The Art of Deconstructed Food

Whenever anyone peers at their first deconstructed dish, ears perk, brows furrow, nostrils swell, and something unusual happens.  Deconstructed food seems to elicit one of several reactions in newcomers.  Sometimes that person is intrigued; other times, they are baffled. There are a multitude of in-betweens; but, one thing seems universally true: people react to the …

Smoke Your Own Food And Please Open A Window

So in these trying economic times, it is a good time to find ways to add new kitchen equipment.  Doing so will help you make tasty, low-cost meals at home.  My top priority right now is to get a meat grinder (hand cranked, dedicated machine, or Kitchen Aid with attachments).  Next up is an infrared …

Recipe: Roasted Bell Pepper Risotto With Chorizo And Mascarpone

An inability to fall asleep on a given night usually leads to at least one, if not both, of the following activities: 1) The major abuse of my Netflix account via my 360 (streaming is seriously dangerous to ones’ health); and 2) Some incredibly adventurous meals at extremely odd hours.  Tonight has been one of …

Want tastier wine? Try these tricks … or so they say

While I have not had a chance to try many of these tips, the NYT posted an interesting article on the 13th.  The article discusses and advises on “new ways to get rid of unwanted aromas, including the taint of corked wine, and what aeration can really do for wine flavor.”  It is an interesting …

Hervé This Deflates A Myth: Salt Does Not Dissolve in Oil

No, the title of this post is not some grammatical bastardization of the English language.  Hervé This is a person, and an important person at that – especially in the world of foodies.  A French Chemist, This, along with Hungarian Nicholas Kurti, coined the phrase "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy” (later shortened to Molecular Gastronomy).  If …

Great Italian Recipes from Babbo NYC

People who know me are aware of my love for good Italian food.  Mario Batali is one of the more well known executers of that fine cuisine.  In addition, he helped craft the talents of Bruce Logue.  Yesterday, I wrote extensively on Bruce’s La Pietra Cucina (here). Well, I thought I’d supplement that post by …

Ever Have Leftover Wine? Make Mulled Wine Syrup

As much as you may not want to admit it, there is a good chance you’ve popped a bottle or two and never quite seen the bottom.  A few days ago, I found myself in just such a predicament.  I am not much for sweets, but I did have some leftover bottles, some fresh fruit, …

Compendium Video: Explaining the Cuts of Steak

As I just finished explaining all the various cuts of steak, I thought a video would help the learning process.  Luckily, a quick jump over to YouTube and I was good to go: Technorati Tags: steaks,cheateaubriand,delmonico,delmonico’s,filet mignon,flank steak,flatiron steak,hangar steak,london broil,lobel’s,peter luger,new york strip,kansas city strip,porterhouse,prime rib,rib-eye,sirloin steak,t-bone,tri-tip,vids

Cuts of Steak: A Quick Guide To Steak

I am surprised at how frequently people ask me to explain to them what the differences are between all the various cuts of steak.  There are numerous sites dedicated to this topic, and they have more information than even I care to swallow; that aside, I wanted to put together a simple explanation of the …