For the longest time I had huge problems trying to make linguine with clam sauce like my mom’s. Try as I might I could never get it as thick as hers. I tried everything too, more butter, less liquid, more clams, nothing ever seemed to work. I had pretty much given up hope I’d ever recreate it until the Christmas I asked for copies of her recipe books. Once the books arrived I saw the recipe for clam sauce and the secret code was revealed…Continue reading “Linguine with Clam Sauce”
A Mardi Gras Cocktail: The Sazerac
Looking for a Mardi Gras cocktail that isn’t a Hurricane? Try a Sazerac instead. In my opinion, the Sazerac is New Orleans. Not only was it invented there but it’s also the Crescent City’s official cocktail. The Sazerac also has some distinctive New Orleans ingredients, Peychaud’s bitters and Herbsaint, which really make it a drink fit for your Fat Tuesday celebration.
Originally crafted in the mid 1800’s the Sazerac consisted of cognac (Sazerac de Forge et Fils to be specific, thus the cocktail’s name), absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters and some sugar. Rye whiskey was substituted for cognac during the phylloxera plague of the 1870’s (cognac being a French brandy made from grapes) and Herbsaint replaced absinthe when the US government decided to ban it in 1912, making it much more of an American cocktail and full of local flavors since both Peychaud’s bitters and Herbsaint were created in New Orleans. Continue reading “A Mardi Gras Cocktail: The Sazerac”
A Haggis for Burns Night
Last year around this time Cheryl tasked me with making some haggis for a Burns Night, an annual celebration of the Scottish poet Robert Burns held on his birthday January 25. Basically a good excuse to get together, drink whisky, and eat some haggis. The problem last year was we came up with idea on January 23rd two days before the holiday. Pretty difficult to source what you need for haggis in two days. In the end I found some at Gepperth’s Market and we had our Burns Night. This year however I was intent on making haggis from scratch and set a reminder to start the planning. Continue reading “A Haggis for Burns Night”
Tomato Bisque
Every Monday night there’s a TwitterChat I usually participate in called #FoodieChats (follow @foodiechats or @foodiechatsCHI for updates) where the moderator asks themed questions and people tweet their responses. It’s a fun way to interact with the “Twitter Community” and I occasionally get some good ideas from it. This week’s theme was “Eating Red” so all the questions revolved around the color red like “What’s you favorite red fruit? Cherries, strawberries, raspberries, etc.” One question asked about lobster bisque which got me thinking about soups and how tomato bisque is redder than lobster bisque. It’s frigid here in Chicago this week so, at that particular moment I decided to make a pot of tomato bisque.Continue reading “Tomato Bisque”
Pork Breakfast Sausage Success
New year, new sausages. So far in 2013 I’ve tried my hand at making two different ones. The first was an initial attempt at dry curing which unfortunately didn’t turn out well and had to be abandoned. In order to regroup and give myself a boost of confidence I went back to an easier “ready-to-eat” sausage and made some sage and ginger breakfast sausage from Michael Ruhlman’s Charcuterie. A perfect recipe for washing away the stink of failure and a nice addition for our breakfast menu.Continue reading “Pork Breakfast Sausage Success”
Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli – A Refreshingly Light Sunday Dinner
After New Year’s and the end of carb-overload season I’m always looking to create some lighter yet fulfilling meals and I think pastas are a great blank canvas for this. It had been a while since I made ravioli so I decided we’d have some for Sunday dinner. The only major question was, what kind of filling for the ravioli? Like most people who overdo it in December (paying for it at the gym this month), January is the month where I crave green leafy vegetables, probably because I haven’t seen one since Thanksgiving. Actually I’m game for just about any vegetable, just so long as it’s not candied, sweetened, or glazed. So with the goal of incorporating more green into our diet in mind, I made some spinach and mushroom ravioli. Continue reading “Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli – A Refreshingly Light Sunday Dinner”
Baked Ham with Apple Cider Glaze
Baked ham. A staple of the Christmas season. You see one at almost every party you attend, usually a spiral cut ham for easy servings, with a small dish of mustard next to it. By the time Christmas rolls around you’re sick of it. Unless of course you’re my wife. Cheryl loves ham. And by “loves ham” I mean I think I could probably bake one every week and she’d never complain. Ok, maybe not every week. Anyway, a baked ham on Christmas day is her family tradition and it’s one we’ve incorporated into our annual celebration. Continue reading “Baked Ham with Apple Cider Glaze”
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! The past year of blogging has been a lot of fun for me and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my posts about food and travels. I’m still trying to get the hang of it all but after a year I feel my writing has improved a little bit and hopefully this blog makes better sense than when it first started. I couldn’t do it without the help and support of Cheryl, who encouraged me to start this blog, mostly I think so she could get more Xbox time. Anyway, never really thought anyone would pay attention to anything I wrote so thanks for all the support and kind words of the past year! Writing wouldn’t be half as much fun if there were no readers. Cheers!
Peter
Cassoulet – A Labor of Love
Cassoulet is one of my favorite wintertime French dishes. On the surface it doesn’t seem like anything too special, basically a white bean stew with some meat in it, slow cooked into a rich, hot, warm your bones dish. I don’t think you simply “cook” or “make” cassoulet, it’s something you actually “build.” In her French cooking opus, Julia Child offers a “Note on the Order of Battle.” I don’t think assembling cassoulet is quite a battle but you definitely need a plan because the dish is not one of your quick- throw-together weeknight dinners. In fact almost everyone recommends days to assemble it. They’re not me though! Continue reading “Cassoulet – A Labor of Love”
A Christmas Cookie Favorite – Peanut Butter Kisses
Often times on this blog I’m putting up things which are either my favorites or somehow related to my own family’s traditions. Well there’s another member of my family who sometimes gets overlooked in the foods we eat; my wife Cheryl. Her favorite Christmas cookie which reminds her of her family are Peanut Butter Kisses, the cookies which have the big Hershey’s kiss in the middle.Continue reading “A Christmas Cookie Favorite – Peanut Butter Kisses”
The Roaming GastroGnome 