I drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty. – Madame Lilly Bollinger This is how… Continue reading A Toast…
It’s supposed to be *exactly* this simple…
“I like my sugar with coffee & cream.” – The Beastie Boys, Intergalactic I once saw this bit of graffiti in London, which was a Henry David Thoreau quote: “Simplify. Simplify.” And some bright spark had come along and…corrected it: “Simplify. Simplify.” And I’ve tried to live by this ever since. Except when it comes… Continue reading It’s supposed to be *exactly* this simple…
If It Ain’t One Thing, It’s Your Mother…
“…They dined on mince, and slices of quince which they ate with a runcible spoon. And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon.” – Edward Lear, The Owl & The Pussycat I spend a lot of my time teaching people how to cook. More accurately,… Continue reading If It Ain’t One Thing, It’s Your Mother…
Salad Days…
“To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist – the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know how much oil one must mix with one’s vinegar.” – Oscar Wilde Why the hell are you still buying bottled salad dressing? It’s totally crammed with horrible things for you (sugar, sugar,… Continue reading Salad Days…
Babycakes…
People get so in the habit of worry that if you save them from drowning and put them on a bank to dry in the sun with hot chocolate and muffins they wonder whether they are catching cold. – John Jay Chapman Muffins really do get the short end of the stick in the baking… Continue reading Babycakes…
Some (but not all) of the reasons…
When it’s three o’clock in New York, it’s still 1938 in London. – Bette Midler It’s been some time since I’ve been here. Quite awhile, actually. It isn’t that I’ve forgotten, I’ve just been a little bit busy. But it’s nice to be here. Even if nobody is looking. So, where have I been? Well,… Continue reading Some (but not all) of the reasons…
Trust me, it’s worth it…
…I do like the idea of peach pie. Its name – whisper the words – carries a seductiveness that appeals on a hot, still afternoon when there is little else to do. This is a dessert whose name alone wins you over by its unapologetic softness and deep scent of summer. – Nigel Slater This… Continue reading Trust me, it’s worth it…
Four and twenty…
You live and learn. At any rate, you live. – Douglas Adams I recently had the great good fortune to assist at a baking class held at Della Fattoria, and taught by the inestimable Christa Colardo of Marin Cooking. The building that Della is located in has been a bakery for over 100 years, and… Continue reading Four and twenty…
More of a “collection”, really…
Anyone who eats three meals a day should understand why cookbooks outsell sex books three to one. – L. M. Boyd Cookbooks. I have a few. I also have some mixed feelings about them. On the one hand, they can be delightful little journeys around the world, or just around the corner. They can inspire… Continue reading More of a “collection”, really…
Honor among thieves…
“You might get the impression from the specifics of my less than stellar career that all line cooks are whacked-out moral degenerates, dope fiends, refugees, a thuggish assortment of drunks, sneak thieves, sluts and psychopaths. You wouldn’t be too far off base….maybe they’re running away from something-be it an ex-wife, a rotten family history, trouble… Continue reading Honor among thieves…
Well, kiss my grits... 