January 2008
Video: Big Sur Power Bars →
I wrote a homemade powerbar recipe for my last book, and it’s one of those recipes I never get tired of. Wayne and I spent a few days in Big Sur last week so I made a batch with a few twists. The Big Sur version is packed with lots of toasted nuts and coconut. The crisped rice is flecked with a sizable dose of ground espresso beans. It has been a while since I’ve shared any video, so...
Guimauve à la Rose et au Chocolat →
[Rose and Chocolate Marshmallows] Guimauve is the stuff clouds are made of, it has the soft and cottony flavor of childhood, and resistance is futile when I spot the pretty pastel cubes in pastry shops. Rarely am I disappointed, but I do have to mention that one recent time when I bought an assortment from Pain de Sucre and got mostly weirdo flavors nobody in their right mind would want in their...
A Twist on Guacamole →
While I’m not much of a football fan, I thought I’d post this guacamole recipe (from the archives), in case some of you were looking for a bit of inspiration this weekend. I’ll have a new post tomorrow (with a bit of video even). I’m particular about how I like my guacamole. Restaurants are typically too cheap to do it right - adding all sorts of ingredients to stretch...
WatchBreakin’ down da house
Dave Barry: Mojitos have the votes →
As a professional journalist, I wanted to gauge the public mood on the eve of the crucial Florida primary, so over the weekend I ventured across the causeway to the typical, working-class, blue-collar neighborhood of South Miami Beach.
Caramelized Tofu →
I needed to use up a few ingredients I had on hand before leaving for a trip to Big Sur last week (more on that later, I promise). I ended up throwing together what might become a new favorite meal on the fly - caramelized strips of tofu served over sauteed shredded brussels sprouts. I made it again yesterday for lunch so I could take a snapshot and share it with you. Here’s how it came...
Lessons from the road →
<i>(This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Dec. 8, 2002.)</i><br />I recently spent several weeks on a book tour, flying around the country with a suitcase full of increasingly alarming underwear. I’m pleased to report that airport security remains highly effective, especially as regards the terrorist threat posed by 87-year-old women with the mobility of...
Dave Barry: Miss Kumquat gets our vote →
On Tuesday, millions of Florida voters will head for the polls. Being Floridians, many of them will become confused and drive into buildings, canals, cemeteries, other Floridians, etc. But some will actually make it to the polls, where they will cast ballots that will play a crucial role in the presidential election. Or, in the case of Democrats, not.
Notes from the Molecular Gastronomy Conference →
Earlier this week, I attended a two-day conference on molecular gastronomy — sometimes refered to as the “science of deliciousness” — and the relationship between technique, technology, and science. It was a free and public session, organized by the INRA, the French institute for agricultural research, and the engineering school AgroParisTech. Our lecturer was none other...
Olive Oil Crackers →
Today I’m going to try to encourage you to make your own crackers. It’s not that difficult or fussy, and the results are infectiously satisfying. What kind of cracker? The cracker recipe I’m featuring today makes thin, snappy, rustic crackers. Though they are sturdy enough to stand up to a hearty dip. The technique is simple and straightforward (utilizing just a few ingredients)...
INDIVIDUAL BEEF & GUINNESS PIES WITH ENGLISH... →
Have you guys seen Jamie Oliver’s new show, Jamie at Home? It’s pretty fantastic. I have to say it’s so so nice to have him back, just cooking. I mean I enjoyed some of his other shows like the one where he’s training the angry teenagers to work in a restaurant kitchen or the one depicting his fruitless quest to get little school kids to eat anything besides chicken...
Baked Artichoke Dip →
Wayne bought me two tiny, Staub cocottes for Christmas this year. They are hefty little pots - petite yet sturdy, made of matted black enameled cast iron. I suspect you’ll find me using them well into my old age. From the minute I was greeted by their proud brass-capped tops my head was dancing with ideas of how to put them to use. I decided to do an updated version of my favorite artichoke...
The lord of the dance doesn't have anything on me →
(This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Dec. 22, 2002.) I am not a fan of ballet. Now, before you members of the Dance Community get your leotards in a bunch, let me stress that I KNOW I AM WRONG. I know that ballet is a beautiful artistic form that requires great dedication and skill. I’m just saying that I, personally, would rather watch a dog catch a Frisbee.
Mignardises →
While I busy myself drawing up the index of my upcoming Paris book — a task that is in fact more rewarding that one might think, in a punctilious sort of way — here are a few links for you to nibble on*. ~ Christophe Michalak, pastry chef at the Plaza Athénée and winner of the 2005 World Pastry Championship has a blog! It’s in French, yes, but Michalak mainly posts pictures of...
Favorite Cookbooks: Grace Bonney →
To welcome in a brand new series of posts on 101 Cookbooks, I’ve invited the fantastically talented Grace Bonney to share a list of her favorite cookbooks. Grace is a Brooklyn-based writer who runs the well-loved design blog Design*Sponge. She spends most of her days obsessing over chairs and homes, and (lucky us) her other passion is food. You might remember when I highlighted...
BRINED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH ROMESCO SAUCE &... →
As you know this past Thanksgiving, brining turkeys was all the rage. I did not brine a turkey since we always go out to eat, although I have experimented with brining before, pork chops to be more specific. It was a Tyler Florence recipe and I don’t recall being very impressed. Recently whilst leafing through one of my Christmas presents, Judy Rodger’s obsessive Zuni Cafe...
Crumiri →
[Italian Cornmeal Cookies] We all have our siren ingredients, those that call to us in voices of sugar from the printed page of a cookbook — or the pixelated page of a food blog — and charm us into dropping whatever we’re doing to run to the kitchen and reenact the recipe. Cornmeal is one of my sirens, and I find it particularly beguiling in baked goods*. This is the only way I...
Rustic Cabbage Soup →
Every few weeks I get in my car, cash in pocket, and drive to a pre-determined location. This is where I meet my dealer. I turn over a wad of greenbacks and she hands off a huge bag of the good stuff. Most of the time I don’t really know exactly what I’m paying for. I scurry back to my car, drop the booty in the trunk, peel back the plastic and peer inside. If I’m lucky a...
Beer compels man to go where no man has gone... →
<i>(This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Oct. 14, 2001)</i><br />It’s time for “Guys In Science,” the feature in which we report on the heroic efforts of guys, using scientific knowledge, to explore, and exceed, the limits of common sense.
If There Could Only Be Five →
If you keep an eye on my book list, you may have noticed I am currently reading Michael Ruhlman’s recently published, orange book*. In The Elements of Cooking, he proposes to break down and discuss the building blocks of the cooking craft, like William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White did for writers in their classic little volume The Elements of Style, to which the title and format are a homage. ...
Vegan Caesar Salad →
I almost spit out my cappuccino the other day when my dad told me he was reading The China Study. I think he even said the V-word. Vegan. I’m not sure why I was so surprised, the number of people wanting to explore a (more) plant-centric and less meat-focused diet/lifestyle is expanding and many people are looking for inspiration. Enter Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (of public...
Dave Barry: Real candidates belch and reek →
MANCHESTER, NH — The voters of New Hampshire have made their decision, and the big winner is: Change. Here’s the final vote tally:
Dave Barry: And the votes are in ... →
The voters of New Hampshire have made their decision, and the big winner is: Change. Here’s the final vote tally: Change — 43 percent
Soupe Poireaux Pommes de Terre →
Leek and Potato Soup It has been far too long since last I wrote about soup. Have I stopped making soup? This is like asking if I’ve stopped breathing, and the answer — as I type this, at least — is no. The reason for this soup drought is that I’ve mostly been making variations of soups already featured on this blog, or über-simple combinations of whatever vegetables...
Dave Barry: →
Anti-change would be a good change NASHUA, N.H. — Here’s how I, as a professional journalist, roll on the New Hampshire Campaign Trail. First I get into my rental car with my official reporter notebook and a minimum of four bags of Cheez-Its. Then I drive until the Cheez-Its run out (about two miles). Then I look for a school or college that has the following features:
Poached Eggs Over Rice →
Wayne and I travelled to Las Vegas for a couple days last week to attend his cousin’s wedding. The trip was a decadent bookend to a champagne and sugar-dusted holiday season for me. So, here we are in the new year and I’m happy to be getting back to basics (and possibly even the treadmill). Today I’m going to share an unassuming little rice bowl recipe, something I throw...
NICOISE OLIVE TAPENADE →
A couple days after Christmas, Jessica called to inquire about my holidays. I told her about my sickness, what I made for our meals and what I got for my presents. “What did you get?” I asked. She excitedly told…
Dave Barry: Will Change do you good? →
Here’s how I, as a professional journalist, roll on the New Hampshire Campaign Trail. First I get into my rental car with my official reporter notebook and a minimum of four bags of Cheez-Its. Then I drive until the Cheez-Its run out (about two miles). Then I look for a school or college that has the following features:
Hot wives remain high interest in N.H. →
MANCHESTER, N.H. — In a moment, I will have a Breaking News Bulletin on the hotness of Dick Harpoot- lian’s wife, but first, here is an in-depth analysis of the mood in New Hampshire:
Hot wives remain high interest in New Hampshire →
In a moment I will have a Breaking News Bulletin on the hotness of Dick Harpootlian’s wife, but first, here is an in-depth analysis of the mood in New Hampshire.
Candidates get their kicks in New Hampshire →
HENNIKER, N.H. — I came to this picturesque (in the sense of ”under 23 feet of snow”) town — whose actual motto is ”The Only Henniker on Earth” — to catch up with the Mike Huckabee surging campaign juggernaut. The Huckanaut appeared in the gym at New England College (”Small, But Largely Unknown”) along with his supporter and martial-arts...
Steve's Schnapps thawed Dave's frosty bobber →
<em>(This classic Dave Barry column was originally published March 3, 2002)</em><br />
In last week’s column, I described my January visit to Grand Forks, N.D., and East Grand Forks, Minn., which are also called “The Grand Cities” by about six people who are hoping this name will attract more humans to the area.
Candidates get their kicks in New Hampshire →
I came to this picturesque (in the sense of ”under 23 feet of snow”) town — whose actual motto is ”The Only Henniker on Earth” — to catch up with the Mike Huckabee surging campaign juggernaut. The Huckanaut appeared in the gym at New England College (”Small, But Largely Unknown”) along with his supporter and martial-arts advisor, Chuck Norris. Chuck...
Harpootlian to take New Hampshire →
MANCHESTER, N.H. — And so the eyeballs of the world turn to New Hampshire, a tiny, flinty, gritty, Dunkin’-Donuts-intensive state located mostly inside the Arctic Circle.
Swarming in the land of snow and donuts →
And so the eyeballs of the world turn to New Hampshire, a tiny, flinty, gritty, Dunkin’ Donuts-intensive state located mostly inside the Arctic Circle. On Tuesday, the voters here will troop to the polls, where — as they have done every four years since 1952 — they will turn around and troop back home, because the polls, like virtually everything else here, are under 23 feet of...
Lively Up Yourself Lentil Soup →
I propose we kick off the year with one of my very favorite soup recipes from last. I eat lentil soup three, four, maybe five times a week (wish I was kidding), and come back to this lentil soup over and over for a few reasons. It’s hearty yet healthy - which in my mind translates to a soup that is filling, tasty, adaptable, and also delivers plenty of good stuff to my body. I can get much...
MINESTRONE WITH SAUSAGE, BUTTERNUT SQUASH &... →
Hey everyone! How were your holidays? Mine were pretty great, despite the fact that I had a slight chest cold. (Lame) As always, Mark and I headed north up to Santa Maria to spend several days at his mother’s. I…
Butter-toasted Hazelnuts →
2007 was the year I fell for hazelnuts in a big way. Pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts make regular appearances in my recipes, but all took a back seat to the auburn-skinned hazelnut when the cold weather set in. I threw together this butter-toasted hazelnut recipe as a quick snack one night before a few friends came over, I’ve since gone on to use hazelnuts (in excess!) all season. The...