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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Breads - a good chew - 1 Jan 2012
Not so long ago, the only bread available in Washington came sliced in cellophane packages. Now you can't move for choice among breads studded with everything from olives to cheese. But where can you get a plain brown loaf? read more...
Duck & goose - 12 Dec 2011
Duck and goose, full of dark flavor, make a sumptuous Christmas change from chicken and turkey and their carcasses provide a rich soup stock. read more...
Chocolate Truffles - 1 Dec 2011
It's always a treat to be given a home-made food gift from a good cook. Trent Conry - one time chef of 401 then Ardeo - has three sumptuous chocolate recipes for food presents any time of year but especially the holiday season, that even a modest cook can tackle fearlessly. read more...
Christmas - dreaming of a different one & where to buy the ingredients - 15 Dec 2010
"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. (Even more so, now that Health & Safety gnomes are debating whether that banger should be removed from 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...
Festive celebrations - something different & where to buy it - 15 Dec 2010
Want to spice up your New Year festivities? Try one of the traditions from another part of the world. read more...
Amphora Bakery - one of my favorites - 11 Nov 2010
For sweeth-tooth treats, it's hard to beat Amphora Bakery for whimsically decorated cakes, cupcakes and cookies. And for delicious European patisseries, baked goods and breads of all sorts. read more...
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...
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...
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
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...
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...
The lunch shift is over and chef Peter Smith, owner of PS 7’s restaurant is surrounded by gin. No, he’s not relaxing over a drink. The gin is in bowls in an pre-formed state. It’s the mash, a mix of herbs and berries and peels and roots that Smith has worked out how to use in his food as flavorings.
Chew On This: Your first 'Duh' of the year...
Eggplant
Baked beans - the musical fruit
Ribollita - wondersoup or wodge?
Yasaman Persian Bakery - one of my favorites
Breads - a good chew
Duck & goose
A festive 'Special': Foie Gras Creme Caramel
Festive presents weird and wacky at World Market
Walnut oil
The perfect Yorkshire pudding
Chew On This: The acai berry diet can only thin your wallet...
The Queen Mum's favorite cake
West Indian Black Cake
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