Adam D. Roberts's Blog, page 135

Chicago Bound

Hey readers, I'm heading to Chicago the 2nd week of August to cook with chefs and home cooks for my next book and I need your help. Who are your favorite Chicago chefs? What are your favorite Chicago restaurants? It'd be great if you could share the less obvious ones (yes, I've reached out to Rick Bayless...still haven't heard back!); also if you know any stand-out home cooks with unique stories or cooking styles, let me know that too. Thanks!

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Zucchini with Almonds

What's that expression about teachers learning from their students? Is there an expression like that? There really should be.

You may recall that for my cookbook I have an intern named Tyla working with me. Tyla herself has a food blog called "Learning To Live Without A Microwave" and on her blog last week I saw an excellent recipe for "Zucchini Saute with Toasted Almonds." Now Tyla got the recipe from my friend Deb of Smitten Kitchen who titled the post "My Favorite Side Dish"; Deb, in...

Raid-The-Fridge Frittata

I don't often ask you to get out of your seat while reading my blog, but for the frittata you see in the above picture I demand a standing ovation!

I mean, really. Can you believe that I made that? Not only did I make that, I made that bleary-eyed on a Saturday morning using just the ingredients I had on hand. And Craig, who didn't know what to expect when I said I was making a frittata, couldn't stop raving about the results. "This is like professional restaurant quality food," he...

Pickled Sugar Snap Peas

There's a very hip restaurant in my neighborhood called Joseph Leonard; you go there, and everyone else is either more attractive or more wealthy than you. There's a very cool bathroom with a medicine cabinet over the sink that has Q-tips, Altoids and tampons (I bet women wish more restaurant bathrooms had tampons; or maybe they do and that's just a secret between women and restaurants?) and on every table a little jar of cornichons. It's that little jar of cornichons (not the tampons...

Operation: Pie Rescue

When I write about pie on my blog, it's usually for comic relief.

Apparently, my friend Morgan thought it was hilarious when I wrote about my "Patched-Together Rhubarb Pie." It's true: I'm comically bad at rolling out pie dough. (Though Pim's latest post "One Pie Dough To Rule Them All" makes me think I'll have to give that technique a whirl.)

Even when I get the rolling-out right, though, things go wrong. Case in point: the blueberry pie I made last week.

Six-Hour Ribs

Oh blog, you poor, neglected thing, I've abandoned you for almost a week! I was in Washington, D.C. cooking with three chefs for my cookbook and before I knew it I was back and it was the weekend.

So let's catch up. How've you been? As you know, I've been busy--scheduling, cooking, writing, traveling--but before I left for D.C. it was July 4th and I made dinner for my brother and his wife Tali. I made those ribs you see above; don't they look good? They cooked for six hours in the oven...

New Banner & Newsletter #13

Check out this month's new banner, inspired by a fruit crate. Thanks to Lindy for designing it and Justin for implementing it. In other news, this week's newsletter (click here) features visits to The Spotted Pig, Ippudo NY, Tomoe Sushi and Torrisi Italian Specialties. If you'd like to subscribe, click here.

S'more Bars

You know how some people use Memorial Day and Labor Day to delineate time? As in: "We bought our house around Memorial Day" or "We're spending the summer in Cape Cod and we come back around Labor Day"? I always nod and smile when people do that but truthfully, I never remember when Memorial Day or Labor Day fall. July 4th, however, is different. It's a holiday with its date built right into the title. And, having just glanced at the calendar, I'm fairly certain this weekend is July 4th...

The One Cup Coffee Maker

You may know this about me already but there was a time, over six years ago, when I was a law student working in a law firm. And this law firm had a little coffee room and the coffee room had a machine that made individual cups of coffee; you chose your flavor--often the highlight of my day, in that dreary place--and once you selected your pod, you slid it into a slot, pushed a button and voila! There was your very own personalized cup of coffee.

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Deviled Eggs, Three Ways

There was the lobster salad, a big bag of potato chips and some cookies I'd received in the mail. Was that enough to feed four people? I'd need some kind of appetizer. I didn't have time to go to the store. What did I have in my refrigerator? Pesto, a jar of cornichons, and Sriracha. And eggs. A plan began to form in my head, a plan involving eggs and THE DEVIL.

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