Adam D. Roberts's Blog, page 46

November Down Under

It’s time to spill the Marmite: in November, I’m headed Down Under to Perth, Australia to be a featured speaker at the Eat, Drink, Blog conference. Then, for three nights, I’m skipping over to Sydney (I just booked my hotel) because I figured I should see it before heading back across the ocean. Am I excited? Oh yes, very much so. At some point, I’ll pick your collective brains for restaurant/sightseeing suggestions, but as for right now, just wanted to share this exciting news. G’day!

Easy Homemade Potato Chips

I’m so mad at myself. I figured out how to make homemade potato chips in such an easy, head-smackingly simple way, I’m going to make them all the time and gain a million pounds. It all started when I thought about the shallow-frying technique I used to make pita chips and tortilla chips; why wouldn’t that work for potato chips? Turns out it does, better than expected. If I wanted to, I could have a plateful of homemade chips in front of you in 15 minutes. Warning: this is a dangerous thing to know how to do. You’ll never stop wanting to do it.

Click here to read the rest of this Amateur Gourmet post »

Say Hello to Fall: Spiced Pork Stew with Polenta

It was so hot here in L.A., last week, I couldn’t bear to go outside. Then, quite abruptly, the heat went away and this morning I found myself turning off the A/C early, chilly under our light summer blanket. A change of season is afoot–especially in places that aren’t L.A.–and mood-wise, that might be kind of depressing, but food-wise? This is my favorite transition, from light summer salads to hearty winter braises. Consider this particular recipe, adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, the perfect transitional tool.

Click here to read the rest of this Amateur Gourmet post »

Hey, So How Do You Open A Restaurant?

Don’t get excited: I’m not thinking about opening a restaurant.

But! I have a really good restaurant name in mind (based on a nickname for my friend Diana who, in my fantasy, opens this imaginary restaurant with me here in L.A.; again, it’s just a fantasy, stop getting excited!). I realized, though, in having this fantasy that if I were ever to really do it, I wouldn’t be shooting for the moon ambition-wise. I’d just want a cozy place where I could serve biscuits and comfort food and hang out, during the day, chatting with the staff and customers and maybe blogging from a corner booth. I just heard the guffaw from anyone who’s worked in the restaurant industry when they read that last sentence. Which is why I’m posting this post.

Click here to read the rest of this Amateur Gourmet post »

Rejoice! Everything Bagels from Scratch

Like a dying swan, I came to L.A. and watched as, feather-by-feather, all of my bagel-eating genes fell to the ground. I tried, I really did. I made bagel bombs, which were a nice alternative, but not the real thing. I stood and ate a bagel at Brooklyn Bagel and thought, “Oh man: this doesn’t feel right at all.” I basically gave up. And then, very gradually, a new idea began to hatch in my brain: what if I made my own everything bagels? How hard could that be? On Friday afternoon, I bought bread flour and malt powder and cream cheese and nova and red onions; on Saturday morning, I woke up all set to make Peter Reinhart’s famous recipe.

Click here to read the rest of this Amateur Gourmet post »

Dinner at Alma, The Best New Restaurant in America

Imagine being 27 years old and on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard when you find out that your relatively new restaurant in downtown L.A. has just been named by Bon Appetit the “Best New Restaurant in America 2013.” That’s precisely what happened to Chef Ari Taymor in August and his restaurant Alma is now on the lips of every food-obsessed person in the city (maybe even the country).

Being the wily person that I am, I immediately reacted to the news of Alma’s award with a jaunt over to OpenTable where I booked the earliest reservation I could: dinner for 4 on Saturday, September 7th at 9:15 PM.

Click here to read the rest of this Amateur Gourmet post »

Cook A Pot of Chickpeas, Eat For A Week

Here’s an idea for your weekend, and really there’s not much to it. While you’re sitting around on Sunday, reading the paper or doing a marathon of Orange is the New Black, bring a big pot of water to a boil. Drop in half an onion (leave the skin on), a carrot, a piece of celery and a whole head of garlic. Then pour in a big bag of dried chickpeas. If you’re bold, add a pinch of salt (though some say this changes the texture; I haven’t found that to be true). Lower to a simmer and cook for 20 to 40 minutes, tasting after 20 to see how far they have to go. Keep ‘em going until they’re incredibly creamy on the inside (it’s tempting to stop when they’re merely edible, but creamy is what you’re going for), adding more salt as they chug along to help ensure that they get seasoned all the way to the center. When they’re seasoned and creamy, take the pot off the heat and allow it to come to room temperature. Then pop it in the fridge. What now?

Click here to read the rest of this Amateur Gourmet post »

I Answer Your Questions!

Hey folks, I’m sipping an Angeleno in Venice Beach (I just had lunch with my Uncle Jerry in Santa Monica, so figured: “why not?” Also: I have to return a plant we killed) and would like to take this time to answer YOUR QUESTIONS. Cooking questions, life questions, organic chemistry questions (well maybe not that). So have at it and I’ll tackle your queries in the comments. Don’t be shy!

Emergency Frittata with Spanish Chickpea Salad

Imagine a glass case in the part of your brain that houses recipes: inside that glass case? There should be a frittata and a little sign that says, “Break in case of emergency.”

A frittata is a terrific thing to know how to make because, on a weeknight where you have nothing in the house–nothing to cook at all–except eggs, a stray onion, and some butter, you can still make dinner. Throw in some chickpeas and smoked paprika, and you actually have a dinner that looks pretty good.

Click here to read the rest of this Amateur Gourmet post »

The Clean Plate Club, Episode #6: Jim Cantiello, Kat Odell

Before I tell you all about this week’s Clean Plate Club guests, I need to tell you something important: this week’s episode features a voicemail from Martha Stewart. I repeat: towards the end, you get to hear an actual voicemail from Martha Stewart.

Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let me introduce you to Jim Cantiello and Kat Odell (though I think you may already know them). Jim is the charismatic MTV host–he tells great stories about his time there in the podcast–who is now Co-Executive Producer for The X Factor USA’s website; Kat is the editor of Eater LA and the star of the new Bravo show Eat, Drink, Love. That’s right: I cooked dinner for a Bravolebrity.

Click here to read the rest of this Amateur Gourmet post »