Would you like Cheese Puffs with That?
A few weeks ago we made Parisian style gnocchi to serve with a steak dish. These are made from Pate Choux (cream puff or eclair style dough) that has been flavored with aromatic herbs and Parmesan cheese, then pushed through a pastry bag with a straight tip into boiling water, poached for about two minutes, […]
The Perfect Margarita
This is from our good friend and the neighbor I wish I had, Barbara Keibel. Barbara has a great website, Creative Culinary and every Friday she whips up a classic cocktail and shares it with her neighbors in Denver, Colorado. Later she’ll share it with her readers. This past Friday she posted the perfect Margarita […]
“Chef, what if you don’t have an Iron?”
New Orleans in August is damn hot and the air-conditioner in this 40 year-old building was struggling. There were 45 of us crammed into a class room designed for 30. Eager, arrogant, excited and cocky but most of all we were sweaty. The first day of culinary school at Delgado Community College, dressed in our […]
Happy 25th Sweetheart
Although our anniversary is still a few weeks away, Amy and I are celebrating this weekend. We’re headed to Chapel Hill where I’ll teach a cooking class at Southern Season centered around the food in my novel, Doughnuts for Amy. I swapped favors with a very good friend of mine and he has loaned me […]
Is that Honeysuckle local?
Honeysuckle is in bloom right now. It seems to be everywhere, if you drive with your windows down, the perfume from this wildflower rushes in with the breeze. Honeysuckle has such a wonderful aroma and flavor and that flavor can be captured, you just have to pick a lot of the blossoms. So the other day I […]
Jessica the Carpenter
When I first read Jessica Kristie’s poetry, I was stunned into silence. Jessica has an incredible, God-given talent to polish, soften and shape a handful of words into three demensional images and breathtaking emotions. Take a few minutes from your busy day to read Waiting Bridges. First close your eyes, take a deep breath, then slowly read Waiting Bridges. Now […]
May-Lick or Mah-Lick?
Back in the summer of 2001, Fox & Friends was hosting a Labor Day Cookout show and they invited three chefs to prepare outdoor recipes and somehow or another I made the cut. So I reached out to Bell & Evans Chicken and they wanted in so I went to NY and represented Bell & Evans Chicken. I […]
Tonight’s Special is…
“Tonight’s special is a fresh flounder filet, served on top of a mix of Roasted Vegetables from Parson’s farm including Swiss Chard, Baby Carrots, Garlic Scapes, Napa Cabbage and Sweet Onions, finished with Bagna Cauda and Fried Leeks.” This week we received some amazing produce from Daniel Parson’s farm in Clinton, SC. Dinosaur Kale, Baby […]
Lonely
My family is away for the weekend. I get home about 11:15. I lingered at the restaurant, looked for little things to do before leaving but eventually the boss chased me out. I take my time driving home then have a slow drive through our neighborhood before I stop in front of my house. I […]
Tonight’s Special is…
“Tonight’s special is Rainbow Trout, it’s two boneless filets of Sunburst Farms Trout with a Scallop Mousse filling, the mousse has been seasoned with shallots, garlic, parsley and chives then the filets are wrapped in two slices of Benton’s Ham and it’s oven roasted, served over stone-ground grits with sauteed morel mushrooms, local baby carrots, […]