Here in the North, there are certain foods folks think of when Southern cooking comes to mind, and many of them are truly iconic American edibles – fried chicken, biscuits, grits, peach cobbler, gumbo, collard greens, fried green tomatoes, okra, and such – but the view onto the Southern table is perhaps a bit muddled […]
Anatomy of a Dish: Sea Island Benne Cake
Truth be told, I was never a big fan of red velvet cake growing up. When I was a kid, at least one red velvet cake would show up at every church potluck, turkey shoot dessert table, or family reunion potluck. Maybe I was being too analytical for someone my age (and perhaps a bit […]
Anatomy of a Dish: Frozen Citron Cheesecake
This being the tail end of the winter season in Chicago and before any new fruit begins to ripen locally, I have always found April prime time for citrus desserts. This past citrus season, we had a great opportunity to pick up some organic Buddha’s Hand from Goodness Greenness, and I jumped at the chance. […]
Anatomy of a Dish: Cassoulet
Ever since I can remember, bean dishes have epitomized winter cooking in my heart. My mom used to make a simple dish of beans and knoepfles (an eggy doughy dumpling rooted in German farmhouse cooking) that we would eat mostly when it was cold outside and when money was tight. She used navy beans, which […]
A Few Recent Specials
I promise to deliver the first Anatomy of a Dish entry of the year next week, when I will lay out our cassoulet process and recipes for you. In the meantime, here’s some eye candy featuring specials we’ve done over the last month or so. I confess that the holiday season was so busy I […]