I sometimes buy things just because I’m curious (okay, mildly curious – not like buy frozen durian fruit curious). Sometimes this works out for me – amchoor (sour mango) powder is amazing. Sometimes it doesn’t – I have yet to do anything with the dried pomegranate seeds I bought at the same time I got the amchoor powder. And sometimes it falls somewhere in between. Read the rest of this entry »
When I was growing up I was always told that ‘because is not an answer’. However, this week as far as Dinner is concerned, ‘because’ is absolutely the answer.
Why make peach moonshine? Because I could. Okay, also because I came across a recipe for it about 2 months ago and have wanted an excuse to infuse the essence of peach into alcohol ever since. It is delicious, and also a gorgeous color. Read the rest of this entry »
Apparently we’ve just grown the first hamburger in a lab. And by this I mean, it’s the first hamburger that is technically meat, but has nothing to do with an actual animal. PETA must be plotzing.
It was shaped and fried up (with the addition of lots of butter – which, to me, somewhat defeats the purpose of a lab grown hamburger patty – because surely part of the reason to do this is to get away from the ethical concerns of animal husbandry and while dairy cows aren’t slaughtered for hamburgers, I don’t think their living conditions are any better than the average meat cow, so unless the butter was also lab grown I don’t think you’ve achieved independence from the commercial meat industry) earlier this week in London. Read the rest of this entry »
Do you ever get intense cravings for foods you don’t normally like, or is this just me?
I got through periods where all I can think about is eating a rich eggy potato salad, or a traditional creamy cole slaw. These are dishes that I normally pass over in a buffet because I prefer my potato salads dressed with lots of mustard and vinegar, or with a pesto sauce, and my cole slaws bright and tangy with vinegar and citrus.
Similarly I will take a no-thank you helping of pasta salad when presented with it in a situation where I have to take some to be polite, and skip it entirely if etiquette permits. I don’t like mayonnaise, and I’m not particularly fond of cold pasta, and I find that even the smallest serving sits leadenly in my stomach. I have, nonetheless, been day dreaming about pasta salad for the past three weeks straight. I don’t want a bowl of spaghetti dressed with rich tomato sauce, or a plate of fettuccini tossed with decadent alfredo sauce. I don’t want buttered and salted noodles to soak up the sauce from a braised stew. I want cold pasta. Go figure. Read the rest of this entry »
BREAKING NEWS!
It is officially corn and tomato season. Let the gorging commence.
I stopped by the Stillman’s stand at the Wednesday farmer’s market on July 3rd and stared in blank astonishment at the pile of corn they had on display. Surprised, I asked how on earth they’d achieved corn in time for the 4th of July. The way that Kate Stillman muttered, ‘you have no idea what it took for us to achieve this’ left me wondering if small animals had been sacrificed on the edges of fields. Turns out it was a somewhat more prosaic method involving seeds from Germany, and hot houses, and constant constant vigilance – the guy at the stand looked exhausted just talking about it. It is possible virgin sacrifice would have been less time consuming all round, although you do then have to do something with the body. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the more enduring culture wars between the US and Europe is over the correct way to hold/use a knife and fork. I was brought up strict European – fork in left hand, knife in right hand, you use both simultaneously, and only rest them on your plate if you are doing something else with your hands, like taking a sip of water (or wine), or tearing off a piece of bread.
If you learned your table manners in the US you are more likely to pick up your fork in your left hand, your knife in your right hand, cut yourself off a bit of food, lay down your knife, swap your fork to your right hand, spear the bite of food – eat – chew – swallow – move your fork back to your left hand, pick up your knife again in your now free right hand and repeat the process all over again. Read the rest of this entry »
Let’s be honest, hands down, the world over, breakfast is the best meal of the day. Breakfast food is just so wonderfully flexible. It can be savory. It can be sweet. It can be a combination of the two.
In many parts of Asia, breakfast is a bowl of a thick savory rice porridge (congee) made with chicken (or pork) stock and served with slivers of meat and vegetables. As someone who frequently salts & peppers her morning oatmeal, I think that sounds delightful. In China, dim sum is a perfectly legitimate breakfast option, and you have to appreciate any country where breakfast can be made up of dumplings. Read the rest of this entry »
In a stunning example of either unfortunate coincidence or blackest irony, in the same week the Supreme Court ruled that a key provision of the 1965 Civil Rights Voting Act was unconstitutional the reigning doyenne of Southern Cooking, Paula Deen, was dropped like a hot potato by just about everyone after a deposition revealed that she had used ‘the n-word’. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m a little behind on my posts – mostly because I’m struggling to figure out what I want to say about the unfolding Paula Deen debacle. However, at the beginning of June we celebrated the 15th Anniversary of Dinner. You can read all about it here. This is what we had pre- and post- that Very Special Dinner. Read the rest of this entry »
For certain (flexible) systems of accounting Dinner is now 15 years old. There was a whole convoluted logical reasoning behind this. I don’t remember what it was, please don’t ask me to recreate it. Suffice it to say we missed the 10th Anniversary of Dinner by several years and were entirely too impatient to wait for the 20th Anniversary to do something special; Jes was in town from California for her college reunion anyway; and, we wanted an excuse to get all dolled up and go out to dinner.
Anyway you count it, or slice it, that we’ve been doing this for 15 years is mind boggling. It is also cause for celebration. And, in our case, elaborate celebration involving Save the Date Cards, an official invitation, a formal menu at a fancy restaurant, and everyone getting dressed to the nines.
The 15th Anniversary of Dinner was like planning a very small scale wedding. I have new found respect for all my friends who’ve pulled off wonderful weddings. Read the rest of this entry »
Monday Night Dinner 