Britain & Ireland
Afternoon tea, Marmite on toast, a big bang-up Irish fried breakfast. This is the Blighty and the Eire of nostalgia, Evelyn Waugh and poet John Betjeman, along with clotted cream, ginger beer, mature Cheddar - and Bird's Custard on your apple pie if you insist. It's all so comforting, and Nanny will let us have seconds if we're very good.
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New Year celebrations - something different - 31 Dec 2008
New Year traditions in other parts of the world. read more...
Christmas - dreaming of a different one - 10 Dec 2008
"Christmas comes but once a year and when it comes it brings..." Uncle George (who'll take over the single malt whiskey if no-one stops him), Aunt Mavis (who's just decided to turn vegetarian), and all their dreadful children. It's enough to drive you crackers.
Give Christmas a new sparkle and celebrate someone else's - with Britain's Christmas crackers, Italy's Omino di Neve, Switzerland's Zimststerne, Jamaica's West Indian Black Cake and more... read more...
The perfect Yorkshire pudding - 2 Dec 2008
A proper Yorkshire pudding must be 4 inches tall. It's official. The Royal Society of Chemists says so. The second key qualification is the cook must have Yorkshire blood. "It's the instinct of people born and raised in Yorkshire. You can tell if the cook has the right touch," scientist John Emsley told the BBC. Perhaps that's why my Yorkshire mother makes puddings like shoe leather - she was born in Kuala Lumpur. read more...
Let's Meat on the Avenue - one of my favorite markets - 29 Oct 2008
Anyone from Colchester, the oldest recorded Roman town in England, would know butcher Steve Gatward comes from there. He wears the butcher's apron traditional only to Colchester, in red and white stripes. read more...
Pork roasts - 27 Oct 2008
Pigs have been intensively farmed to produce a lean white meat. But in an effort to reduce its fat, pork has been turned into a meat that's tasteless and dry. Seek out a cut from a heritage breed, however, and you will have a different experience - pork as it should be. And it's a better life for the pig. read more...
Eggs better for you and the hen - 24 Sep 2008
Think hard about buying Cage-Free Hen eggs instead of regular eggs. There's not a massive amount of price difference. But there is a massive difference for the hens. read more...
The Dairy Godmother - one of my favorites - 3 Jun 2008
At The Dairy Godmother I forfeited my usual effort to maintain distance from subject to greed. The afternoon I visited this Del Ray, Alexandria ice cream shop, the Dessert Of the Day (officially know as the DOD as opposed to the FOTD which is the Flavor Of The Day) was Rhubarb Cobbler, still warm from her oven. It called out for a scoop of her soft custard ice cream. Forget adhering to reporter dispassion. Not possible. read more...
Eton Mess - 30 May 2008
With local strawberries coming into the stores, here's an easy English recipe to make the most of them. You get the stages ready ahead, to put together at the last minute. It's named after the posh private school of Princes and sons of parents with deep wallets near Windsor Castle - so convenient when Queen Granny wanted to visit William and Harry.
On the 'Fourth of June', a holiday with The Procession of Boats - the top crews row past in vintage wooden rowing boats (Brits find this kind of thing normal) - scholars and parents gather to celebrate the birthday of Eton's patron, King George III (the mad one - that's normal, too). Eton Mess is the pudding de rigueur. ('Pudding' is the posh English word for 'desserts' - a word that would never cross the lips of an old Etonian.) read more...
Asparagus - just so much grass... - 9 May 2008
Asparagus, like tomatoes, are a vegetable that really should be eaten only in season and from a pick-your-own supplier. But outside France and England, there aren't too many of them. Still, when spring, it's proper season comes, make the most of it. For starters (forgive the pun), try Todd Gray's recipe for asparagus soup. read more...
Gastropubs - eating cheap in Britain - 8 May 2008
Britain's pubs are famous. But they haven't always been particularly pleasant places to have a bite to eat. Nor did they offer good beer to drink, until the Campaign for Real Ale in the early 1970s fought to oust big brewery manufactured beers and bring back real ales. Now Britain's chefs are returning well-cooked, seasonal traditional British food to the menus of what have consequently become named Gastropubs. If you're traveling to London and want to stretch that food dollar, here's a list of some to eat at. read more...
Britain & Ireland food web sites - 29 Apr 2008
Jamies Leeds - Owner-chef of Hank's Oyster Bar - 16 Apr 2008
Jamie Leeds is rare among chefs. First, she owns two Hank’s Oyster Bars, one in Dupont Circle and the other in Old Town, Alexandria, with CommonWealth, a gastropub set to open in summer 2008. Plus, she’s a woman. And then there’s the fact that she has no formal culinary training. read more...
Smoked Haddock - 21 Mar 2008
British breakfasters miss their kedgeree, a staple of the groaning British Raj breakfast sideboard that these days makes a great lunch dish and their Omelette Arnold Bennett. But where to get the key ingredient, smoked haddock? Don't despair, there's a good internet source. read more...
Guinness on tap - 28 Nov 2007
Ten years ago, you'd have been hard pressed to find Guinness on tap. Now you can get it at pretty much any downtown brewhouse. read more...
Mushrooms - fresh - 27 Nov 2007
If you are traveling to or through Pennsylvania, include Chester County in your tour. Kennett Square is the self-styled 'Mushroom Capital of the World'. read more...
Pears - eating & cooking - 27 Nov 2007
Pears aren't limited to the Conference and the Bosc. read more...
Lemons - 27 Nov 2007
When buying a lemon for its juice, choose those whose skin feels thin - the ones that respond to a slight squeeze in the palm of your hand. read more...
Scones recipe - 26 Nov 2007
Eat these scones warm from the oven. You won't recognize them: they've barely any relationship with those marginally edible rocks better suited to breaking windows sold in bakeries. read more...
Tea explained - 23 Nov 2007
Tea is made by steeping processed leaves, buds, or twigs of the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, in hot water for a few minutes. read more...
Ginger Beer - 20 Nov 2007
Ginger beer is a refreshing, spicy soda that originated in the Caribbean, easily made at home. You just need to keep feeding its 'mother'... read more...
Sausages, plain and fancy - 20 Nov 2007
The humble sausage can now be bought in all international variations, filled with flavors representing every part of the globe. read more...
Clotted cream - home-made - 19 Nov 2007
Real clotted cream is a far cry from the ultra heat-treated stiff paste you get in those glass jars in the supermarket. So have a go at making it yourself. read more...
Where to get British groceries? - 18 Nov 2007
Missing Marmite? Pork pies? Or Bird's Custard? Need to lift the spirits with a nip of ginger wine? Where can you buy them? read more...
Free range chickens - 18 Nov 2007
Looking for a real chicken? Free range chickens, which have a more developed flavor than battery-farmed because they've scratched about in the earth as they are supposed to, are becoming increasingly available in supermarkets. read more...
Home brews - it's in the bag! - 18 Nov 2007
The British like their tea milky orange in color and very strong in taste. Where to find the prime ingredient for the classic cuppa, the best tea, in bags or loose. And the bickies on the side... read more...
Afternoon tea in town - 18 Nov 2007
You can get afternoon tea all over the place in Washington, for grown-ups, for children, hungry people and for serious tea drinkers. read more...
Fish - fresh or not so fresh? - 17 Nov 2007
Once upon a time, fishmongers would cut fish to order from whole fish, so the customer could be sure, by the clarity of its eyes, the firmness of flesh and the color of its gills, of the freshness of the fish. Not any longer. read more...
Bread flour unscrambled - 15 Nov 2007
Which flour bakes the best bread? First, know that a grain of wheat has three parts: the endosperm which is the central source of the starch, accounting for 85 percent of the grain. Next to it lies the germ, accounting for only 2 percent. But it's the most positive element. It's the 'seed' that grows new wheat plants and it contains most of the whole grain's protein, vitamins and oil. Plus, pretty much all the flavor lies in the germ. Both of these are covered by the protective outer layer of bran. read more...
Berries - ripe for picking - 15 Nov 2007
Berry picking is one of the highlights of summer, with different fruits following each other through the season, even the rare blackcurrants and gooseberries. read more...
Beer - 15 Nov 2007
Beer in America is no longer limited to that uniform golden liquid that froths out of cans. The number of microbreweries nationwide producing 'boutique' beers with their own highly distinctive flavors keeps growing. read more...
Bacon - 15 Nov 2007
Proper bacon is not that stuff that leaks puddles of grayish water into the pan. Buy the bacon Grant Achatz of Alinea cooks with. read more...
Apples - a Magnolia a day... - 15 Nov 2007
While some supermarkets are becoming a little more adventurous in their selection of apples, there are many more interesting varieties than Goldens and Granny Smiths and out there. read more...
Breakfasts - a good start - 14 Nov 2007
The Italians and Greeks drink a thimble of strong coffee. The Vietnamese eat Phô, the Chinese congee, and the Irish, English, Welsh and Scots a heart-burning fry-up. It's all breakfast to them. read more...
Toddy coffee - 11 Nov 2007
Toddy Coffee is a method of making good coffee from cheap grounds, according to several eatWashingtonians. read more...
Chris Payton and Casey McQueen - Owner and chefs of The Curry Club - 10 Nov 2007
Chris Payton and Casey McQueen met in an alley behind Payton's restaurant, the Curry Club. McQueen working at Bistro Lepic next door. They’ve been working together since. read more...
Soda bread - 8 Nov 2007
Irish Soda Bread is the world's easiest, fastest loaf to make - no proving, no hanging about. Bought from local bakeries it's often a yeast-based confection of sweet dough studded with raisins. Here is EatWashingtonian Elisabeth Nicholson's recipe, from the Tyrone Guthrie artsplace in Co. Monaghan, which she says is "DEAD easy". read more...
Cheeses unpasteurized - forbidden gems & others - 6 Nov 2007
The FDA prohibits the import and sale of raw milk cheeses under 60 days old, to the chagrin of Europeans. Trying to protect us from the very real ravages of E.coli and other bacteria means we're unable to taste some real gems from other countries.
Are the French and Italians falling like flies from their consumption of young unpasteurized milk cheeses? Click the link to my article for The National Interest and find out where the dangers really lie. read more...
Baked beans - the musical fruit - 4 Nov 2007
Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot. The more you toot, the better you feel, so let's have beans at every meal! read more...
Cakes - to order or make beautiful - 2 Nov 2007
Baking cake for a party, cupcakes for school or work? Or need someone else to do it for you? Here's all you need to keep you in cake. read more...
Potatoes - earthy delights - 2 Nov 2007
Potatoes get such a bad rap. But they're one of the world's most versatile and nutritious ingredients. Here are some spud, tatty and tater facts. read more...
Smoked salmon - 2 Nov 2007
There's more to smoked salmon than some of those coral-pink plastic packets provide. read more...
Yeast - 2 Nov 2007
Fresh yeast makes a better home-baked loaf than dried. But where to find it? read more...
Breads - a good chew - 2 Nov 2007
Not so long ago, the only bread available in Washington came sliced in cellophane packages. Now you can't move for choice among breads studded with everything from olives to cheese. But where can you get a plain brown loaf? read more...
Tea for two, ch'a, ch'a - 5 Oct 2007
Ch'a is the Chinese word for Tea but even in Russian - chai, Japanese - ocha, or English slang - char, afternoon tea is a thoroughly British institution. The court of Charles II of England was introduced to the drink in 1662 by his new wife, Catherine of Braganza, a century after the Portuguese had brought it back from Macao. The cuppa at once became the fashion. read more...
Cream tea - 5 Oct 2007
A cream tea needs a good fruit jam and thick clotted cream to spread on a warm, freshly baked scone straight from the oven. Whether you spread the cream first or the jam first depends on whether you come from Devon or Cornwall. read more...
Bird's Custard - 5 Oct 2007
Bird's Custard - what's so great about vanilla powder heated up and thickened with milk? read more...
Marmite mad - 5 Oct 2007
Marmite is a shiny tar-like spread made out of the residues that come from brewing beer. Brits love it. read more...
Salty tale - salt explained - 5 Oct 2007
In the 1920s, table salt manufacturers in the U.S. began to add iodine to their product to prevent thyroid deficiency problems in the mid-West. These days, purist (or pretentious?) foodies like their salts unrefined and in a myriad of mineral colors. read more...
Joe Palma’s recipe for getting a good culinary training is simple. “Find the best possible people you can work for and shut up.”This became the Chef de Cuisine of the Westend Bistro’s game-plan once he’d discovered a passion for food. He earned money as a line cook while studying for degrees in Economics and Philosophy at the College of Charleston.
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New Year celebrations - something different
Ethan McKee - new Chef of Notti Bianchi and Circle One Bistro
This week's ingredient - Scallops
Broad Branch Market - one of my favorite markets
The dish - Goings on in the capital
Roasted Pennsylvania Pheasant Breast, Braised Red Cabbage, Maple Syrup Sweet Potato Mousse and Huckleberry Sauce
The Fishery - one of my favorite markets
Chew On This: Hangover cures that work? Debunking the food myths...
Seared Scallops with Nicoise Salad & Gribiche
Joe Palma - Chef de Cuisine of The Westend Bistro
This week's ingredient - Nems
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