Recipe Failures
Hi–it’s been a while. Sorry for that. The above is a banana blossom. Either you’re totally familiar with these or you’ve never seen one in your life. Until recently, I fell into the latter camp. Banana blossoms are beautiful, so of course I wanted to try cooking with one. To…
Pasta, peas, and proscuitto
Never has writing about food felt more futile, privileged, or frankly ridiculous. Having said that, capitulate and the bad guys win. We don’t want that. Here are some ways to help: The American Civil Liberties Union Moveon.org raicestexas.org National Immigrant Justice Center/Immigrantjustice.org Amnesty International — Pasta, peas, and prosciutto began…
Chicken Salad with Vermouth and Paprika
I am married to somebody who is deeply interested in plants. This is not an interest I share. Nor do plants seem interested in me. Vita at Sissinghurst I am not. Last weekend, John wisely accepted my advice and brought a plant whisperer to our yard. The two of them…
Privacy Policy/GDPR updated
Like every other person/entity/internet product, the IK has updated its privacy page to conform to GDPR regulations. Suffice to say we never divulge, sell, or otherwise give away your information. Because we’re pretty private around here ourselves. A post on cherry brownies, much more entertaining, is in the works. Until…
Gong Bao Chicken
According to Fuchsia Dunlop, the precise origins of Gong Bao Chicken are unknown. We do know the dish is named after Ding Baozhen, who governed China’s Sichuan province during the Qing Dynasty. As Ding Baozhen was very fond of eating this dish, the chicken was cut into very small pieces to…
Mexican-Style Ground Beef
Mexican-style ground beef–a terrible title for an excellent dish–came about by accident. So many recipes do around here. After a recipe fail, a plumbing mishap, and the last-minute cancellation of oral surgery, dinnertime had the temerity to roll around. Your hostess was on prep duty. Of course. The IK currently…
Bademiya’s Justly Famous Chicken
Anyone who cooks maintains a mental recipe box. Organization methods vary, but it’s safe to say everyone’s box shares the following categories: -will cook this someday -delicious but too expensive/work intensive to prepare on a regular basis -holiday set pieces that cannot be changed -Wednesday night specials: dull but easily…
The Wacky Cake: Not My Grandmother’s Bundt
Bill LeBlond, editorial director of Chronicle Books, once told a crowd at a cookbook proposal seminar that if he had to read one more book proposal from people who learned about cooking at their grandmothers’ knee, he would throw up. Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food I spent a lot…
Miniature Chocolate Cakes
Years ago, while writing an article on holiday cookies, I consulted The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook. Stewart assume a readership whose kitchens are stocked like a Sur Le Table outlet: cake pans in every possible size and shape, pizza stones, candy thermometers, pastry bags, sugar combs, a willing staff ready to…
Dungeness Crab
Forbidden fish and seafood include… all shellfish and crustacea.. The Askenazim have been much stricter in their practice of kashrut, whereas the Sephardim, even when deeply religious, are known to have been more tolerant and easygoing. Claudia Roden, The Book Of Jewish Food Lobsters are essentially big fucking bugs; they’re…