food

When I was a kid, my Ohio farm-raised grandma always went the distance for holiday meals; there would be a turkey and a ham and maybe even a roast. I continue the family tradition by cranking out a turkey and ham on Christmas, ensuring lots of leftovers for meals the following week.

But what happens when you have too much ham? That's an oxymoron if you follow this recipe. Potatoes are the grounding of my favorite meals, and scalloped potatoes is the ultimate expression of tuber fanaticism.

But what makes these sweet? Easy: the onions. While counterintuitive, onions are one of the sweetest ingredients in the kitchen, if you caramelize them with some slow cooking. Read more »

The great taco controversy - are they crispy ("duro") or floppy (more authentic)? I was raised on the crispy kind and like the textural contrast, but try to avoid deep frying, so what's a chef to do?

I figured out a compromise that will give you some crunch, but without the grease. Read more »

Stone fruit time is here, and the next few months will be the days of killer fruit salads. The trick is finding what's absolutely at the peak of its season, which will vary week by week.

Last night I made a salad that was Zen-like in its simplicity, only three ingredients. They fruit was at the peak of ripeness and as seductive as anything I've experienced. Here it is:

• 5 ripe apricots
• 6 oz box of fresh raspberries
• add low-fat cherry yogurt, toss

Man! The 'cots have an intoxicating sweetness, mixed with a light plum-like tartness. The raspberries provide a deep sweetness and delightful flavor. And the yogurt seems to balance the sweet and tart components very well.

Fresh early summer corn is hard to beat! Here's how I add it to a BBQ with minimal fuss and no cooking in the house.

Pick out some nice ripe and fresh ears, and decide what style you want to you. The classic method is to carefully pull the husks back to the bottom but not remove them, then yank out all the silk, then brush them with a seasoning mixture, pull the husks back up, and tie a little string around the end.

Or you can strip the husks and silk, apply seasoning, and wrap them in foil - a little less messy at the table.

Another way is to strip them, but don't even wrap them at all. This is a traditional way street vendors in Mexico do it; you get some crispy kernels and a bit of a smoky taste. You can put the seasoning on before or after they are cooking this way. Read more »

Hash is one of those foods that somehow got a bad reputation, like meat loaf (another potentially great but usually poorly prepared dish). If you are a hash lover, you know what I'm about to describe. But if it sounds slightly disgusting, please read on and be prepared to broaden your culinary horizon.

To me, hash is not a recipe, but a philosophy. You usually never have the exact same ingredients twice, and it always comes out a little differently. Maybe that's part of the appeal, a bit of chaos theory applied to meat and potatoes. Read more »