but it tastes like something very fancy. I want to eat it every day until the peas come in, and then I want to eat this soup with peas in place of the asparagus. Continue reading
When I was just out of college and my cooking repertiore was still pretty limited, I used to make a casserole beans and tomatoes layered with corn tortillas and cheese, a recipe my mom used to make from one of her Williams-Sonoma cookbooks. As tasty as it was, my roommate Leslie and I doubted its authenticity as a Mexican dish. It just seemed to us a bit like something out of The Family Circle Illustrated Library of Cooking, and we dubbed it Fiesta Casserole.
Perhaps this recipe was a little more authentic than we gave it credit for, because this week I picked up a copy of Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen and found a couple different variations on this theme. This one is rich and smokey, and tastes almost chocolatey, like mole, even though there’s no chocolate in it. It will take you the better part of an afternoon to make, but it’s definitely worth it. Continue reading
I have tried many techniques for roasting a chicken over the years, most of which have been pretty good, but not really anything special. But then a couple weeks ago, very much by accident, I discovered this Thomas Keller recipe. I had been doing it all wrong. You can dispense with the butter and the basting and all the other things you think you need to do to make a delicious roast chicken. All you really need is some salt and a very hot oven. Continue reading
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