A family friend recently had a baby, and my youngest daughter decided she needed to make some special cupcakes for them. With the aid of her brother and sister and my wife, this is what they made. Pretty impressive!
A Cupcake Nursery
January 19, 2010
6 Comments | 
Family and Food, General, Photos | Tagged: Baking, Cake Decorating, Cupcakes | 
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Bacon
December 22, 2009I’ve been crazy busy with work and getting ready for the holidays, so today, I am just offering you a photo that I suspect you’ll enjoy.
That’s some bacon made by Ashley Christensen. Yum.
7 Comments | General, Photos | Tagged: Ashley Christensen, Bacon | Permalink
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High-Speed Photography of Food
October 13, 2008
I love high-speed photography, but it’s way cool when it involves food. Weburbanist has a great piece that includes a ton of incredible shots. Check it out.
5 Comments | General, Photos | Tagged: Food, Photography | Permalink
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Dining with the Bears
July 27, 2008
We’re back from our 2-week Alaska vacation, and what a trip it was! I’ll spend the next week or two posting mostly about some unusual culinary aspects of Alaska, with some occasional scenery thrown in for good measure.
Today, I’ve provided a picture of our group eating lunch at Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park and Preserve, the area of Alaska that required us to land in the ocean surf in a sea plane to view Alaskan brown bears (also known as grizzlies or Kodiaks). I’ll write a LOT more about this trip, which might be the single most memorable day of vacation I’ve ever experienced, but for now, this will suffice. We packed our own lunch, consisting of turkey wraps (which minimize crumbs, as you don’t want to leave ANY food for the bears to find, as we don’t want them to establish a link between humans as a food source).
Anyhow, this is what we watched while we dined. Click on the photo for a higher resolution shot.
3 Comments | Family and Food, General, Photos, Travel | Tagged: Alaska, Brown Bear, Emerald Air Service, Food, Katmai, Travel | Permalink
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Chicken Thighmaster — A Pictorial
July 8, 2008
I think the single greatest “convenience food” conceived of in the last several years is the boneless chicken thigh. We all know that thigh meat is so much more flavorful and juicy than the breasts, which are prone to dry out and have little flavor. However, mainstream America loves the ubiquitous breast because they’re easy, particularly when they’re of the boneless variety. It’s easier to eat a piece of meat when bones aren’t involved, and that goes double for thighs. For many (or even for most), it’s too much of a pain to eat a chicken thigh, as the meat to bone ratio isn’t all that great.
Then came the boneless thigh. Hallelujah!
Boneless chicken thighs are flavorful. They’re easy to use and eat. And they’re also damn cheap. Hell, even Whole Foods charges only $3.49 a pound for these, and they’re often on sale. If you buy in bulk at Sam’s Club or Costco, you can get them for less than two bucks a pound. I’m not sure if there’s any other meat that’s as cheap as this. Read the rest of this entry »
14 Comments | Cooking, General, Photos, Recipes | Tagged: Chicken, Chicken Thighs, Cooking, Food, Poultry, Thighs | Permalink
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Clinical Dining
May 28, 2008
Shortly after my first child was born, my wife gave me a video camera. C’mon, every dad has to have a video camera, right? I used that sucker quite a lot, early on, but after a year or so, it got used less and less. I haven’t touched that camera in 10 years or so, primarily because I realized that I was no longer participating in the action. I was documenting it, trying to get the “perfect shot.” Those perfect shots often took 5-10 minutes at once, where you were more focused (no pun intended) on keeping the camera in frame and not really paying attention to what was truly going on.
The exact same thing happened to me with dining and the internet. I would go out to eat, taking my camera along. I ultimately found myself more concerned with taking lots of food porn, so that I could share my experience with my “friends” on eGullet. I paid less attention to my dining companions — my real, honest to goodness friends — than I did with my camera and the lighting.
That pretty much stopped a couple of years ago, however. As I spent more time with bloggers and the like, I realized that the people who spent so much time on the photographs weren’t all that fun to be with. It’s not that I didn’t like them, but they weren’t enjoying the meal itself. They weren’t engaged with the others at the table. I asked myself, “Am I like that?” and the answer was a resounding “Yes.”
Sitting at the table, sharing a meal with friends and family, is an activity that in many ways defines us as human beings. Our events of celebration and sorrow typically revolve around food. Every culture has their food-specific holidays, and the evening dinner is still considered to be the highlight of our daily family routine (although it’s certainly on the wane). The meal is incredibly important to us, socially and nutritionally.
But when the meal loses that social dynamic, I lose interest in it. The foodie with the camera makes me feel the same way as the person who has to tell me how many grams of fat are in every dish I eat. They take the fun out of it, turning my meal into a clinical exercise.
Yeah, I’ll still take food pictures now and then, and I’ll even chronicle every dish in a meal occasionally. But I’m glad that’s the exception and not the rule, as I truly love to interact with those around me and to appreciate the food that’s before me. Boy, meals are so much more fun now.
6 Comments | Food writing, General, Photos | Tagged: Dining, Food, food bloggers, food photography, Food porn | Permalink
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Buttermilk Pie
April 22, 2008
When strawberry season hits, I first think of strawberry shortcake, then Belgian waffles. But right after that, buttermilk pie comes to mind. Buttermilk pie with fresh strawberries. OH MY GOD!!!!
Most Southerners understand the glory of buttermilk pie, but others would choose any other dessert in the world before this classic dish. It’s really nothing more than a simple custard pie, with a touch of lemon and nutmeg to round out the flavor profile. It’s also very light and is very good with fresh berries or a berry coulis. I last wrote about buttermilk pie several years ago on eGullet, and I’m resurrecting the pictures from that time to show you how simple this dish is. Even if you don’t know how to make pie crust (and you MUST learn), you can always use a store-bought version.
I use Bill Neal’s recipe, which is lighter than a typical version because egg whites are beaten and folded into the custard. The tanginess of the buttermilk and lemon offsets some of the egginess and cuts through the richness, so this is really perfect. I also use really fresh, local buttermilk from Maple View Farm. This stuff is a bit richer than what you typically find in the grocery store.
When you take your first bite of this luscious custard treat, be sure you thank me. Yes, it’s that good. Photos and recipe are after the break.
8 Comments | Cooking, General, Photos, Recipes, Southern food | Tagged: Buttermilk Pie, Dessert, Food, Pie, Recipes | Permalink
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Jason Perlow and Off the Broiler in the Triangle
April 10, 2008
My friend Jason Perlow, one of the co-founders of eGullet and creator of one of the busier food blogs in the country, Off the Broiler, will be in the Triangle over the next four months. Now Jason’s primary purpose for being here is to handle a large computer consulting matter (Jason is one of the nation’s leading authorities on Linux-based systems), but he’s determined to report on a lot of restaurants in the area. When his gig is over, I suspect Off the Broiler will have more detailed content on Triangle restaurants than any other site.
He’s certainly hit the ground running with his fabulous podcast of Ed Mitchell and his Raleigh-based barbecue restaurant, The Pit. If you have some time, listen to the podcast and look at the photos, and you’ll get a sense of what Jason is recording. Jason’s a really good interviewer — this is great stuff.
6 Comments | Barbecue, Best Of the Triangle, chefs, Food writing, General, Photos, Raleigh, Restaurants, Southern food | Tagged: Food blogs, Jason Perlow, Off the Broiler | Permalink
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My Morning With an Artisanal Baker
February 18, 2008
My watch’s alarm chirped at me at 4:15. It was time for me to get my sorry butt out of bed, shower, and make the 15 minute drive to Cary’s La Farm Bakery. I kept asking myself why the hell I had asked to spend a few hours in this award-winning artisanal bakery. Of course, by the time I arrived at 4:50, Philippe Comte had been there for nearly five hours. That’s the life of an apprentice baker, who has come to the US from his home in Paris to learn from a baking master such as Lionel Vatinet. For me, I was just some “journalist” who wanted to spend a few hours with my hands in the dough.
It was February 14 — Valentine’s Day — but I had totally forgotten about that until I arrived to see Philippe pull a dozen loaves of heart-shaped baguettes out of the oven. That would be the theme of my visit with La Farm, as heart-shaped objects ruled the day. Cookies, tarts, bread and more were being made for the lovers of the world — OK, maybe just the lovers of Cary.
Lionel Vatinet has traveled the world, first to learn to make bread, and then to teach others the secrets of the craft, and then, nearly 10 years ago, to open his own bakery with his then girlfriend and now wife, Missy. There was nothing magical about Cary, as Lionel wanted to set up shop in California, but Missy had some family in North Carolina and wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle. So due to the lack of any firm roots, we here in the Triangle ended up being the beneficiaries of their new home. Read the rest of this entry »
9 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, chefs, Photos, Video | Tagged: Bakery, Baking, Bread, Cary, Food, La Farm Bakery | Permalink
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Beignets for Breakfast
November 25, 2007
I told my kids last week that I would make beignets for breakfast over the Thanksgiving weekend. They still have the memories of Cafe du Monde in the spring before Katrina — plates of those hot fritters, covered by the after effects of a powdered sugar blizzard. I remember seeing my kids devouring donut after donut, with white powder dusting their noses and cheeks and sweatshirts. I wasn’t about to let them down. The problem is, I had no idea how to make beignets.
I searched through the internet and quickly realized that there were two types of beignets: those that used yeast and those that did not. I figured using yeast would make the process much more difficult, but I continued my research. Finally, a friend came to the rescue (at least figuratively): Karen Barker has a beignet recipe in her wonderful dessert cookbook, Sweet Stuff. Granted, it’s a recipe for black pepper beignets, but it provided a solid reference. And it used yeast. Knowing that Karen usually chooses a simple method for her desserts, I thought I’d give it a try, in spite of her use of yeast. But then I ran into a problem: the recipe called for a quarter cup of cream, but I had used up all my stock, and I had absolutely no desire to go to the store. The solution? Eggnog! Necessity being the mother of invention, as far as I can tell, I am the creator of the eggnog beignet, as I could not find any reference to one on the internet. I’m sure plenty of others have actually made eggnog donuts or fritters or the like, but damn it, I’m claiming this recipe as mine, all mine!
Oh, and it’s really easy, too!
Photos and recipe after the break.
6 Comments | Cooking, Family and Food, General, Photos, Recipes, Southern food | Tagged: Beignet, Donut, Eggnog Beignet | Permalink
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Vittles from the SFA Symposium
November 2, 2007
After our search for the elusive hot tamale, we arrived in Oxford, Mississippi, home of Ole Miss and the Trent Lott Leadership Institute (yes, I walked by it every day, which only made a bad hangover worse). I started with a small lecture by Shirley Corriher, who spoke on the “Science Behind Crispy and Flaky.” Ms. Corriher gave a demonstration on making flaky biscuits, which were tasty but much more cake-like than flaky, but it was all fun nonetheless. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Ms. Corriher, who is as funny in person as she is on Alton Brown’s Good Eats. Heck, she and her husband Arch, a WWII veteran, would make a great vaudeville comedy act.
Dinner was a fusion of Mexican and Southern foods: refried blackeyed peas, fried chicken tacos, and my favorite new drink: horchata laced with Jack Daniels. Oh my god, why hadn’t I ever thought of this combination before? It’s a Mexican milk punch! Of course, drinking 6 of these is hazardous to one’s health. Even more hazardous are the late night festivities that follow, typically in John Currence’s City Grocery.
Lots more after the break. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | chefs, Cooking, Events, General, Photos, sfa, Southern food, Southern Food Culture | Tagged: Food, sfa, Southern Foodways Alliance | Permalink
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Hot Tamales — On the Road to the SFA Symposium
October 28, 2007
When I booked my flight to Memphis for the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium, I made sure I was on the earliest departure available as I wanted to explore the Mississippi Delta region. I was on a quest for the legendary hot tamale. I’ve heard about the great tradition of hot tamales in this area, and although I’m still wondering how a Mexican food has become a mainstay in the region (and particularly part of the African American foodways tradition), this was a time to conduct a survey of a lot of interesting joints. Unfortunately, due to a delayed flight, we began our journey later than expected, and once we hit the road, bad luck became our passenger.
The first place we visited, Sears Grocery in Tunica, MS, was not yet serving food for the day, primarily because someone had just placed a large to-go order for 30 people. So we reluctantly got back into the car and headed south and west to West Helena, Arkansas. I wanted to visit this area for a few reasons: first, I’ve never actually driven across the Mississippi River. Second, I wanted to see Helena and West Helena, two towns that have a legendary history but have fallen on hard times. And, of course, I wanted to visit Pasquale’s Tamales. Well, unbeknownst to us, Pasquale’s no longer has a store front — only a cart on the weekends. Thus, we were 0 for 2 in our hot tamale quest. Helena is a sad shell of a town that was obviously a thriving gem at some point in its history. With a downtown strip that runs parallel with the Mississippi, Helena was once home of the King Biscuit Flour Company, and the King Biscuit Flour Time is still broadcast from KFFA in downtown Helena. Today, I can see why folks would be singing the blues in Helena, as it truly saddened me to see how the town had fallen on such hard times. However, I did see something in Helena that was new to me: a combination deli and auto shop. Yes, while you’re getting your oil changed at the Haynes Car Care, you can feast on hog maws and beef tips next door at the Haynes Deli.
4 Comments | General, Photos, Raleigh, Restaurants, Southern food, Southern Food Culture | Tagged: Southern food, Tamales | Permalink
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A Fair to Remember: Scenes From the NC State Fair
October 15, 2007
Some people reluctantly go to the State Fair, and I have been in that category for years. This year, however, I gladly succumbed to the Fair in all its decadent glory. My wife and I arrived at the gates at 9:00 AM with our 4 kids, one of their friends, and another adult. With 180 ride tickets and 200 bucks, we were ready for a big day of eating, riding, and quick trips to the bathroom.
We sampled lots of food, some of the traditional sort and some of the fried confections. All was pretty good, some was great, and none would I want to eat again before next year! These photos are just a small representation of the Fair. I didn’t include shots of animals or rides or the carnies (and one observation: I noticed that all the carnies who guess your age/weight/birth month have the exact same voice, regardless of gender — it seems that cheap vodka and cigarettes will affect everyone’s voice the same way it did with Tom Waits).
Click below for lots of Fair pictures.
8 Comments | Events, Photos, Raleigh, Southern Food Culture | Tagged: NC State Fair | Permalink
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Photo for the Day — Shrimp
October 5, 2007A little shrimp action to get you through the weekend. This is a friend’s rendition of barbecue shrimp. The beauty of cooking is that there can be dozens or hundreds of different recipes of the same dish.
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Fins-tastic!! D’Auvray’s New Location Rocks
October 1, 2007
As I wrote last week when Greg Cox of the N&O re-confirmed Fins’ position as one of the top restaurants in the region, I’ve always been a big fan of William D’Auvray’s cuisine and execution. When he and his wife, Lisa, decided to leave their strip mall location in North Raleigh for the bright lights of downtown, I was pretty sure they’d have a great knew establishment. Well, when some men get a mid-life crisis, they buy a sportscar or have an affair. Not D’Auvray (and I’m not really saying he’s having a mid-life crisis, either, but read on). D’Auvray just opens the sharpest looking restaurant in the area with a 3300 square foot kitchen, five (yes, five) walk-in coolers, a Brazilian wood “wave” hanging over a lush granite bar, and a water wall. Throw in a robatayaki bar, a private room wired for business meetings, and a climate-controlled wine room. Oh, and a couple of million dollars of bank debt, too. We’re talking about a type of restaurant rarely seen in these here parts (An in Cary is the only other space that comes close).
Yes, the new restaurant is incredible, but is the food as good as ever? Of course it is. D’Auvray still bakes his own bread every day. He flies in seafood and other ingredients from across the globe. He creates flavor combinations I would never, EVER, think of. I really don’t need to go into great details of this man’s chops, as he’s got ‘em. He has always been able to flat out cook, and one of these days, I’m going to get the guts to ask him to let me spend some time with him in his kitchen — I want to learn how to cook some of the things he can do in his sleep.
8 Comments | Photos, Raleigh, Restaurants | Tagged: Fins, Raleigh, William D'Auvray | Permalink
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Photo for the Day — Fried Chicken
September 28, 2007
Mmm, fried chicken sizzling in a cast iron skillet. With the cold weather coming (it will come soon, won’t it?), it’s time to do some cooking of hearty foods. Enjoy.
1 Comment | Cooking, Photos | Tagged: cast iron skillet, Cooking, Fried chicken | Permalink
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Photo for the Day — Okra
September 21, 2007Here’s something for you to think about over the weekend.
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A couple of my favorite photos
September 18, 2007From the back of a pickup in rural North Carolina . . .
From the Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC. One of the hardest working men in the BBQ business.
5 Comments | Barbecue, Photos, Southern Food Culture | Tagged: Barbecue, Farms, photo, Skylight Inn | Permalink
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