Dinner Party on a weeknight? Why not when you can pull this dinner together before the doorbell rings. Our friend Laura was here from Colorado this week. And the only night we were mutually free was a Tuesday.  So much for cooking an elaborate meal…

A New Cookbook Takes Us on a Family Adventure unlike any other. If you’re like me, you read Cookbooks the way other people read novels.  That’s why I was particularly taken with Sybille Van Kempen’s superb new book “2266 Bridgehampton Inn & Restaurant”,  A Look…

Chicken Cacciatore, that Italian classic Chicken Stew, seems an odd choice for a summer meal. However, not too long ago, I was craving it and having just loaded up on Chicken thighs and with 8 people coming to dinner, I went with my craving and…

As I was leafing through Food and Wine Magazine from October 2018, I stopped at an article focused on Richard Olney. In the words of Wikipedia, “Richard Olney (April 12, 1927 – August 3, 1999) was an American painter, cook, food writer, editor, and memoirist…

My native province of Quebec has long been known for its gastronomy which was prized by Canadians if for no other reason than the food in the neighboring provinces was so… pedestrian, to put it kindly. Chock that up to having the French do the…

Our friend Jeff Lobb is a wonderful cook and entertains beautifully. Especially when his partner Don is in the kitchen with him.  And if Jeff is famous for one dish above all others, it is his fondness for Rack of Pork that stands out.  This…

If you follow me on Instagram (@montemathews) you know that I have been in Scandinavia all last week.  I boarded Viking Star in Germany and sailed to Denmark and Norway. As soon as I can cook them, I’ll be sharing some wonderful discoveries on my…

After I published this post, I shared it on Jonell Galloway’s Facebook page “Culinary Travel by Jonell Galloway, The Rambling Epicure”.  One of  Jonell’s readers got involved when I mentioned the multiple spellings of “biryani” and Jonell asked whether it was the English spelling of…

When Andrew and I plan a dinner party, the menu starts to percolate once the RSVPs have been received.  We try to think of our audience and we try to make things interesting.  Generally that means doing something completely new.  We have a fair amount…

This weekend begins what is always called “The Unofficial Start of Summer”.  Never mind the Equinox is over three weeks away and it’s been horridly cold and rainy this month.  Nevertheless, this is the weekend that New Yorkers give up their weekends in the city…

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve been in England these past two weeks on an incredible trip.  I joined Cheese Journeys, a remarkable travel company that specializes in taking Cheese aficionados on in-depth Cheese Tours. We went from London to Wiltshire, Devon…

Of all the things that you can rely on when you want to make dinner special, the rack of Lamb should be high on your list.  It’s astonishingly easy to cook and requires very little effort.  That’s especially true with this method of cooking from…

Martha Stewart: Sheet Pan Expert For some time I’ve been intrigued by the concept of the Sheet Pan dinner. Basically all the ingredients—protein, vegetables, herbs and spices–are cooked on one large sheet pan.  Martha Stewart seems to be an expert in this regard.  She frequently…

Rao’s Original, the toughest table in town. One of New York’s most iconic restaurants is almost impossible to get into.  Unless you are a bold-faced name or a local politician or, even better, a family with “connections” to a very specific group of Italian families,…