Adam D. Roberts's Blog, page 145

How To Host A Vegetarian Dinner Party (Answer: Mushroom Bourguignon)

My friend Lisa was there at the very beginning of this blog. Six years ago, she and I would have debates about the worthiness of olives, we'd sing songs about pumpkin cake, and often we'd cook together. Then I moved far away to a country called Brooklyn and even though Lisa and I still saw each other socially, we'd rarely cook together. Three years passed. In that time, my cooking improved immeasurably and Lisa got engaged. Life is funny that way. And now that I'm back in Manhattan and...

Spectacular Sweet Potato Soup (PLUS: Win a $450 VitaMix Blender)

A splash of this, a pinch of that: that's the kind of cooking I've always wanted to do, but I've never been very good at it. Sure, I'll sprinkle some cinnamon into my oatmeal and, yes, I'll sex up a plate of pasta with some red chile flakes, but the ability to cook impulsively, to grab ingredients out of the fridge and make something scrumptious, has always eluded me. That is until I discovered soup.

Of course, I've always known about soup. I've been eating it my whole life...

6 Years

No need to make a fuss, but today's the 6th anniversary of my blog. Six years ago, on January 14th, 2004 to be exact, I wrote the following words: "Are you sick of competency? Of food blogs run by competent people with flawless track records and no history of salmonella? Are you tired of not having salmonella? You've come to the right place."

Six years later, I can't believe how that small gesture changed my life so dramatically. Thanks to everyone who's supported me along the way...

The Best Tuna Sandwich in New York is at The New French

Recently, I had my friends Rob and Kath over for dinner. They live in our building and we were chatting about the neighborhood, our favorite places to eat and, inevitably, The New French came up. "You know it's funny," I said. "At first I didn't love The New French, but recently I discovered their tuna sandwich and it's seriously the best tuna sandwich of my life."

"You didn't just discover it," said Rob.

"What?"

"You blogged about it," he insisted. "Last year."

I challenged ...

Caramelized-Apple Skillet Cake

I had the apples, I had the butter, I had the sugar, the vanilla extract, and even the cornmeal. Jimmy was coming to dinner (see here) and, with only an hour or two to prep, I knew there had to be dessert. So I yanked down Karen DeMasco's newest book, The Craft of Baking, and followed her instructions for a caramelized-apple skillet cake.

For a quick, last-minute dessert it was perhaps a bit ambitious to attempt a riff on a tarte tatin (that French pastry of carmelized...

Food Writing 101

For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter, some exciting news: I'll be teaching an online food writing class for the Gotham Writers' Workhop next month. The class is eleven weeks, features direct feedback from yours truly on your writing samples, and--the coolest part--a workshop with New York Times food writer extraordinaire, Kim Severson. For more info on the class, click here.

How To Cook On A Budget

I didn't grow up in a house with cooking, so food shopping was always a bit casual: a box of this, a bag of that. We'd have Fruit Roll-Ups in the cabinet and ice cream sandwiches in the freezer and so, when I became an adult and lived in my first adult apartment in college, I shopped the same way. I'd go to the store and buy a few frozen pizzas, a packet of cheese, a loaf of bread. There wasn't much thought behind it; the idea was when we weren't ordering in Chinese food or going down to E...

Thomas Keller's Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

Roasting a chicken is a very personal thing; those of us who are regular chicken roasters (and, in the winter, roasting a chicken is almost a weekly act for me) know what we like. For me, that's a combination of fennel seeds, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt on the outside of the skin and thyme stuffed inside (see here). That recipe comes from the Chez Panisse cookbook and no matter how many other roast chicken recipes I try--the River Cottage one, for example--no chicken has been able to...

Sardines, Mustard & Triscuits

It all happened very quickly. My friend Jimmy IMed me and asked what we were up to, we said nada, decided to all go to a movie but first, I invited him over for dinner. "It won't be fancy," I warned. "Probably just some pasta." (I had penne in the cabinet and cauliflower in the refrigerator, so I knew I could make this recipe, minus the broccoli.) But after the plan was set, my hosting gene kicked in and I felt the need to also make a dessert and an appetizer. The dessert? I'll tell you...

Fill 'Er Up

Are you cold? I know the feeling which is why this month's banner puts me to work helping you overcome the chill. Thanks, of course, to our marvelous illustrator Lindy Groening (this month's one of my favorites) and to Justin Dickinson for making the banner fly. Now: would you like yours milk, bittersweet or unleaded? Please pay at the pump.