food spotlight
preserving: brandied fig jam
Oh baby.
(I had always wanted to become adept at canning, but had never taken the time).
It all started when… five flats of figs landed on my doorstep. You see, the California Fig Commission contacted me and asked if I would like some figs. Yes please! I never turn down food. I fig… [more]-ured they would send me a nice little pint or two. We arranged a time, the
What is the difference between: Parmesan, Pecorino, Asiago, Romano?
I was really tempted to categorize this post under ‘main course’ or entree. I love cheese so much, I could eat it for a meal. And being in Italy is my perfect excuse to focus on—and consume more—cheese. Really good cheese, with rich history and familial care and world-class quality.
I am learning that in Italy, food is all about region. Where did it come from ? Pay attention when… [more]
Grana Padano v. Parmigiano Reggiano
Spending a year in Italy added so many dimensions to my culinary experience and food knowledge—I hardly know where to begin. I like the idea of revisiting individual ingredients, now that I am back-in-the-states and reflecting on my experience.
When I was in Italy it was about tasting the flavors of each season, traveling around Tuscany, stopping by a frantoio to taste olive oil and sampling Chiantis… [more]
Vin Santo 101
Vin Santo is a traditional dessert wine, with origins in Italy. Vin Santo… [more]
means wine of the Saints—or holy wine; it is often used for communion, and happens to be bottled right around Easter. It is known as the wine of friendship and hospitality, and myth declares a 14th century friar gave it to the ailing. Although it is acceptable to offer it—and drink it—any time of the day, itBuffalo Mozzarella 101
Italy is big into protecting their food-and-wine making techniques of the past. They know a good thing when they see it. Fresh buffalo mozzarella is made exclusively from water buffalo milk; cow’s milk mozzarella is also called fior di latte.
Buffalo Mozzarella—specifically Mozzarella di Bufala Campana… [more]—is the most notorious of mozzarella cheeses in all of Italy—and really, of all the world. Why wouldn’t you want to put a fence
flour 101: amount of protein and why it matters.
A friend recently wrote me a question about making pizza dough. She had made a number of batches but wasn’t happy with the results. Do you have a good recipe? She asked me. Any suggestions? Which gave me pause.
When I was in culinary school, one of the first classes I took was at 6am—with a then very-pregnant chef whom I love to this day—Intro to Baking & Pastry… [more]
crows poop out pine nuts?
Are you serious? This is what my son tells me… either that or the pine cones can be burned for a specified, short amount of time to get the cones to open—at which point you can extract the pine nuts (aka seeds). If it burns any longer, the seeds burn too. (Too much Animal Planet? National Geographic? Nature shows? Okay, so it got to the point where a trip to… [more]
honey tasting
Love when little markets are set up in various piazzas around Florence. Toward the end of our stay (10 months), I started to catch on to the fact that seasonal markets would hit a few piazzas on a regular basis. So on weekends, I started to make it a point to routinely walk through Piazza Reppublica, Piazza Santa Croce and Piazza Annunciata.
Often I would find vendors set up with… [more]
baby artichokes
As a food blogger, I receive my fair share of promotional emails. It might be about a new cookbook, a kitchen tool, a new recipe application for iphone or a food product. Actually, this summer I am testing a new wire contraption for growing tomatoes; no doubt you will hear about that gadget later this year—when my tomatoes are hanging heavily from their stems. Every so often I get an… [more]
What to do with a jar of fig spread.
(No, this is not a photo of a jar of fig spread. But it is involved with what to do with a jar of fig spread, so keep reading).
I finally bought a jar of fig spread.
I have seen jars of fig spread, staring me down from the store shelf, daring me to try it. Daring me to see if I was as clever as it was poised. Could… [more]
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