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Thanksgiving: No Matter How Small or How Alien It Feels
My dining room table comfortably seats ten. This Thanksgiving, I’m setting it for two. One at each end. This may sound like a meal shared by strangers, but I assure you it’s not. In this time of...
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Captain Radcliffe’s Christmas Punch
Is the spirit of the season upon you? I bet it is. From Charlie Dickens to Charlie Brown all of our Christmas tales seem to have one theme: wouldn’t it be great if people would just spread a little...
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Good Luck Beans in Guajillo BBQ Sauce and Cilantro Pesto
According to legendary Southern gossip, black-eyed peas are associated with the “mystical and mythical power to bring good luck.” Which is how these good luck beans found their way into many folks’...
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Maple Ice Cream for Wintertime
I’ve got Maple Ice Cream in January. And why not? 2021 is proving to be a crazy year… already. So crazy in fact, I think I’ll just talk about the weather. How about that wacky polar vortex? I’ve heard...
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Ginger-Molasses Cookies. Art or Science?
Spicy yet rich. Chewy on the inside. Crisp at the edge. Almost as big as a salad plate. This is the kind of cookie that comes from not just a culinary genius, but a culinary artist with a deep...
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Mirepoix for a Squash Soup with Ginger and Lemongrass
Soup is practically perfect. It’s a naturally flexible, friendly kind of food. If soup was a movie-star, she would certainly play the hero. This Carrot and Squash Soup with Ginger and Lemongrass is no...
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Petite BBQ Bison Burgers
Would you be offended if I referred to these Petite BBQ Bison Burgers as sliders? I don’t want to antagonize anyone with insensitive language. It’s not my way. I try to be PC in most of my dealings...
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Torrefazione a Cocktail in Honor of Seattle
I’m naming this sophisticated coffee-based, Averna-laced cocktail Torrefazione after a now defunct coffeehouse in Seattle, WA whose aim was to recreate the hustle and bustle of the classic Italian...
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But Marinated Asparagus is Not Soup
When is a soup not a soup? When it’s a salad! This is one of those convoluted and practically pointless stories about how Marinated Asparagus ended up with the things you see on this plate. It’s...
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The Mystery of Smoked Sprats on Toast
Smoky, spicy, and just fishy enough. When I say Smoked Sprats on Toast with Chile Butter, does your head turn towards the plate, or do I turn your stomach? I know how some people feel about little...
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Ottolenghi’s Tonnato Sauce Served on Grilled Treviso
Tonnato is an elegant Italian aioli made with canned tuna, anchovies, and lemon. It’s typically seen as a condiment for lean meat. The idea of combining meat and tuna sauce might sound odd, but it...
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Five-Spice Apple Cake: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Pungent, Salty
My mouth is famously deviant. At least in my own mind it is. This admission shouldn’t startle you. There’s no need to suggest a therapist or, worse, call the cops. No, my only anomaly is the big hole...
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Ricotta Pie with Lots of Greens
When I make soup, salads, and pastas I often buy a bag, a box, or a bunch of assorted greens to randomly throw in the mix. Kale, chard, spinach, mustard, even dandelion. They’re practically...
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Foraged Cactus Paddle Tacos
Green and crunchy, Cactus Paddle Tacos, have the heat of jalapeño mixed with the brightness of citrus and the vegetal crunch of something akin to fresh green beans. Cilantro, cotija, cheese, and lime...
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Pad Thai Salmon Skewers: Sweet, Spicy, Sour, and Funky
Hi. It’s GREG. Do you remember me? Yes? No? Maybe? I’ve ignored this blog for a shamefully long period of time. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to. I just did. Now we’re deep into the dog days of...
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Bourbon in the Summer?
Every summer about this time I start to feel a little bit of melancholy. It’s probably just the summertime blues. Don’t get me wrong. I love summer, but as I lounge by the pool sipping something light...
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Catalan Cod Stew with Pimentón, Peppers, and Tomatoes
This Catalan Cod Stew sums up everything that is so good about the Mediterranean diet. Mediterranean cooking is best when kept simple. Fresh produce, olive oil, and good vinegar are often all you...
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Unexpected Ingredients: Five-Spice, Peach, Raspberry, and Radicchio Salad
This is neither a fruit salad nor a vegetable salad. It’s a hybrid. Both fruit and veg. At first read, a Five-Spice, Peach, Raspberry, and Radicchio Salad may seem like a culinary survivor of the...
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Orange and Mint Caramelized Garlic Cloves on Just About Anything
Some chef somewhere probably said it first: a well chosen condiment (or relish, or salsa, et cetera) can elevate a recipe. If he or she didn’t say it, I bet they thought it. Because it’s true. However...
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Escarole Soup Just When I Needed It
Oftentimes I’m completely at a loss when it comes to dinner plans. Pre-COVID, it didn’t matter so much. I’d admit defeat and we’d simply walk down to Hollywood Blvd and sit at the bar at Musso &...
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