Northern Europe
Have you tried each one of the best beers from Belgium and Germany? Or pilsners from the Czech Republic? Don't they go so well at the end of the day with slices of kassler, Polish kielbasi or slivers of smoked fish? Then there's that Black Forest Cake glistening temptingly next to those marzipan cookies...The only thing missing is a breeze off the meandering Danube.
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Berries - ripe for picking - 24 Jun 2010
Berry picking is one of the highlights of summer, with different fruits following each other through the season, even the rare blackcurrants and gooseberries. read more...
Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Flan and Parmesan Sticks - 12 May 2010
This recipe from Robert Wiedmaier, owner-chef of Marcel's and The Tasting Room, is three different elements in one. The Parmesan Sticks could be made alone to serve with cocktails and the Goat Cheese Flans could also become an alternative to the more familiar grilled goat cheese served on a mixed leaf salad. read more...
Cakes - to order or make beautiful - 10 Mar 2010
Baking cake for a celebration, cupcakes for school or work? Or need someone else to do it for you? Here's all you need to keep you in cake. read more...
New Year celebrations - something different & where to buy it - 21 Dec 2009
Want to spice up your New Year festivities? Try one of the traditions from another part of the world. read more...
Roasted Pennsylvania Pheasant Breast, Braised Red Cabbage, Maple Syrup Sweet Potato Mousse and Huckleberry Sauce - 9 Dec 2009
Peter Schaffrath, chef of the Hay Adams' Lafayette Room's recipe is a soothing but elegant cold weather dish. Though there are four separate elements, each is simple to cook. And what could be better for the festive season? read more...
Christmas - dreaming of a different one & where to buy the ingredients - 9 Dec 2009
"Christmas comes but once a year and when it comes it brings..." Uncle George (who'll take over the single malt whiskey if no-one stops him), Aunt Mavis (who's just decided to turn vegetarian), and all their dreadful children. It's enough to drive you crackers.
Give Christmas a new sparkle and celebrate someone else's - with Britain's Christmas crackers, Italy's Omino di Neve, Switzerland's Zimststerne, Jamaica's West Indian Black Cake and more... read more...
Starters: Mushroom and Goat Cheese Fonduta - 21 Oct 2009
When Stephen Scott was chef at Zola, he served this Fonduta as an appetizer. But it makes a great Sunday supper for two served with a crisp green salad in front of a favorite TV movie. And if you can't get hold of every type, use what's available. read more...
Mushrooms - fall favorites - 21 Oct 2009
As fall arrives in Russia, Poland, Germany, Italy and France, the woods rustle with mushroom hunters. Within days of a rainfall, the undergrowth will be popping with delicious free food. Take care, though, that you know what you're picking. I read a Russian news agency report when I was a Moscow correspondent that a particular mushroom was now officially edible, so long as you boiled it once, tossed away the water, boiled it again in a fresh supply, jettisoned that, then fried it in butter. Which by my reckoning made at least three very sick testers before they found the safe formula. read more...
Mains: Flemish Beef Stew with Belgian Beer - 24 Jun 2009
Bart Vandaele, owner-chef of Belga Café, says, “Beef stew with beer is a traditional Belgian dish. I love it and it still is one of the most popular dishes in Belgium. You can find it in Belgium in different varieties, because it is typically a dish that every mother cooks her own way." read more...
Pork roasts - 27 Oct 2008
Pigs have been intensively farmed to produce a lean white meat. But in an effort to reduce its fat, pork has been turned into a meat that's tasteless and dry. Seek out a cut from a heritage breed, however, and you will have a different experience - pork as it should be. And it's a better life for the pig. read more...
Belgian brasseries - 26 May 2008
You don't have to fly out to the tiny cobbled streets behind Brussels' Grand Place to find Belgian brasserie food. There are a number of restaurants that have opened just to serve moules frites, Trappist beers, and other Belgian specialties. read more...
Mushrooms - mycological mysteries - 17 May 2008
Anyone living within easy access of forests across Russia, Poland, Finland and Northern Europe will know about mushroom hunts. As soon as the leaves are on the ground, people creep silently in the early morning through the undergrowth, reluctant to give their position away lest other hunters discover where they have made their finds of wonderful and exotic mushrooms.
More and more unusual mushrooms are reaching Washington's supermarkets and farmers' markets. But what are they? And what to do with them? read more...
Northern Europe food web sites - 29 Apr 2008
Amphora Bakery - one of my favorites - 21 Mar 2008
Amphora Bakery is the place to head for whimsically decorated cakes, cupcakes and cookies. And for delicious European patisseries, baked goods and breads of all sorts.
For 25 years the Bilidas and Cholakis families ran the Amphora Bakery next to their restaurant in Vienna. But in 2003, they realized the demand for their cakes, cookies and buns was so great, they needed to find a second location. It's in Herndon. Visit it for your patisserie and you can also spend time with a coffee and a Danish watching the bakers decorate the cakes through the massive windows at the back of a congenial space that feels like some grand artist's sitting room. read more...
Russian markets - 23 Nov 2007
Russian and East European markets around Washington abound. read more...
Fish - smoked, cured & pickled - 22 Nov 2007
Washington isn't short on sources for the cured, smoked and pickled fish popular in Europe's colder countries. read more...
Duck & goose - 18 Nov 2007
Duck and goose, full of dark flavor, make a sumptuous change from chicken and turkey and their carcasses provide a rich soup stock. read more...
Mains: Grilled Venison Chop with Polenta Corn Custard, Broccolini and Sun-Dried Tomato Demi-Glâce - 16 Nov 2007
Russel Cunningham, chef of Dupont Grille's recipe makes a soothing fall and winter warming celebration of a meal, with a less than common meat. The Polenta Corn Custards can be made ahead of time and reheated. read more...
Bosnian specialties - 15 Nov 2007
Bosnia is not a part of the world whose foods are familiar to most. But there are a few markets and places to eat in the area selling their specialties. read more...
Beer - 15 Nov 2007
Beer in America is no longer limited to that uniform golden liquid that froths out of cans. The number of microbreweries nationwide producing 'boutique' beers with their own highly distinctive flavors keeps growing. read more...
It may be sacrilege to say so, but I did have a moment's wonder at Julie Powell dedicating a whole year to cooking out Julia Childs. Life is surely too short. But I admired her staying power. Most cookbooks contain only a handful of recipes you actually want to tackle - though heaven forfend that I should level this criticism towards Mastering the Art of French Cookery.Anyway, here's someone who really slackened my jaw. Meet Todd Wilbur, who spends his time to trying to recreate food made by the industrial giants. He wants to cook Krispy Kremes just like the factory. He wants to clone Big Macs, Yoo Hoo chocolate drinks, and dozens more junk foods, to taste just like the real (or unreal) McKoy.
Papaya and lime - natural partners
Chew On This: The FDA - eggs on its face
Hey, mixologists! An organic whisky's coming!
Two women to watch
Monster ice cubes
Jelly - the jewel-like vogue dessert
Jelly - the new old dessert
My favorite markets - Wagshal's Delicatessen
Supermarkets bring the farm in
Chew On This: The water diet!
Gluten - what is it?
Chestnut flour products for the gluten intolerant
Chew On This: Eat dark chocolate twice a week!
Pea Vichyssoise
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