The Foodie File: Halloumi
Have you tried halloumi? This unique, rubbery textured cheese has been showing up in the British invasion of cookbooks over the last couple of years, but hasn’t been widely available in North America – that is not yet! I’ve seen it on some menus and recently purchased it in a major grocery chain store, so [...]
Foie Gras or just Foie Gross?!
There are legions of young chefs out there who believe that high-end food must include lobster, foie gras, mounds of butter and caviar – sometimes all on the same plate! High- end Kobe beef burgers with a slab of seared foie gras and lobster towers with foie gras toppers have become signature dishes for chefs [...]
The Foodie File: Frosh Food Follies
Are you starting college or university this year, and living in residence without Mom or Dad looking over your shoulder? As I recall (although admittedly, university is digging a way back in the memory bank), living alone for the first time holds many pitfalls that one tends to recognize only after the damage is done. [...]
The Foodie File: Shot Glasses Revisited
Remember shot glasses? Not the utilitarian versions used in boat races at University or versions with tourist logos emblazed – “Greeting From Sunny Jamaica,†– but those delicate little glass vessels that, in our house, are pulled out Christmas morning after church. My dad pours three or four different liqueurs, amaretti in this one, drambuie [...]
The Foodie File: What’s in your fridge?
One time, I dated this guy who raided the fridge every time he came to my place. Then he regaled me with the same Persian proverb every time: The potter always drinks from the cracked cup. I know what you’re thinking – whaaaat? Translation: how can you be a chef and not have any food [...]
The Foodie File: 5 Breakfast Perk-ups
It took many years of hearing that breakfast is the most important meal of the day to finally penetrate my thick skull. What I would shun as a waste of time and an infringement on my extra half-hour of slumber is actually important to maintain metabolism, keep brain functions on track, and control binge eating [...]
The Foodie File: Do you know about Espelette?
Every few years, obscure culinary terms or ingredients start popping up on menus. Remember when “pesto” needed an explanation, “chipotles” brought about quizzical looks and you didn’t know if Ponzu was a sauce or a Pokemon character (maybe I still got some of you with Ponzu…) Well, coming soon to your grocery store shelves – [...]
The Foodie File: Quick Clams on the Grill
At my sister’s place for a summer BBQ, her husband Mark whipped up their signature summer appetizer while we sipped cold beer and prepared a butterflied leg of lamb for the grill.
