Editors note: The correct pronounciation is “I’ll have the Saa-lod Nee-Swaz, he’ll have the Nyokkee.” Face it, we all have a couple of ethnic foods we can’t pronounce. I’ve butchered “mascarpone” for years by referring to the Italian-style cream cheese as “mar-scapone.” And that seems rich since I hail from the Land of the Dropped […]
It’s unlikely you’re in the mood for a crisp Greek salad today with the Storm of the Century bearing down on us in southern New England. It’s really a day for hot lemony chicken soup. Brrrr. But Kevin Convey, a longtime customer of Christo’s — the Brockton landmark that closed its doors on New Year’s […]
This is an ode to onion dip that I wrote on Dec. 30, 2012 for the Boston Herald‘s food blog. I felt the need to re-post it here for two reasons: My grandmother, who died last April at 101, used to serve Lipton Onion Soup Dip to my little brother and me every New Year’s […]
I’m a child of the 70s, but you would think I grew up during the Depression because I refuse to waste food. People often tell me to just “get rid of it” after I complain about the leftover pie or cake that tempts me during the day. But I can’t. I just refuse. Eat week-old […]
A long time ago and not so far away, Steven and I supped at the home of our friends who are mad gardeners. The wife, an excellent cook as well, served us boneless turkey breast stuffed with kale and mushrooms. It was delicious, and I never forgot it. So when the kale craze hit […]
The French film “Haute Cuisine” isn’t about haute cuisine at all. In fact, just the opposite. When I mentioned that little observation to the film’s real-life subject Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch — the farmhouse cook plucked from the Dordogne to serve as French President Francois Mitterrand’s personal chef — she roared with laughter. “It is certainly not,” […]
I’ve judged dozens of contests in my day. Whether it was choosing readers’ best Christmas cookies, the hunkiest bachelor or crowning that year’s “Boston Pride Idol,” it was always serious business for me. Of course, I also got a chance to be on the other side of the judges’ table as a contestant on the […]
Faced with a 3-pound bag of short-grained rice, a few half gallons of milk, 2 quarts of heavy cream and lots of leftover candied citrus peel, I got back in the rice pudding game. I admit I was a little stove-shy after last week’s rice dessert debacle (see previous blog post). But I couldn’t possibly […]
I love going to Tanglewood. It really doesn’t matter who is playing at the western Mass. summer home of the Boston Symphony — although I have a thang for violinist Joshua Bell. It’s all about the picnic on the lawn. Now, this isn’t tailgating. No one throws open the trunk of the Prius, pitches a […]
I cannot imagine what the late, great Julia Child would think of all the science projects that pass for fine dining these days. My guess is she’d be horrified. I envision Julia — or Meryl Streep as the cinematic French Chef — bellowing as a hipster waiter placed a plate of foam, gel and smoking […]