Full Gastronomic Tilt

Remember how I told you about the amazing world-travelers Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll, better known as the couple behind Uncornered Market? In between some stateside downtime, Audrey was kind enough to answer a few of my burning questions. Thank you, Audrey! Read on for some fascinating food-and-travel-related tidbits.
A bit about Audrey and Daniel, from [...]

After about the eighth post I saw praising the taste, the texture, the variability, the near sainthood status of kale chips, I reluctantly decided to try them. Why? ‘Cause I love kale. I really love kale with a ton of garlic, lightly sautéed, with a squeeze of lemon. Cooking greens to death is fine for [...]

Looking up one morning, I saw birds, swooping and chattering in the trees and squirrels out in force.
Is it true?
Could it be….spring?
As this week unfolded, my hope shifted from cautious to insistent. Spring? Spring! There are trees with buds on them, ready to bloom into a riot of flowers. Daffodills are up, turning their brief, [...]

It was my friend Dan who enlightened me to the difference between short ribs and spare ribs. One blustery night last fall, he called excitedly - he was Braising! Short Ribs! Dinner that night would represent a pinnacle of achievement in terms of the taste : effort ratio.
As he continued on about the ease [...]

Dinner plans, via text message:
“Have leeks & potatoes. Thinking something rustic/French. Ideas?”
“Gratin! With thyme and carm. onions.”
“Perfect. Gruyère?”
“I’ll get it. Bringing wine, too.”‘
Gratin: n. French origin, from grater (to scratch), typically refers to any dish with a lightly browned top crust of crumbs, butter and/or cheese. A base of potatoes is traditional. (see also: delicious)
Many [...]

One night, it came up that I had never attempted homemade sushi.
“Really?” asked my friend. “It’s so easy. I’ll teach you. The trickiest part is making the rolls, but that comes with practice.”
I was skeptical about the easy part. Many Japanese dishes have a short ingredient list but a long list of steps, as the [...]

This began as me wanting to make the mother of all pizzas - roasted red peppers, swiss chard and smoked goat cheese. I got as far as making the pizza dough before my plans shifted, as they too often do. The dough went into the freezer and I promptly forgot about it.
During this past [...]

I love this late-summer/early-fall dish. Tarragon can be so dramatic and ill-placed, but it works great in this tomato sauce, plus eggplant and chèvre pair incredibly well together. I like this dish to feel a little more rustic, so I don’t peel the eggplant, preferring the chewy contrast the skin gives the dish. I also [...]

The zucchini had been sitting on my counter for over a week. This was a big zucchini, deserving of a dish that could do it justice. Sadly, I was just about sick of zucchini. So eager when they first arrived earlier this summer, I made zucchini everything: pasta primavera, zucchini gratin, zucchini/potato pancakes, squash stir [...]

June is drawing to a close, and in its wake is an exhausted and frazzled, yet strangely happy me. A month of change, of newness, June has presented many opportunities and challenges and left me feeling like I can leap tall buildings and solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. Though I haven’t had the time to [...]