Last week, I did something I try to avoid at all costs; I waited in line. Wait, let me rephrase that, I waited a long time in a very long line for a pop up bakery at a San Francisco restaurant, Flour + Water, thanks to the inside scoop from my friend, Adrienne, aka Gastroantropology....
I love bread in all its forms, but near the top of my favorites is focaccia. I mean what genius thought to pair bread with olive oil, cheese and any number of combinations of toppings. My curiousity was piqued when we sampled the grape fociaccia, chiacciata con l’uva a specialty of Florence. We loved grabbing...
I was recently consumed with curiosity about lye used in cooking and found that its use is critical to the pretzels we know and love. One thing led to another, and so I decided to explore the twisted world of pretzels: Why the knots? Why use lye? Why desiccated bread? What are they? Pretztels can...
Apologies to the Euythmics, but ever since I conceived the idea for this post, I could not get their song out of my head. When I made my batch of homemade olives, I researched the various techniques involved, including the use of lye. I suddenly seemed to encounter all matter of food made with...
Its Christmas time and the mind wanders to fruit cake. No? Not so with you? Hmm, well trust me, this one is good, after all there must be some reason that fruit cake has been around for ages. I know some folks think that applies to Grandma’s cake, but seriously, the fruitcake or panforte...
Florence proved a swoon worthy city where ever twist and turn offers new and unexpected delights. We spent over three days in this city and while it was a good start, it was not nearly enough to absorb its beauty or take in all the features that make it unique (more details later). I’ve...
