The Portly Chef

Baking is clearly my weakest suit. I’ve rarely done it (as it is pretty much abhored by the South Beach Diet) and, when I have done it, the result has been nearly universally bad.
This weekend, however, my luck improved, thanks to (tres belle!!) Clotide over at Chocolate & Zucchini. As I wrote below, she provided a […]

A collection of what was posted here and elsewhere during the work week.

I introduced my orange tres leches with chocolate candied orange peels, experimented with neck (which my friend Greg pointed out can be done in numerous forms of braising) and we debated pre- and post-tax tipping.

The ever-talented Clotilde Dusoulier of Chocolate & Zucchini provided a […]

“A man must eat a peck of salt with his friend, before he knows him.” — Miguel de Cervantes
And so, friends, we explore together. A reader asked that I talk about the various kinds of salt that are becoming so popular in the everyday kitchen. Relying mostly on kosher and sea salt myself, I was […]

According to the New York Times, neck is the new cheek. [via The Food Section]. Wanting to keep my readers on the cutting edge of modern cuisine, I decided that I would brave this new food trend for you.
When I explained at work yesterday that dinner for the night was lamb’s neck (acquired from my local Hy-Vee), […]

In preparation for a Super Bowl XLI party, I began working on a new recipe based on a traditional tres leches cake. I studied a few recipes, including this recipe for a coconut tres leches cake. Given that it was a Colts party, I wanted a blue flavoring to replace the coconut and could only come […]

Having seen a recipe from one of our South Beach cookbooks, I made this easy adaptation that is perfect (and quick!) for a cold night and looks beautiful when served to guests.
The recipe and details, after the jump.
Ingredients (serves 4):

4 lamb chops, bone removed
4 on-the-vine tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and rough chopped
4 scallions, chopped and […]

One of my favorite new flavors is roasted garlic. Though largely the same, there are numerous variations on how to roast garlic, including in a terra cotta cooker, in a foil wrap, and the uncovered-upside-down method. Today I’ll discuss the methods I’ve tried, and provide recipes for both a creamy garlic dressing and a roasted red […]

Wrestling with what to write today, I came across this fantastic post over at blog.khymos.org. It provides a simple, at home version of sous vide, which will provide a perfect, consistently cooked piece of meat. I’ve recently noticed a huge increase in sous vide on Iron Chef America, so those of you who are fans […]