AppleBrownBetty

"Just a note on purple asparagus. Last year I bought some, too, and learned the hard way that cooking eliminates the purple and they become green. Naive on my part and though I've asked plenty no-one has offered any way to use them purple but raw." If you add a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar to the cooking water, the asparagus will keep its purple color. The reason is that the acid in those liquids retains the red pigment, anthocyanin. Happy cooking!

Pan seared rib-eye with curry salt: 10 minutes of prep, followed by 10 minutes of gustatory heaven.

When I broil salmon, I brush it with a mixture that’s made by whisking together 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and 1 firmly packed teaspoon of brown sugar. My friend, who hates balsamic vinegar, recoiled at the thought of trying this. The beautiful part is, once this mixture has been kissed by the heat of the oven, it imparts a sweet flavor to the fish with no hint of vinegar at all. He loved it and was astonished. Do you have any stories of ingredients that sound horrible together but actually taste fantastic?

I recently dined at Airport Grille, a restaurant that's aptly situated smack in the middle of the airport in New Bedford, MA. The quality and variety of the food--linguini with shrimp, veal scaloppini and the like--pleasantly surprised me. Has anyone else been to an airport recently where the food was surprisingly satisfying?

Without a doubt, my ghastliest tale took place in the kitchen of my ex's grandmother. She asked me what I wanted for breakfast, to which I innocently replied, "Fried eggs would be fine." MISTAKE!! She proceeded to fill a deep saucepan with roughly **2 inches*** of vegetable oil (I'm not kidding), brought it to a good high heat, and threw the eggs in. The net result was a gloppy globule of glistening eggstuff, possibly weighing more than the brass doorknob that I kept eyeing throughout the meal in hopes of making a smooth escape. Thankfully, she owned a cat. A very hungry, very desperate cat...

Time Out recently published an article on who makes the best burgers in New York City. Forget that. Who makes the best ice cream (or frozen dessert, for that matter)?

Having lived in New York City for many moons, traveled throughout the US and visited various countries in Europe, I can't vouch for cities in Asia, South America, et al, but from my limited experience, I wholeheartedly agree with the people who voted for New Orleans. Even the street vendor food and sandwich shop offerings were fabulous when I was there. Yum.

When you wince at your neighbor’s pasteurized dairy products. When you’re willing to pay $11 for a thimble-sized jar of cardamom because, “even though the recipe only asks for a dash of it, I can’t do without it, because it’s the subtle ingredient that will give the dish that special je ne sais quois.”