Patriotic Berries

I’m in berry overdrive at the moment. Look at these luscious beauties, all decked out in patriotic colors just in time for the Fourth of July.
It’s easy to do one of those festive red-white-and-blue numbers with any variation of blackberries, raspberries and cream. When I was a kid, my friend’s mother would make our gang [...]

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Finding Umami

A few weeks ago, the tasting panel where I consult began in-depth training to identify what many call the fifth taste: umami.
Umami roughly translates to “deliciousness” in Japanese, as I soon found out from one of our Japanese chef panelists. The instructor asked me and the other chef panelists to describe umami, and most everyone [...]

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An Afternoon in Golden Gate Park

Pristine sky. Calm breeze. Tank tops. Bikinis. Floppy hats and sunblock.
It was a rare and spectacular Sunday in San Francisco.

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There’s No One Like Julia

Leafing through the pages of “The Way to Cook” the other day, I came across these words from Mrs. Child that made me laugh:
“The easiest way to achieve cooked sliced potatoes is to slice them first before simmering them. You will of course get criticisms from those worthies who say if you don’t cook them [...]

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I’ve Been Hit by a Tidal Wave

A tidal wave of work, that is. Magazine articles. Parties to cook for. Clients to cook for. Food to judge on tasting panels. More parties to cook for. More magazine articles.
I’m a bit overwhelmed and anticipate being so until the end of February, so I ask for your understanding about the hiatus I need to [...]

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Satisfaction

I don’t know about you, but I’m able to enjoy a day off all the more if it comes after a long week of work. Today was my day off, and I enjoyed it fully. I slept until noon.

The party is over. The client was thrilled. The guests were fed. 75 people consumed my food [...]

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My Red Box

I’m always amazed by how much attention my red box generates.
People walking by on the street will crane their heads backward curiously, as if to ask, “What’s she carrying around in that box?” Sometimes they actually voice their words.
I’ve been told my red box looks like it might hold art supplies or perhaps a collection [...]

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The First Day of Being Good

Ahhhh. Isn’t it refreshing to see something so clean, so juicy, so virtuous? I don’t know about you, but I am more than ready to eat healthfully again.
I really do think the world is weary of holidays and is ready to move on. Max and I ventured downtown yesterday, and it was a complete ghost [...]

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My Top 10 Guilty Pleasures from December 2007

It’s that time of year again. We’ve got one more day to revel and eat obscenely rich foods before the dawn of 2008, when we will all be bound to our newly-purchased gym memberships and healthy cookbooks.
Before the hour of restraint nears, I thought I’d take a moment to recap all the sinful foods I [...]

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A Family Cookbook

Greetings from San Francisco! I’ve returned from the frosty weather of New England and am now acclimating myself back to life here on the West Coast.
Like many of you, I spent the past week visiting friends and relatives, listening to life updates and, you guessed it, eating exorbitant amounts of food.
Now that I live so [...]

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