J – I won’t be using canned tomato sauce again. Or, my own thrown-together-at-the-last-minute sauces. I make quite a few dishes with a tomato-based sauce. I always start with the same things: onion, garlic, cans of tomato stuff, wine, etc. and then I throw it together. It’s always different. Sometimes … Continue reading
C – Sometimes I wonder “Why hasn’t this been made much?” when looking for a recipe online. Braising a whole chicken was one of them. We found a few but not too many. Most weren’t rated or not rated well. We figured out the reason quickly. Jim had the first … Continue reading
C — It’s one of my favorite desserts. Pumpkin pie with a little freshly whipped cream. Yummy! My mom used to buy grocery-store pies, but the massed produced ones are never that great. So, when she suggested that we start making them from “scratch,” I was all over it. Of … Continue reading
J – We can’t agree on chicken stock, of all things! At least not until now. Personally, I think it’s a stylistic thing. But, perhaps, it’s really a mindfulness thing. For me, how simple could it be: buy chicken stock when you need it. Try to shop for price. That’s … Continue reading
C — EEEEEK!!! I have been dreading this day. Apple pie day. As I mentioned to you in previous posts, I have never made a good pie crust. I have been cursed. I can’t seem to make a good pie crust even if my life depended on it. I just … Continue reading
J — Gastrique. What an unfortunate name for such a wonderful sauce style. I discovered gastrique a few years ago in a recipe for Thyme Encrusted Salmon with Blackberry Gastrique, which we have done here. I never knew anything about that style of combining the acidity of vinegar and wine … Continue reading
C — What is braising?! A few years ago, I didn’t know what braising was. I had no clue, but I was dying to know. Jim was so excited to receive a braising pan for his birthday. He couldn’t wait to start braising. I thought it was some super special … Continue reading
J – Bearnaise Sauce is not just for “French food” … and poached salmon does not have to be bland. I know this, but I wanted Luke’s take on it. My experiences with him tell me it will be anything but bland. Expect heat somewhere, especially because we still had … Continue reading
L — Go fishing. Catch a salmon. Now what? (Warning: Blood and guts photos.) The return of Fall is a glorious time for hunters and fishermen in Sacramento. September is the opening of dove season, which flows directly into salmon season, then deer, then duck and then sturgeon. Salmon is … Continue reading
J – Roasting a chicken should not be complicated! One would think. Not so with a large number of recipes I’ve run across. They try to do way too much: butter, herbs, chopstick insertion under the skin… cutting in half and crushing it over high heat under a foil-wrapped brick… … Continue reading