An American-Canadian Cooking Project:The proposal arrives via email, while I’m hiding out in Little Washington, Virginia. We’ve discussed a new cross-border culinary exchange and my friend Jill from Ottawa, Canada (of the famous Tale of Two Puddings) has been investigating the regional cuisine. Jill writes:While you've been exploring American culinary history, I've been thinking about Canadian
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A Stack of Sunnyside Eggs and Toast for a Buttondown Chef:When it comes to cooking, I’ve typically been a slave to the recipe. I don’t waver much from the prescribed directions. When it comes to braising, basting or blending, I’m Buttondown Oxford all the way.Lately, I’ve had an urge to loosen up, at least in the kitchen, attempting to let the recipe serve as inspiration for a more creative
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The Inn at Little Washington
Sunday, January 21 – Tonight is my big celebration – another year on this Earth. Since it’s been a year of culinary discovery, I’ve decided to mark the evening at a place that the International Herald Tribune called one of the 10 Best Restaurants in the World.To get a bit more emotive about it, my friend Jill in Ottawa provides this little tidbit she found on the Internet – the food is so good,
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The Foster Harris House
Saturday, January 20 -- Near the edge of the tiny town of Washington, Virginia, in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, sits the Foster Harris House, a handsome yellow-and-green bed and breakfast that is as vibrant as a sunflower in full bloom.As a young surveyor, a 17-year-old George Washington plotted the town of Washington in the year 1749. Today, there are less than 200 residents in this
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First Lady of American Cookery:Friday, January 19 -- The sky is colored robin’s egg blue, the sun glistens at midday, and there is an icy wind glancing off the Potomac River. I stand on the bluff above the river and admire the stately and symmetrical white house with the brick red roof, cupola and broad piazza that stands before me.Mount Vernon in Virginia was the life long home of George and
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The Skinny on Yogurt Cheese:I heard you. You just gasped, “The skinny on WHAT?”Yes, I’m going to talk about yogurt cheese. Hang on.My name is T.W. Barritt and I am a cheese addict. Admitting you have a problem is half the battle.I’ve struggled for years, in fact, ever since I had my first taste of Velveeta. The minute I walk in the door from a tough day at work, I crave cheese and crackers and a
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Pasta Presto:The best recipes are simple and uncomplicated with just a few, fresh ingredients. Despite an adventurous soul, and a tendency towards culinary experimentation, it’s always reassuring to return to old favorites. This is one of the first pasta dishes I ever made, in the Roman-style, and I first discovered a version of this recipe in a whimsically-illustrated book that was a gift from
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It’s Not Easy Being Green:The bottle of emerald liquid sits on the table at the front of the room. On its label, a single eye stares back at the audience. It’s giving me the once over, daring me to take just a little taste. I’m attending the monthly program of the Culinary Historians of New York to hear the dark and sordid history of Absinthe, a liqueur credited with everything from instigating
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An American in Paris in Las Vegas
I’m on an unusual weekend work assignment, and find myself in Las Vegas, Nevada of all places. Not at the top of my list for cities to visit, and even worse, I’m alone. Where is my colleague, Splint McCollough when I need him? Vegas is his kind of town – tawdry and as glittery as a disco ball, with a slot machine for every out-of-town tourist.Alas, Splint is at home. I send him an email upon
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Twelfth Night Cake
Not much is made of Twelfth Night in the United States, although there is the occasional Three Kings Celebration to signal the start of the Epiphany season. While the celebration of Christmas once lasted for 12 days, now it seems to start in early October. Too often, the Christmas holidays can whimper to a close in January, and I like the idea of one final, festive night to enjoy the music, the
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