Blog
The Spy Who Came in With the Butter
an Fleming, 007’s creator, “describes in some detail seventy meals that James Bond consumes or considers eating.”* Culinary themes seem to go hand-in-hand with sleuths and spies of all stripes like Diane Mott Davidson’s caterer, Goldy Schulz; Robert Parker’s private...
A Visit to Chef Basil’s
A VISIT TO CHEF BASIL'S or THE WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS [ Link: http://www.nightbeforechristmas.biz/ ] I lived in an apartment on West 23rd Street in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood when I attended the New York Restaurant School. One of the things I loved about...
Yule Logs
When can you eat a log if you are not a beaver? The answer is: At Christmas time when the edible version is known as a Yule Log cookie or cake. A Yule Log Cookie is a Sweet Basil favorite at our annual HOLIDAY COOKIES classes. We form a type of sugar cookie dough into...
Cookie, Cookie, Lend Me Your Tome
Queen Elizabeth I (1533 – 1603) came up with the idea of having gingerbread cookies baked in the shape of people and decorated to honor noble visitors to her court. So the Gingerbread Man has been around a long time and quickly became a popular guy at Christmas time....
Wine, Women & (What Glorious) Song
This is a subtitle for your new post “Long live women, long live good wine! Sustenance and glory of human kind!” So sings Don Giovanni in the opera that bears his name and was first performed in 1787 in Prague. With music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a libretto by...
Tea, Ice, and Hot Weather
The most frequently asked question at our Cooking School for the last 22 years has been “What is this tea?” And now the same question is being asked in the Market Cafe. It is Tropicana Tea and it has been making friends for us for a long time. We serve Tropicana iced...
The Old Man and the Doors
What is your idea of a great birthday celebration? If dining at a favorite restaurant is the answer, welcome to the club. By the way, this club has no membership card, no dues and no meetings. (If you’d rather that the restaurant staff didn’t surround your table and...
Stink, Stank, Stonk — Allium Sativum
Some folks, like Count von Count, don’t like garlic. Some of us, like Iron Chef USA Chairman (for 2 episodes in 2001) William Shatner, love it. (The former Captain of the Starship Enterprise once said “Stop and smell the garlic! That’s all you have to do.”) Garlic...
Mise en Place Vs Messy Place – Release Your Inner Felix
an Fleming, 007’s creator, “describes in some detail seventy meals that James Bond consumes or considers eating.”* Culinary themes seem to go hand-in-hand with sleuths and spies of all stripes like Diane Mott Davidson’s caterer, Goldy Schulz; Robert Parker’s private...