Kamis, 27 September 2007

The Caper Continues: Why the Rolled Angel Food Didn't Rock

So our hard boiled detective has already investigated the mystery of the disappointing zabaglione. Although the case isn't definitively closed, there are some good suspects. Now for the rest of the mystery. Why was this apparently innocent attempt to make a high-brow version of rolled angel food cake a disaster? Rolled angel food cake with macerated Bing cherries and brandy zabaglione...it sounds

Senin, 24 September 2007

The Great Zabaglione Caper

It’s late, a little after eleven in the evening. The alleyway is soaked in shadows as I move in. My trench coat rustles against my feet. I have my collar turned up against the drizzle. The film noir scene is complete. “Is that the victim?” I gruffly ask an officer. “Yes, ma’am.” I click my tongue. What a sad sad way to end up. I lean in closer, too hard-boiled a detective to be shocked by the

Kamis, 20 September 2007

To Err is Human, To Post It...Divine?

I'm stuck in an internet cafe waiting out a torrential downpour, so it seemed like an ideal time to blog. I've long spouted philosophically to my friends that the world was made up of two kinds of people: those who have their kitchen garbage cans out for the world to see, and those who keep them discretely hidden beneath the sink. I've recently realized that this division runs deeper than I

Rabu, 19 September 2007

How to accidentally give someone a wedding present

We've arrived safe and sound in Ghana. We're still searching out accommodation, but we are temporarily lodging with my friend Victor "the maven." To disabuse any of you out there of your National Geographic ideas of Africa, the Maven is addicted to cutting edge technologies and fashions. He had an iPhone two weeks after they came out in the US and was one of the first who had it "cracked" to work

Minggu, 16 September 2007

A Kitchen on the Move

I am now less than 24 hours from the plane ride that will take me to Ghana for the next six months. Moving for a moderate amount of time to Africa is a challenge few people experience. I have done it now four times. The first time I went, as an eager 20 year old on a college exchange program, I was shockingly unprepared. That lack of preparation, however, encouraged me to live much as an average

Jumat, 14 September 2007

Cantaloupe Melon Fruit Soup with Applemint

Ever since discovering the wonders of a truly great farmer's market cantaloupe paired with the softness of apple mint, I have been thinking about fruit soup. Fruit soup is an odd thing for me to think about because frankly, where I grew up you just don't make fruit into soup. Until I started researching this post, I thought fruit soup was some trendy conspiracy between Gourmet magazine and

Kamis, 13 September 2007

My "Must Eat" Countdown

I love Ghanaian food. But in the final week before departing I can't help but kick into "deadman walking" mode, where I begin mentally listing (and craving) the foods that I won't be able to get when I'm there. Today, on the way back down from visiting my native Wisconsin, we stopped at Borzynski's Farm to get the best caramel apples on Earth (check). This afternoon I had a gourmet pizza at

Rabu, 12 September 2007

Skinny Gourmet Celebrates its 1000th visitor!

Last night the Skinny Gourmet was visited by its 1000th unique visitor. I have been watching this count-up to 1000 like a kid waiting for Christmas. So this morning I did a little happy dance around the kitchen. As a new blogger myself, I have often looked around for thoughts on more established food blogs about what they did when they were new. Things they found out the hard way. So although I

Selasa, 11 September 2007

Recipe Review: Chicken with Balsamic BBQ & Tri Colore Orzo

My mother-in-law is an incredible cook. She is responsible for my husband's culinary ability, and for that I am eternally grateful to her. That means that visiting my husband's parents in Wilmington, NC always means a ton of delicious food. One night she decided to do a meal based on the recipes of Giada De Laurentiis from Everyday Italian. She selected a delightful, sophisticated take on BBQ

Senin, 10 September 2007

Is Coffee the new Wine?

As I promised last week in my rant about airport "gourmet" I'm back with another installment of my investigation into all things gourmet (or not). Like so many fashionistas regularly announcing blue (or brown or red) is the new black, the high-end coffee industry is now emulating the well established snobbery of the wine industry. As I sit in Starbucks, gleefully sipping my mocha cappuccino with

Jumat, 07 September 2007

Is Your Olive Oil a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?

Olive oil is fabulous. Let's just get that fundamental truth out there. Good quality olive oil is a delight for the palate. But it is also gaining fame as a "good" oil for your body. A pharmacist friend of mine once told me in no uncertain terms that we would all be healthier if we used olive oil in place of the other common oils in the American diet. The monounsaturated fats that predominate in

Kamis, 06 September 2007

Mother's Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread is powerfully associated with feelings of warmth and home. In late summer when the zucchini crop was particularly plentiful and the air was just starting to show some signs of coolness, my mother would pick up zucchini from the local farmer's stands and make zucchini bread. We once shared a warm slice with a young neighborhood boy who eagerly ate the entire piece and then confessed

Selasa, 04 September 2007

Et tu Wolfgang?

I have been doing a lot of thinking, writing, and research lately on the concept of gourmet. A lot of what I'm finding out there is interesting, sometimes provocative, but often unsatisfying on the whole. Over the next few weeks, the cumulative efforts of all this thinking and writing will come out on the blog. I have a little rant on Starbucks, and the budding idea for a foodie event (does the

Senin, 03 September 2007

Frontera Grill

Preparing to leave on a long sojourn to another continent has all the disadvantages of moving and spending time away from loved ones. But it also has the advantages of causing one to really spend quality time with loved ones before departure. On this note, this past Saturday our wonderful friends Chris and Gabrielle Ferrales invited us out to Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill, sister restaurant to