I recently received a copy of MELT: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese from my IACP friend Stephanie Stiavetti in California, she and her friend Garret McCord wrote a really lovely book focusing on Artisan cheeses and recipes from around the world. Grown up Mac and Cheese. After reading through the book I chose what…
Ciao Kyle
sorry for bad news twice in a row— My friend Kyle Phillips just passed away on Monday. Kyle was a food and wine writer and a gentle soul He left us his translation of Artusi’s ” The Art of Eating Well” one of Italy’s treasures of cooking. He also maintained two sites, one on food –…
Ciao Marcella
Marcella Hazan passed away yesterday. She was my Julia Child. I never really liked Italian food, until I discovered Larry Mindel’s restaurant Ciao in San Francisco. It was like stepping into Italy. There is no way to really cook Italian style without having come to Italy. Marcella was my first Italian teacher, through her cookbooks….
Exploring Chianti- Hotel Palagina, Figline Val D’Arno
While researching for my Food Guides. I starting with the area on the 222 wine road. My dream is to expand to the other regions of Chianti as well. My mother-in-law was from Figline Val D’Arno, so it seemed like a natural first addition. It was the home of Barone Ricasoli, who created Chianti, what better…
CHIANTI:FOOD+WINE APP – PARTY TIME
We are celebrating—- I finally got the APP online! Wow, it feels so good to see the birth of my first APP. In Tuscany, we return over and over again to the same places where we have been happy. Well, I have been here almost 30 years now and have eaten in a lot…
My Green Summer- Verjus
The summer started green in Gascony with my friend Kate as we played with green walnuts. When I came back we started with our green tomatoes. It was a late summer so we enjoyed them green as they were not turning red. Like the southern part of the USA, we also do fried green tomatoes,…
Melting!
We had a very, very wet spring and summer was late in coming. But now, it is here full blast. Temps are hitting 100 and humidity at over 80% in Florence. Prosciutto and melon, salami and cheese, mozzarella and tomatoes, tuna and bean salad. So many options for NOT cooking. But, I am cooking. Classes…
Ratio- Pasta Making
When making pasta and following recipes, nothing is really simple and easy. Old rule was 1 cup of flour to 1 egg per person. But what flour? How much does your egg weigh? Ever wonder why we all use the recipe for chocolate chips on the bag, but all our cookies are different? Well— Flours…