Remember the chia pet? It had its moment in television advertising, along with the Snuggie and the Ginsu knife set. “Chia Pet” was also a good nickname, where I live, for any man who got an overly-aggressive hair transplant. But it turns out that the chia seed is not to be dismissed so lightly. It’s high in fiber, omega 3s, and other minerals and antioxidants, and is often described as a “super-food,” because it provides a high proportion of nutrients […]
We’ve reached the point in frozen January when even the smallest thing is cause for celebration. When I read that today was the birthday of Lewis Carroll, the author of “Alice in Wonderland,” it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make some old-fashioned Victorian tea party sweet – and what’s more Alice-ish than lemon tarts? I love everything to do with the folklore of Alice in Wonderland, the sideways manner of looking at the world, the whimsicality and gentle oddness […]
This is a dessert that will blow your guests away. Basically, it’s a four-inch sphere of thin chocolate filled with chocolate mousse, resting on a bed of praline sauce and – here’s where it gets interesting – topped with hot melted caramel. The hot caramel melts the chocolate sphere, and the whole thing collapses into a warm chocolate-caramel-pecan confection that will transport even the most rigid dessert deniers into sighing lumps of happiness. (Have you noticed how people deny themselves […]
One of the things I most love about American cooking is how diverse it is, and how open people are to trying new things and making them their own. Where would American food be without the influx of immigrants who brought pizza, tacos, souvlaki, Peking duck, lemongrass soup and samosas to our shores?It sometimes takes a little adaptation and experimentation to bridge the cultural gap and render a dish from another country more pleasing to the American palate, and that’s […]
I wanted to write about Mamie Eisenhower and her famous “million dollar” fudge. As it turns out, every foodie and their precocious child has written about this fudge, but Mamie Eisenhower deserves a shout-out, because she was an especially good first lady, and a great hostess. She was an enormous asset to Dwight Eisenhower as he rose through the ranks of the military. Their home was thrown open to so many officers over the years that it became known as […]
