As some of you may know I am on vacation. Most of the time was spent at home alone with the cat! So today I go on a little adventure. I fly off to Istanbul to meet Dilara Erbay who has invited me as a guest chef at her restaurant Dilara Sabra cadabra. See you on the otherside. Read Full Story

Since my visit to the village Bethesda in North Wales last year, I have been imploring my friend Mick Hartley to talk about the home-based micro-bakery he started almost a year ago. Mick is the brain child of  the now infamous Bethesdabakin. He's also an inspired innovator, turning vision into reality. In this case the vision was to invite like minded bakers to converge on a Welsh village rugby club where they could then bake bread. Amongst the eager bakers was our mutual... Read Full Story

Pizza! What is it about this mixture of tomato sauce, cheese and dough that makes it such an American icon? What is it about pizza that makes people so passionate? There are camps of thought, passionate and even rabid, regarding every little quirk of this dish; whether it's around mixing of the dough, texture of the cheese, or flavors of the sauce, nevermind pro or anti-toppings. Where did pizza come from? Compared to other food-focused cities, say San Fransisco or New Orleans, why is New... Read Full Story

When I think of the chef Jean Michel Bergounoux, the French term "terroir" comes to mind. It refers to the way a particular region stamps its mark on certain foods, such as a certain regional coffee bean or wine grape. With Jean Michel, the regions influencing him were simultaneously influenced by his presence, namely great  kitchens  such as Trois Gros, Connaught Hotel and Leon de Lyon. He definitely influenced me, as both boss and mentor. There were two primary lessons he imparted to all... Read Full Story

It's only the first week of my vacation and my wife is away in Ecuador. I am home alone. After two days of slumming on pate and cheese, and following some motivated gym time, I decided to make a nice dinner for myself. A Mets' game was about to be televised, so I whipped up this dinner  in one pan and in no time and... well it was good! Menu for the Mets Salad: Arugula, pear, goat cheese salad with almonds and mustard vinaigrette. ( Got this from my friends at Quaint, nice taste... Read Full Story

So often my schedule interferes with one of life's great pleasures for me, baking. Either I can't find time to schedule for bread baking days or fail to enter one of the growing number of daring baking events sponsored by other bloggers.  Blame it on the  whacked-out hours of a working chef. Take this week. Checking out a recent post by NIls, he informed me of a bake-off that was, odd as it seems, close to home; namely a Swiss National Day Bake Event sponsored by Zorra. Last summer at this... Read Full Story

Apparently, a war of words has erupted in the world of haute cuisine. The center of controversy  is world famous Hotel El Bulli and its chef, Ferran Adria. Opened in 1961 on Costa Brava's Cala Montjoi, it sits in an area on the Spanish coast known for its beauty and excellent scuba diving. The hotel's restaurant has developed a reputation as a center of culinary innovation, first begun by its German founder, a homeopathic (and epicurean) doctor who was particularly imaginative about mixing... Read Full Story

During the weekend I was looking at a Joe Pastry's blog where I fortunately found a link to a pizza guru, Jeff Verasano. From his extensive  hunt for the best "New York Pizza", to his method of engineering his oven to cook a pizza at the authentic 800 degree temperature, it's all fascinating. There are various sources for cheese, sauce, mixer reviews, flour and water myths and methods of making a Neopolitan style pizza.Checking the list of his pizza shop rankings (all from personal visits... Read Full Story

It being summer, the season for fresh fruit, my wife requested another of her favorites, poached peaches. Off season, she will get a yearning and buy the glass-jar variety from Trader Joe's. Her pleasure is my happiness, especially since it is a  simple  preparation to make this dessert that reminds me of childhood. Its pedigree can be dated back to the 1890's when Auguste Escoffier, the designer of modern French cuisine simplified the codified style from its elaborate state as designed by... Read Full Story

Returning for the first time to Paris since moving to America as a child (and not having yet become so big on bread) luck brought me walking past Poilânes bakery on  8 rue cherche midi. Giving credit where it's due, fate gave me my wife, who is not just lovely but also loves a good boutique. She brought me to the neighborhood. Thus I was able to visit the most fabled bakery in all of France, a center of that famous bread the miche. At the time, being a... Read Full Story