CHEWING THE FAT

         I realize that most people take ‘date night’ to mean an escape from cooking as well as the kids.  But once in a while, a great meal can turn any night into date night.  And this one is flawless. It combines the luxury of…

Gluten-free pancakes are now widely available, but we went to France to find the original By Monte Mathews Staff Writer Spoiler Alert: We found the Socca. Socca pancakes, made with chickpea flour, may have been the world’s first gluten-free pancakes. Although the recipe started out…

Find yourself in Barcelona on Sunday and everything’s closed? Here’s an insider tip Mar 22, 2016 | 5:32 pm By Monte Mathews Staff Writer Monte Mathews Just a sample of the cuisine Etapes has to offer….Lamb Parmentiere on a bed of Pommes de Terres Puree…

Coconut Cupcakes that Andrew eggified for Easter!   In the run-up to Easter, we’ve had snow, sun and cold temperatures earlier this week that feel more like winter than spring. It’s warmed up at last and here’s how we celebrated. And, after Andrew added jelly…

New this year:  Lunch on the Beach at Le Toiny.  You can now bask in the sun before, during or after lunch. We’re just back from our annual visit to St. Barthelemy or St. Barth or St. Bart’s depending on who you talk to.   It…

We visit three tiny eateries that made huge first impressions Mar 15, 2016 | 6:46 pm By Monte Mathews Staff Writer Monte Mathews Hungry bellies enter here. Barcelona is a very food-centric town, and one that entertains 7.5 million tourists annually, in addition to the…

         Salmon is truly a lifesaver for harried weeknight cooks.  Now I suppose that means most of us, most of the week. But there’s another great plus to cooking salmon.  That is when you need something to start cooking only when the last family member…

     A classic Bolognese sauce takes hours on the stove where the sweetness of tomatoes, onions, celery, and carrots blend with beef, and pork to come together in one of Italy’s most treasured sauces.  In Italian American houses, it is called “Sunday Sauce” because the…

In Spring, Quebec taps its sugar maples. As a lot of my readers know, I am from the province of Quebec in Canada.  Even though I have lived my entire adult life in the States, I still revere my Canadian roots and I am very…

Viking River Cruises Take to the Oceans   It’s hard to tell which is larger: the ship, the amount of dining options, or the value. Last May, I took Viking Tor from Budapest to Nurnberg For the past five years, Viking River Cruises has consistently…

John Ash, Chef, Author and Teacher          Let’s face it: You can only eat so much chicken, so many ways. Well how about Duck instead?   Dark, rich, tender meat with a crackly, crisp skin, duck is often thought of as a restaurant item (think Peking…

Chile’s Chicken Valdostana  “Milanese” is god’s gift to people who love fried food but are afraid to admit it.  This easy-to-conquer technique coats meat with crunchy, crispy bread-crumbs. The meat is dipped in flour, then in egg and finally in breadcrumbs.  Originally, I tasted it…

Molly Yeh          More often than not, my inclination is to try any recipe that appeals to me that week. So it was with this warming dish of coconut-scented rice,  curried pork, crisp vegetables, a splash of lime juice and the crunch of peanuts. A…

A great stir-fry is a gift to weeknight cooks. After the initial chopping and slicing, few things cook faster or give more satisfying results.  Since this is a Chinese technique, it’s ideal for dishes like Beef with Broccoli, that Chinese takeout standby.  To the original…