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Toronto Star – November 24, 2004 Sommelier skills Gordon Stimmell was a judge at the Best Ontario Sommelier Competition for the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers. --------------- Seaweed and a slice of life Irish moss is a commodity that links a coastal community, Seaweed extract called carrageenan is a food additive in big demand Susan Sampson traveled to Miminegash on Prince Edward Island to the Seaweed Pie Café and their seaweed pie made with Irish moss. Includes recipes for Emeril's Spiced Irish Moss Pudding and Orange-Scented Carrageen Mousse. --------------- It's easy drinking Green In this week’s Suck It Back column, Jon Filson claims that “Johnnie Walker has woken up.” --------------- Truffles that kick --------------- Singling out doubles Jennifer Bain explores Toronto’s fast food: Trinidadian Doubles. Bain includes the best places to get one, and a recipe for Trinidadian Doubles. --------------- Puerto Rican Recipes Jennifer Bain attended the annual Association of Food Journalists conference in Puerto Rico, and shares her food experiences as well as recipes for Ritz-Carlton Muffins With Guava And Cheese and Ritz-Carlton Red Beans.

Boston Globe – November 24, 2004 The day after Thanksgiving... Second-Day Feast Leftover dishes so good you might want to buy another turkey. By Sheryl Julian and Julie Riven If you didn’t end up with leftover turkey this year, try making a second turkey or cooking turkey cutlets or ground turkey. Includes recipes for Mulligatawny, Curried Turkey Cutlets, Turkey Cabbage Soup and Turkey Meat Loaf. --------------- Recipes: * Turkey sandwiches with chipolte spread and avocado * Turkey soup with roasted vegetables and orzo --------------- The cook may be tired, but the fridge is bulging By Tony Rosenfeld, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Potato-crusted turkey pot pie --------------- Scones are a welcome wake-up call By Andrea Pyenson, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Dropped buttermilk-currant scones --------------- On Wine: French connection lifts Chilean wine By Michael Apstein, Globe Correspondent --------------- Oh, behave! What kind of guest, or host, are you? By Joseph Kahn, Globe Staff Kahn includes a chart of guest contributions, from “minimum” to “overboard.” --------------- Takeout turkey filling a need By Estes Thompson, Associated Press

Boston Globe – November 17, 2004 One family's new traditions The Bergs expand on the standard Thanksgiving menu with fresh tastes and year-round favorites By Leigh Belanger, Globe Correspondent Recipes: * Cranberry sauce * Creamy wild rice soup * Sweet potato pie --------------- Glass notes Michael Apstein includes suggestions priced from $10 to $75. --------------- Lemony classic for a fortunate event By Jennifer Wolcott, Globe Correspondent --------------- Holiday tables can sport sprouts Recipe: * Lemon meringue pie --------------- Adaptation of Indian cornmeal pudding really fills the bill Recipe: * Oatmeal Indian pudding --------------- Colors that will bring tears to your eyes --------------- It's quantity and quality Recipe: * Deep dish apple pie --------------- Additional recipes: * Cranberry-orange sweet potatoes * Gratineed potatoes * Perfectly creamed spinach

I agree. But then I chalked it up to looking so bad because it was "prop pizza". Sadly, I think I've eaten some of that in my day. ← Whether it's Yale or the local community college, I think it's a requirement for students to eat bad pizza.

Toronto Star – November 17, 2004 Nigella does T.O. The British 'domestic goddess' breezes into Toronto for a one-day visit She adores food, abhors diets and misses her kids Nigella came to Toronto for the first time and promoted her fifth cookbook, Feast: Food That Celebrates Life. --------------- Swedes love to make merry Christmas means fun and feasting Annual fair runs on weekend --------------- Gord on Grapes Gordon Stimmell reviews wines for $14 or less to pair with lemon chicken, scallops, chicken pot pie and barbecued spareribs. --------------- Knocking back a few wet ones --------------- The colour purple is chic in the kitchen Pamela Steel finds purple – in the form of the herb, lavender – showing up on restaurant menus. Includes recipes for Lavender Crème Brûlée and Sliced Oranges with Lavender Honey. --------------- Grate expectations for getting that barbecue clean --------------- Phyllo ready for close-up Food editor Jennifer Bain gives a few phyllo tips along with a recipe for Salad with Goat Cheese Phyllo Bundles.

Great blog! Thanks for inviting us into your house. I don't know how they do it either. I love having that little layer of protection between my eyes and the world. Although once I went straight from chopping onions to throwing my contact lenses in, and... ouch!

I absolutely hate nutritional yeast. I cant even stand the smell of it. But I love Frontier Cheddar and Spice Popcorn Seasoning even though it has nutritional yeast. It is terrific -- good flavor without sweetness. I make my own seasonings sometimes. Just throw the ingedients in a food processor. PIZZA POPCORN 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon salt Dash of pepper HERB POPCORN SEASONING 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried marjoram 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes NACHO POPCORN 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Boston Globe – November 10, 2004 In praise of braising Molly Stevens has rescued the underappreciated cooking technique with a book that extols its homey, flavorful virtues By Timothy Q. Cebula, Globe Correspondent Molly Stevens has her cookbook, “All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking,” published last month. Now dishes such as braised short ribs are standard fare at high-end restaurants. And home cooks have gained a new appreciation for this quintessential slow technique, prizing its simplicity. At its core, ''All About Braising" is everything you need to know about comfort food. ''Braising is relaxing both for the cook and the people eating it," Stevens says as she reduces liquid in the red Le Creuset pot she used to brown the meat. ''There's nothing fussy or contrived about braised dishes. All you're doing is putting out a big pot of delicious food." --------------- Barrel to Bottle: It's time for Beaujolais 'Lush' 2003 vintage arrives amid anticipation By Leigh Belanger, Globe Correspondent It's almost time. Next week, splashy posters in wine shops all over town will trumpet the arrival of the 2004 Beaujolais nouveau, the young and fruity French wines made from gamay grapes that are drunk the same year they're grown. Georges Duboeuf, the shipper who dominates the Beaujolais trade, is responsible for this yearly onslaught. His nouveau has a reputation for being fruity and fun, but also commercial and ordinary. Plenty of wine drinkers dismissed it -- until 2003. A very good year for Beaujolais --------------- SHORT ORDERS Good to Go: It’s a classic The Busy Bee Restaurant is a diner with a long counter, turquoise vinyl stools and booths, and a neon sign in the window that invites you to have "a snack or a meal." And although club sandwiches for lunch and Yankee pot roast for dinner are enticing, you can't beat breakfast at a diner. It's fun to shake off the morning fog with hot coffee and a dose of banter with the waiter. Without Reservation: The hottest pot in town Is there a cozier meal on a cold night than a pot of warm melted cheese? Thierry Charles of the Wine Cellar, a new fondue restaurant in the Back Bay, doesn't think so. Always be a gentleman What can you expect at a dinner party when you sit down to a place setting with three forks, four knives, and three spoons? Aside from the fact that hired help will probably be carting all that fancy flatware away, and you won't have to help wash up afterward? Those utensils mean there's a seafood appetizer coming, a steak course somewhere, and soup. (Don't slurp!) These are among the lessons of ''A Gentleman at the Table" ($14.99), a new guide to table manners by John Bridges and Bryan Curtis. Eat your wheaties The terrain is the same, but the taste -- and the nutritional content -- is different. Pepperidge Farm's 100 percent whole wheat English muffins ($2.69 for six) have the requisite nooks and crannies, but they have an earthier flavor than their refined cousins, and a slight extra crunch. Around Town: Headline An evening of privately hosted dinners will take place Nov. 20 to benefit the Jewish Community Day School of Watertown. Cookbook author Joan Nathan will speak in Gloucester on Sunday. Nathan is the author of ''Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook" (Schocken) and hosted the public television show ''Jewish Cooking in America With Joan Nathan." --------------- World Table: Hot Breads bakery full of the flavor -- and feel -- of India By Jan Gardner, Globe Staff Woburn is home to the first Hot Breads bakery in New England, pleasing many Indian immigrants. Founded in India in 1985 by a former marketing professor, Hot Breads now has more than 100 bakeries, most situated in India and the United Arab Emirates. Other locations include Nepal, Bangladesh, and France (two are in Paris). While the shop caters to Indians, it is a fusion bakery, mixing elements of Indian and French fare and offering American goods as well. Plain and almond French croissants are here, for instance, but you can also buy croissants filled with chicken curry, chicken tikka, or Indian-style goat meat. --------------- Mimi Sheraton is known for writing but she's motivated by eating By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff Arnett mentions that before the interview, Mimi was participating on an eGullet thread. Her critical eye, honed for years as the restaurant critic for The New York Times, New York magazine, and several national publications, falls squarely on food in ''Eating My Words: An Appetite for Life" (Morrow Cookbooks). Others may use food as a connection to history or to tell stories of their romances. Sheraton unravels her life in this volume, but keeps her eyes on the prize. ''Writing about food gave me just the excuse I needed to eat," she explains. ''It was, after all, my job." --------------- He records golden era of food A Q&A with food writer Alan Richman Food writer Alan Richman, contributor to GQ, Bon Appetit, and Conde Nast Traveler, wasn't always an epicurean. Originally a sports writer, he came from Philadelphia to the Boston Globe for two tenures -- 1977 to 1979 and 1980 to 1984 -- before heading to New York and a life of foie gras and culinary excess. Recently named the dean of food writing for the French Culinary Institute, he has also just released ''Fork It Over: The Intrepid Adventures of a Professional Eater" (HarperCollins).

Toronto Star – November 10, 2004 The shuck treatment There's a need for speed when members of the oyster cult feed seafood lovers at festival Susan Sampson went to Charlottetown to the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival. --------------- Heavenly retreat for wine lovers Gordon Stimmell went to Banff for the 13th annual Festival of Wine and Food at the Fairmont Banff Springs resort. He sampled 92 wines and shared his thoughts on some of them. --------------- Let the dark ages begin Jon Filson’s Suck It Back column discusses the lack of good beer lately, and recognizes a company that just might change that. --------------- It's almost Milk time

Toronto Star – November 3, 2004 CLAWS AND EFFECT Lobsters in the lab Food writer Susan Sampson finds out what makes a healthy lobster. As you head down the stairs at the Atlantic Veterinary College, the air starts to smell like the sea. Here, in a series of small rooms and labs, dubious lobsters are inspected, injected and investigated. Big, beautiful, speckled specimens scuttle in saltwater tanks. The unlucky ones lie dissected in the post-mortem room. In a lab down the hall, the fridge is stocked with pathogens and parasites. Scientists bend over microscopes and inject lobster DNA samples. Their white coats are stamped with the centre's clever and classy logo, featuring a letter L formed from the claws of a stylized lobster. --------------- Lobsters in the pot Food writer Susan Sampson brings us to “lobster central” in Prince Edward Island. Tourists by the busload arrive hungry to taste an Island tradition: the lobster supper. The tourists mingle with Islanders who have proudly brought along their visitors "from away." And then there are the local families celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and conference-goers who prefer to eat and drink their fill to the raucous sounds of Celtic music. Recipes include Lobster Salad with Spicy Lemon Dressing, Tomalley Croutons and Sweet Potato and Lobster Soup With Orange Crème Fraîche. Lobster tips --------------- Gord on Grapes Columnist Gordon Stimmell reviews inexpensive wines to go with Thai-battered shrimp, veal scallopini and saffron shrimp paella. --------------- Cross-cultural pizza party So thank you Tandoori Bazaar/Apna Pizza for devising an Indian-style pizza that's so unequivocally delicious, it's bound to make a dent in our rabid consumption of plain-old pepperoni and not-truly Hawaiian pies. Includes recipe for Bombay Bhel Puri.

Toronto Star – October 27, 2004 Chowing down White or red? For chowder lovers, those are fighting words. They still argue the merits of creamy Boston-style versus tomatoey, Manhattan-style chowder. At the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival, one couple lean over to tell me that a chowder simply must be creamy — anything else would be sacrilege. They are from Boston. Includes recipes for Seafood Elyse Chowder and Southwest Seafood Chowder. --------------- Celebrity chef recipes include Rôti De Porc Au Lait, Kicked-Up Fiesta Loaf, and Tarragon-Shallot Egg Salad Sandwiches. --------------- Schoolkids learn passion for food Columnist Marion Kane visited with Paul Finkelstein, chef turned teacher. "Finkel," as he's affectionately known to his students, grew up in Don Mills and is married to a fellow graduate of the Stratford Chefs School with whom he has three young children. Four years ago, he joined this school where he is a popular, natural-born teacher. As we enter his giant classroom, which, for the past month, has also operated as the Screaming Avocado Café serving breakfast and lunch five days a week, I can hardly believe my eyes. --------------- Peanut butter substitutes put to taste test Food editor and writer Susan Sampson gathered young taste testers to check out five peanut butter substitutes. --------------- The value of wine It was the best of wine values and the worst of wine values in two fascinating tastings amid a swarm of wine events in recent days. Some of the best wine buys were discovered in a Chilean blind tasting. And some of the worst among — what else? — the most expensive wines in the world.

Boston Globe – November 3, 2004 A tale of two cheese lovers: Ryan Hardy makes it on the Vineyard By Leigh Belanger, Globe Correspondent The Kentucky-born Hardy, 29, has been here for three years. Fourteen months ago, when he found out that he could buy goat's milk on the Vineyard, he began teaching himself how to make cheese. Today, diners who order the extensive cheese plate are likely to be served their cheeses -- and given an in-depth explanation -- by Hardy himself. --------------- A tale of two cheese lovers: Matt Rubiner brings it to the Berkshires By Timothy Q. Cebula, Globe Correspondent By noon on a busy Saturday, Matt Rubiner estimates he's had to say ''cheese" almost 200 times. He may not smile every time, but rest assured, he's happy. From behind the central island counter in the bright, high-ceilinged shop, the owner of Rubiner's Cheesemongers and Grocers says, ''There's nothing that satisfies me more than being an arbiter of people's tastes." --------------- The fine art of making banana cake Creating a perfect balance between flavor and texture By Lisa Yockelson, Globe Correspondent Most fruit-based cakes charm with their flavor and intensity. An apple cake, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, can taste boldly mellow. Blueberries sweetly dot a butter cake. Gingerbread batter guilelessly allows smacks of ground ginger to penetrate its molasses-centered crumb. Thoroughly succulent banana cake gets its flavor and distinctive texture -- moistness -- from the fruit. Recipe: Banana cake --------------- SHORT ORDERS Without Reservation: You're getting warm At the Butcher Shop, owner Barbara Lynch's combination of wine bar and retail shop, Reynoso fashions a hearty ragu from Italian sausages; it's spicy with tomatoes, garlic, and hot peppers. Counterpoint: It’s in the bag More fascinating than the fresh-faced and smiling retro woman on the front of the Evert-Fresh Green Bags package are the three little photographs next to her. They show you what happens to a carrot that's been stored for 50 days in one of the company's special green produce bags (it's bright and fresh-looking); then in an ordinary polyethylene bag (the carrot is covered with mold); and with no wrapping at all (poor little black carrot has shriveled to a fraction of its size). World Table: Do you want to know a secret? Have you ever happened upon a special place and imagined you were the first to find it? And then meted out your knowledge to a privileged few, only to find that the spot's been there for years? Droubi Bakery, a Lebanese market and pita bakery in Roslindale, is one of those places. Good to Go: Tray cool The music at Punjabi Dhaba, an Indian restaurant in Inman Square, is the first thing you notice. The Hindi tunes, with their swirling melodies and persistent beat, are loud -- until a customer approaches the counter with an order. Down goes the volume. When you retreat to your seat, the volume goes back up. --------------- Without Reservation: With citrus and spice, ceviche makes seafood sparkle This time of year, Chez Henri chef and owner Paul O'Connell turns his cravings for bay scallops into ceviche. Recipe: Bay scallop ceviche --------------- First Draft: Is this heaven? No, it's Belgium. By Ann Cortissoz, Globe Staff What makes the beer so interesting is partly the sheer variety of brews produced and the number of different ways the Belgians go about making them. They employ a range of techniques, including brewing with indigenous and exotic herbs and spices -- citrus peel and flowers; brewing with fruit; brewing with sugar; fermentation in open tanks; fermentation by wild yeast or bacteria; fermentation and lagering in oak casks; and even blending of aged and fresh beer before bottling to produce traditional Belgian beer styles, according to brewer and beer writer Horst Dornbusch. --------------- Homemade ramen noodles satisfy By Sheryl Julian and Julie Riven, Globe Staff Ramen are fine yellow Chinese noodles served Japanese-style in a big bowl of broth. In Japanese noodle houses, the bowls are often very cheap and so huge they're hard to polish off. You need both a spoon and chopsticks to maneuver the morsels of meat, noodles, and broth, and when you're done, you're practically too full to leave the table. Partly because it's fun to eat, and also because it's so widely available in packaged form, instant ramen has become many children's introduction to cooking. They measure the water themselves, add the ingredients from the various packets, let the soup simmer for a few minutes, and tip the contents into a big bowl. Recipe: Ramen with chicken

Boston Globe – October 20, 2004 First Draft: Not your father's beer: your grandfather's Pabst Blue Ribbon is winning back a following By Ann Cortissoz, Globe Staff At Downtown Wine & Spirits in Davis Square on a recent Friday evening, among the professionals in business suits stopping to pick up a bottle of wine or a microbrew on the way home, you're likely to see a stream of 20-somethings buying six-packs -- even 30-packs -- of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. --------------- Farmers tell of Fair Trade benefits By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff In Nicaragua, Lopez and his cooperative grow coffee sold under the Fair Trade label, which guarantees family farmers a fair market price for their coffee, cocoa, and bananas and other fruit. --------------- Sophistication in 60 minutes Dinner parties can be simple and elegant By Tony Rosenfeld, Globe Correspondent It does take some ingenuity to put together a sophisticated meal in an hour. But plan shrewdly and shop cleverly and you can succeed. This menu begins with a mesclun salad and homemade balsamic dressing, offers salmon with a mustard crust and sauteed spinach for the main course, and finishes with individual spicy apple crisps. * Mesclun salad with goat cheese and pears * Sauteed spinach * Roast salmon with mustard crust * Spicy apple crisps --------------- SHORT ORDERS World Table: Spread peace It seems like too much to expect from an olive spread -- promoting peace in the Middle East and tasting good -- but somehow, Meditalia manages to pull off both. This line of pesto sauces and tapenades, a product of the New York company PeaceWorks, is produced in Israel using olives from Palestinian villages and sun-dried tomatoes from Turkey. The seven spreads ($3.99 for 6.35 ounces) are bottled in glass jars made in Egypt. Fall for pears While we don't dip them in caramel or bob for them in water, sweet, juicy, perfectly ripened pears are still a wonderful fall treat. Bosc pears, with their reddish brown skin and rough speckling, are in season now (about $1.50 per pound). Monkey business Cinnamon monkey bread has to be the most addictive yeasty treat ever. Soft, slightly sweet, and gooey, this pull-apart round bread keeps tempting you. Also known as bubble bread, it's made with little balls of dough dipped in melted butter, then layered with cinnamon sugar. Karen's Bakery in Lynnfield, owned by Dottie and Carl Wold Jr., supplies the best around. Good to Go: You’ll be back On a warm Saturday afternoon recently, the line at Victor's Deli in Ball Square stretched to the door. When they're not peering at the hot food behind a glass partition, customers banter loudly with one another and with Rosa Moccia, wife of Victor (left) and hostess extraordinaire. Save some summer heat for winter Chili peppers are among the easiest vegetables to "put by" for the cold season. And though chilies are dried so they can be kept all winter long, the drying process actually intensifies their flavor. We Cook: Seared scallops are the ultimate fast food Scallops are the pearls of the fish counter. The plump white rounds look especially tempting this time of year, when both small bay scallops and the larger sea scallops are harvested off our coasts. Seared in a hot pan with both oil and butter, the round jewels caramelize at the edges and become the ultimate quick dinner. * Seared scallops with creamy spinach and yellow potatoes --------------- UpStairs on the Square's muhammara --------------- World Table: Spring rolls: a fresh approach to appetizers By Debra Samuels, Globe Correspondent Through the translucent wrapping on a Vietnamese spring roll, you can see curls of pink shrimp and the deep greens of basil, mint, and cilantro leaves. This healthful version of the deep-fried egg roll has become standard starter fare in Thai and Vietnamese restaurants.

Toronto Star – October 13, 2004 A cheesy feast Raclette is the new fondue for hungry do-it-yourselfers Canadians embrace this French meal The popularity of raclette grills is increasing. An electric element under the Swissmar grill heats the metal to close to 450F — perfect for searing food quickly. We gladly let our experienced hostess arrange pieces of food on the grill to cook while we melt cheese under the broiler in our trays. Then we transfer a few choice cooked morsels to our dinner plates. The grilled scallops are especially delicious. Cheese, please Where to buy cheese that will melt nicely for your raclette party Getting the goods on the grills With four companies now selling raclette party grills in Canada, you know this trend is hot. Raclette party primer Tips for preparing for a raclette party. --------------- The food and mood in P.E.I. Each year, Canada's smallest province welcomes, feeds, entertains and soothes 1.2 million visitors. Even the ones who find it difficult to slow down. That's about eight guests for every Islander. --------------- Wine warp Gordon Stimmell discusses Bulgaria, and some of the wines from Bulgaria that are available in Ontario. --------------- Finally, an easy way in It happens all the time: You're standing there, staring at a wall of whisky in the LCBO, with cash to spare and a desire to try something new ... but without a clue to what brand you should be considering blowing your bucks on. So even though you know Jack Daniels has watered down its proof from 86 to 80 per cent, you grab another bottle of the same old thing, head home and wonder what might have been ....

Boston Globe – October 13, 2004 New York: If you eat it there, you'll see it everywhere By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff Time Out New York food editor Maile Carpenter says that her staff covered about 2,000 restaurants considered important enough to explore for "Eating & Drinking 2005," the publication's sixth annual guide to New York restaurants. --------------- A new butcher on the block By Andrea Pyenson, Globe Correspondent Butcher John Dewar finally got the place in Wellesley he always wanted. The meat counter runs nearly the full length of one wall in the 1,700-foot store, and it is filled with selections such as Wagyu beef, a domestic version of Japanese Kobe beef; Kurobuta pork from black Berkshire pigs, which has more marbling than the lean pork so prevalent today; and dry, aged sirloin prepared in Dewar's Boston plant. Dewar, who carries the same Niman Ranch pork the Wellesley Whole Foods Market does, says he is not concerned about competition from the national chain. He feels that hard-to-find specialty items give his store an edge. "We're a little more daring than some other markets." --------------- Oil comes in all varieties. Which is up to the task? By Lisa Zwirn, Globe Correspondent What's different about oils -- aside from the fact that they're pressed from varying plants, seeds, grains, nuts, and beans -- is their flavor, color, texture, and, perhaps most important, their taste. An oil should not overwhelm the dish it is added to. So, too, you should not use some oils in cooking, because their taste is better if you don't heat them. --------------- SHORT ORDERS Around Town: Celebrating chocolate Massachusetts chocoholics hold bragging rights to the fact that the first production in this country was in Dorchester at a factory started by John Hannon and Dr. James Baker. Thus began our nation's obsession with the smooth, rich sweet. Continuing with the tradition, the gastronomy program at Boston University is holding its first chocolate weekend ($75, or $50 for students with ID). Magnets for the cook who has everything What to get for the cook who has all the best pans, the sharpest knives, the widest array of spices? Dress-the-chef magnets for the refrigerator, of course. Titled "Cora's Cookin' Now" ($9.99), this set from Erika Oller's "Fashion the Crowd Can Understand" series features a pleasantly plump chef in her undies, along with chef's whites, a dress and apron combo, and a few pastries. Please, dress this poor woman so she can bake again! First Draft: Beer of the month With beer halls, oompah bands, and dirndl-clad waitresses wearing Princess Leia hairdos, Munich has cornered the market on Oktoberfest. The 16-day party is over in Germany, but Boston still has the beer: Samuel Adams makes the best-selling Oktoberfest beer in the world, says Sam founder Jim Koch. Good to Go: Slurp happy Other than the food, the best thing about visiting Chinatown's Taiwan Cafe is watching everyone eat. Around Town: Feast to help farmers Celebrating the harvest can be paired with helping those who grow it at a benefit dinner at Lumiere in West Newton. --------------- Cookbook for kids is fun, useful By Meg Colton, Globe Correspondent Meg Colton, an eighth-grader at Hingham Middle School, reviews "Look and Cook" and found it to be useful for cooking with children. In addition to the recipes below, she also tried pigs in blankets and blueberry muffins. * Baked macaroni and cheese * Hot cocoa --------------- Pumpkin is not just for pie anymore Pumpkins are such a welcome sign of fall that there is something warm and comforting about walking into a kitchen filled with their aroma. And the firm orange flesh, often pureed for a pie, always goes hand in hand with gingerbread spices. * My mother's pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies --------------- * Orange-sesame dressing * Stir-fried pork and bok choy

Boston Globe – October 6, 2004 Small plates and big tastes Local restaurants show less is more with inventive little creations By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff Entering the world of small takes some explanation. This current darling of the culinary world has been working its way into restaurants slowly. It all began about a decade ago, when Americans embraced tapas, the Spanish snacks sold in bars to encourage patrons to drink more. Today's small plates might borrow tapas ideas, but they also boast tastes and textures from all kinds of cuisines. --------------- Apples make the season sweeter By T. Susan Chang, Globe Correspondent When the apple harvest comes in, it's always a little bittersweet. This may be one of the region's most beautiful seasons, but apples are the last fruit of the growing year. As fall gives way to winter, apple pickers will reach high into the trees, propping ladders on stout branches, gathering peck by heavy peck as if the taste of sweetness itself were about to head for the tropics. --------------- SHORT ORDERS A cookbook that's by teens, for teens The Carle sisters, Megan and Jill, like to cook. They like cheesy snacks and easy-to-prepare main dishes, and it bores them, they say, to even think about making soup stock from scratch. In short, they're the perfect people to write a cookbook for teenagers; in fact, they're teens themselves. They've been whipping things up in the kitchen since they were 3, and now they've whipped up "Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat" (Ten Speed Press; $17.95). Swiss hit Good old reliable Swiss chard ($1 to $2 a bunch) is delicious on its own but it serves as a fine conveyance for other flavors, as well. Glass Notes: Glass act Wine tasting is often criticized for being a subjective, to-each-his-own affair. One reason may be glassware. In the right glass, a so-so wine will show its best; in the wrong one, even a luxe sip may underperform. To level the playing field, many pros prefer to ply their trade with a glass developed by Institut National des Appellations d'Origine, the organization responsible for French wine legislation. Good to Go: Just plain good In a neighborhood saturated with good food, how do South End residents decide on their favorite spot? Where you eat, of course, is a mark of who you are. Around Town: A gathering of family and friends celebrates Julia Child's life "A Tribute to Julia," to celebrate the life of Julia Child will be held on Oct. 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. Her family and friends will gather for a wine reception and to hear more than a dozen speakers at Boston University. Joy of Baking: Crispy treat takes the cake While a crisp, slightly tart Rome apple is one of the many pleasures of a New England fall, it gets exponentially better when sliced and tossed with cinnamon-sugar and baked between two layers of buttery vanilla-scented sour cream batter. This coffee cake is finished with a crunchy and sugary walnut topping. Recipe: My grandmother's sour-cream apple coffee cake We Cook: Any way you slice them, apples add flavor to meat dishes Slip a cut-up apple or two into the beef stew pot and you get a subtle sweetness to the sauce. Add them to a pan of roasted squashes and the apples add just the right juiciness to the orange-fleshed vegetables. Before you roast a chicken, tuck some apple wedges into the cavity of the bird; they are succulent after cooking. * Recipe: Chicken on a bed of apples and onions Heading Out: Sean and Nora's celebrates food from every neighborhood BARRE, Vt. -- If you're looking for Sean and Nora here, you won't find them. But the two Irish immigrants, grandparents of owner John Mayfield, are all over the menu in this homey but upscale restaurant, about seven miles from Montpelier. Located in a 19th century Victorian-style building, in a region best know for its granite industry, Sean and Nora's celebrates regional and ethnic American foods, from Germantown Wiener schnitzel to New Orleans's favorite muffuletta. Eating with Friends: Eggplant Parmesan In this modern version of the Italian- American classic, eggplant is baked rather than fried, and plump, ripe tomatoes are chopped and tossed with garlic, basil, and a touch of oil for a fresh, uncooked sauce. Just the right amount of mozzarella melts over the eggplant slices, and a top crust of Parmesan turns beautifully golden. --------------- Enjoy the fruit of your labors at a pick-your-own orchard This article lists over 25 orchards where you can pick your own fruit. Before you leave for picking, call the farm. Some have websites so you can check apple varieties and other activities. You can also call the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture (877-627-7476) or go to http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/apple_pyo.htm. --------------- * Recipe: Meat Loaf --------------- * Recipe: Crab cakes with hot-lime aioli

Thanks for the report. I live in this great state, but sadly, I have not eaten in every restautant... yet. I'm adding some of your stops to my "to eat at" list.

Boston Globe – September 29, 2004 The new gold standard? Gourmet magazine wants its cookbook to be the go-to guide By T. Susan Chang, Globe Correspondent It's not every day that we experience a frontal assault on culinary history. But there is no doubt that the 1,300-page "Gourmet Cookbook" -- priced to fly at a bargain $40 -- is trying to make a statement no one will soon forget. Swathed in its buttercup-yellow dustjacket with an embossed copper metallic title, fat with the promise of easy and luscious dinners, the book arrives in stores this week amid much speculation. Recipe: Steak Diane --------------- Foundation cooks up controversy By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff Arnett reports on the Boston area reaction to the controversy surrounding the James Beard Foundation. Early this month, The New York Times reported that the foundation could not account for how thousands of dollars of revenue was spent and was under review by the New York state attorney general's charities bureau. Longtime Beard foundation president Leonard F. Pickell Jr. resigned, and last week he was accused by the newly appointed chairman, George Sape, of misusing funds in undocumented or unjustified expenses. --------------- Butter, eggs, and vanilla, straight up By Lisa Yockelson, Globe Correspondent The lightly sweetened, yeast-raised dough is created in two stages and pressed into free-form ovals. When they're puffy and enlarged, the tops are glazed with a wash of melted butter and more vanilla, then scattered with sparkling sugar, a simple but luxurious finish for yeast breads. The sugar retains its shape, crackle, and luster in a way plain granulated sugar cannot, and its light and festive crunch adds a contrasting texture to the tender interior. Recipe: Fragrant vanilla flatbreads --------------- SHORT ORDERS Baking with beasts Chocolate jimmies and colored sprinkles won't do it for your kids once they discover the world of tiny animals designed to decorate their cupcakes. Xcel International produces festive toppings, assorted colored baking sprinkles in bright colors and minuscule shapes, packed in little four- and six-compartment jars. Low carb, high crunch Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you . . . well, you pretty much always do. Especially if it's almonds and pecans mixed with popcorn and coated in caramel glaze. But for those watching their carbohydrates, such a treat is probably off-limits. Now, however, Lincoln Snacks, makers of Poppycock, has created a low-carb version of the snack (about $2.70 for a 5 ounce box). Good to Go: Get steamed We've never been much for steam tables. They're too reminiscent of food courts and Old Country Buffets. And we try to ignore the lure of fast food. Somewhere in our brain, heat lamps seem to be linked to steam tables. But something in there shifted when we visited Flames Restaurant in Mattapan. Owner Linval Chambers and his staff serve fine West Indian and American food -- from red-pea soup to barbecued ribs. And the best dishes simmer in steam tables. The Cortlands are coming Our annual pick-your-own apples listing will appear next week. Around Town: A recipe for fighting cancer The Friends of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have just released a fund-raising cookbook, "Great Chefs Cooking for Great Friends." With a foreward by Clio's Ken Oringer, the book includes recipes from many Boston kitchens. After Work: Japanese bread crumbs pack a crunch Think of panko as the superior, five-star cousin to preseasoned, finely ground supermarket crumbs. Panko is not made of rice, as some think, but rather of tiny flakes of bread ground from traditional yeast-risen dough. The most commonly available panko is white, made from the crumb of the loaf. Recipe: Crispy chicken drumsticks No brine required Watermelon rinds, hot peppers, and green tomatoes are all varieties of brine-fermented delicacies known as pickles. Still, the ones made from cucumber reign supreme as the king of cookouts, sandwich shops, and pregnancy cravings. Most cucumber pickles are made from kirbys, also known as pickling cucumbers. These small green vegetables are only 3 to 6 inches long, with thick middles and small, underdeveloped seeds. --------------- Sabra's Middle Eastern influence is spreading throughout town By Lisa Zwirn, Globe Correspondent On these BU menus -- and in cafeterias in colleges and hospitals all over town -- some of the most popular choices are the chickpea spread hummus, the parsley and grain salad tabbouleh, and the smooth, smoky eggplant dip called baba ghanouj. Sabra Foods has been delivering ready-made Middle Eastern specialties for 21 years. Lebanese-born Pierre Saroufim began the company by making what he knew best, using recipes from home.

Boston Globe – September 22, 2004 Ready! Set! Assemble that dinner! Company does the shopping, chopping, cleanup for the families' meal By Andrea Pyenson, Globe Correspondent --------------- The last green of the season Unripened garden tomatoes can be put to delicious use By Joe Yonan, Globe Staff Recipes: * Fried green tomatoes * Green tomato-raspberry jam --------------- Healthy Plate At a Brookline school, lunch just got better By Bev Bennett, Globe Correspondent Concerned parents Dr. Hope Ricciotti and her husband, Vincent Connelly got a committee together to make changes to the school lunches. --------------- SHORT ORDERS Around Town: Drinking in Art Deco Dumpling ID Without Reservation: Worth a fry Good to Go: A trip to the Coast Around Town: These events fit to a tea Eating with Friends: Recipes for Pesto moro We Cook: Pastry and plums: a fleeting pleasure Recipe for Prune plum torte --------------- Lemon juice makes a pasta dish to pucker up for By Jill Santopietro, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Pasta with lemon, squashes, and mint

Boston Globe – September 15, 2004 At Primo, food goes from the garden to the plate Restaurant is uniquely connected to the land By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff Alison Arnett spoke to Melissa Kelly, owner of Primo in Rockland, Maine. --------------- An advanced guide to local brewpubs By Ann Cortissoz, Globe Staff Ann Cortissoz looks at ten local brewpubs from Anam Cara Publick House to Watch City Brewing Company. --------------- SHORT ORDERS Full of beans Beat the wheat A neighborhood treasure A matzo maven The ABCs of learning to cook A happy -- and tasty -- anniversary --------------- Cultivating the Cape's famous oysters By Andrea Pyenson, Globe Correspondent --------------- Shaking up the drink scene in Chinatown By Leigh Belanger, Globe Correspondent

Boston Globe – September 8, 2004 Will Boston get a public market? Other cities revel in theirs while planners here still dream By Joe Yonan, Globe Staff --------------- Making chocolates a rabbi can love By Clea Simon, Globe Correspondent --------------- SHORT ORDERS Family heirlooms Still Legally summer Dutch treat Sausage that stays the same First you grill the corn, then make a chowder Recipe: Grilled corn chowder Baby, let's go Dutch Recipe: Dutch babies FDA has a cow over unauthorized Greek yogurt --------------- Kugel contest celebrates tradition, variation By Faye Levy, Globe Correspondent Recipes: * Prize-winning noodle kugel * My mother's kugel with mushrooms

Boston Globe – September 1, 2004 Beyond ice cream Add a layer of cake, a crumbly crust, and voilà! You've got a party By Andrea Pyenson, Globe Correspondent Recipes: * Coconut ice cream pie with gingersnap crust * Coffee Heath Bar ice cream cake with butterscotch sauce --------------- Queuing up for an icy nirvana By Sarah M. Hearn, Globe Correspondent --------------- SHORT ORDERS You put your sunflower seeds in my chocolate Sausage meets seafood Japanese comfort food It's a Thai score --------------- It was love, but now it's gone By Clea Simon, Globe Correspondent Text --------------- Try some new twists on grilled steak By Tony Rosenfeld, Globe Correspondent Text Recipes: * Southwestern grilled skirt steak with a tomato salsa * Grilled sirloin tips with orange-soy glaze * Warm pasta salad with grilled corn and zucchini

Toronto Star – September 1, 2004 Back to cooking school The road to school is filled with kitchen gear for food lovers as we present our annual cooking school directory --------------- Portrait of a great escape Randy Starkman, is a Toronto Star sports reporter, spoke with David Wood. Wood had a food business in Toronto that left little time for his family. He sold his interest in the business and moved back to his family farm in B.C., where he happily makes cheese. --------------- Winemakers going to the dogs Gordon Stimmell talks about Bad Dogs wine. --------------- Cottage country cuisine Susan Sampson reviews Best Summer Weekends Cookbook. Includes recipe for Grilled Mango with Ginger Coconut Cream.

I haven't met that many celebrities, but they tend to get a lot of things -- from restaurant meals to gym memberships -- free when they travel. So I suppose it is possible that Jolie just didn't have the cash or credit cards with her that she should have. Although in my experience I have seen wealthy people who are bad tippers.

I completely agree with this. Small businesses often will bend over backwards for free publicity, and gladly would give out some free ingredients in exchange for their show being on television. You could start with a brief business profile as an introduction to the episode, then do some cooking. With stores, they could give you ingredients to prepare and possibly cook with you on camera offering hints and tips as you cooked. For restaurants, the chef could cook in the restraurant's kitchen and you could assist. You could do a lot of unique things as well, like visiting a caterer who helps you pack a picnic and then going to a nice local scenic place for a picnic. Or visit a local camping store for hiking food advice and then take viewers on a hike. You could talk to local food makers like people who make small amounts of salsa, jellies, or wines for stores or craft fairs and show their business and then cook things using their ingredients. Farmers markets would be a good resource too. I love shows like this that focus on local businesses and ingredients, and by doing something like this I don't think your budget would be an issue at all because you would get a lot of free stuff.