Yearly Archives: 2010

Lecture with Hiroko Shimbo: Umami, The Fifth Taste Sensation

July 25, 2010    |    Print Print
Umami, the flavor enhancer and fifth taste sensation after sweet, salty, sour and bitter, is now an often heard word in our culinary conversations, but it so often lacks a clear definition and a clear understanding in the cooking community. Though Umami is an attribute of many foods, not necessarily Japanese, it is in the [...]
Posted in Cooking Classes, General Blog, Ingredients | Leave a comment

Piccolo, On Key?

July 17, 2010    |    Print Print
Recently, three friends and I met at Piccolo, Doug Flicker’s new baby.  Or rather ,I suppose, his toddler in restaurant years, as it has now been open for several months at 43rd and Bryant, Minneapolis.  I’d heard mixed reviews, including one example where someone had an $8 meatball as part of their recent dinner.  Really, [...]
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Ahh, Bacon and Eggs for Breakfast -

July 14, 2010    |    Print Print
God bless Charlie!  Poor lad, he sprained his ankle in the process of setting up the screened sleeping porch with the most comfortable queen-size bed.  A colorful duvet, Provençal-colored sheets of yellow and periwinkle blue along with six down pillows were just what the doctor ordered for a little R & R during our stay [...]
Posted in General Blog, Travel | 8 Comments

Happy 4th, Indeed!

July 10, 2010    |    Print Print
What a delight too not only spend another 4th of July with good friends Suvir and Charlie at their farm American Masala,  but having my Mom and brother join Jon and me for the weekend at the farm in upstate New York was a treat. Waking at 5:00 am, our friend Carolyn picked us up [...]
Posted in General Blog, Travel | 2 Comments

A Pinch of Salt!

June 26, 2010    |    Print Print
Chef’s rarely if ever use table salt for any number of reasons including the fact that they cannot pick it up with their fingers.  And, you’d never find a line cook reaching for a measuring spoon!  They keep a stash of salt in a bowl of some kind and always have it at hand to [...]
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Lèche-Vitrines – Window Shopping

June 14, 2010    |    Print Print
From what I understand, lèche-vitrines literally means “to lick the window,” even though it is generally translated to mean “window shopping”.  I like “to lick the window” or “licking the window” better.  This is something we did quite a bit of while we were in France.  Whether it was in front of a pâtisserie, chocolatier, [...]
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Taking a Break from Vacation Pictures

June 6, 2010    |    Print Print
Jon, once again, has outdone himself planting the vegetable garden. The weather was unseasonably warm in April and he got a little ahead of himself getting everything in the ground. Then in typical Minnesota fashion, we had a cold snap in May, topped off by a week or so of rain. Consequently, some of the [...]
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Forville Market in Cannes

May 19, 2010    |    Print Print
We were up bright and early Wednesday morning and queued-up  for a caravan to Cannes.  If we didn’t leave by 8:00am we’d be stuck in the morning computer traffic.  This time we all made it to the designated parking garage without anyone getting lost or accidentally ending up on the A8.  Cars in the parking [...]
Posted in General Blog, Travel | 2 Comments