Clarifying Butter

In honor of simplicity I chose to make my own Ghee this week. I’ve often bought ghee from the store before and even though I have a middling tolerance for dairy products I seem to have no problem digesting butter or ghee.  The smell of ghee on the frying pan is simply delightful and I’ve […]

Bloody Maria meets Dear Leader

  Holiday hangover? Cure it quick with Pete Gugni’s morning reviver. We started serving brunch about four months ago, which gave me a great excuse to experiment with breakfast cocktails. When I paired tomato juice with kimchi, a spicy Korean side dish that mostly consists of fermented Napa cabbage, the flavors just harmonized. This is […]

A word about brussels sprouts and salt

Not only do brussels sprouts come on a stalk that inspires the imagination and look like teeny tiny cabbages but they also contain many of the good things that are found in other members of the Brassicaceae family. Yes, we have pickled them (Mara made a wonderful, very spicy brussels kim chi last winter) but tonight […]

Jook

Our recent trip to Honolulu found Desmond, my four and a half month old son ready for food.  He was so absorbed in what everyone else was eating, no wonder, our family reunions are serious food experiences.  My Grandfather’s 95th birthday celebration brought Wong family relations together from all over the globe.  Large round tables […]

Haute Brats

Today was just one of those days. Locked the keys in the car etc. etc.  There was work and school and soccer and by the time we got to dinner we wanted it FAST. So: Brats (if you are brave enough to make your own, here is a little tutorial) buns, our Ozuké dill,caraway and […]

The last rose of summer

Well, school started last week and there is always that feeling at the end of the summer… I call it the “squirrel gathering her nuts” mood. There is lots of canning, preserving and fermenting to be done at the end of the summer growing season. This moment, this gathering, this bridling of the abundance is […]

Why Cultured Foods?

Why Should You Eat Cultured Foods? Here are a few pointers: Fermenting foods is an age old way to preserve food. It was a way to use all the access produce from the summer and keep eating it all year round. This in itself is a great process to connect to seasonality and keep the […]