This King Cake with Tangzhong is the result of a culinary challenge. Several days ago, our daughter Sophia, who lives in New Orleans (NOLA) and is visiting Chicago while Weldon is recovering from knee surgery, said she missed New Orleans, where in February she would be eating king cake and partying at Mardi Gras events. […]
King Cake with Tangzhong Read More »
After celebrating the holidays with our daughter Sophia in warm New Orleans, we returned to Chicago’s cold, snowy weather. Here, winter will hold us in its grip for another three months. After indulging in traditional Scandinavian dishes for several weeks, we are ready to put rich holiday fare behind us. We will sustain ourselves through
Comforting Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Spicy Cornbread Read More »
In our household, December meals are not usually vegetarian. But this year I included a dinner of Crispy Potato Pancakes with roasted carrots, labneh, and hot honey, inspired by Samin Nosrat’s recent podcast of Home Cooking, where she answered a question from a listener seeking advice on how to use four gallons of honey. Samin, a honey enthusiast, excitedly
Crispy Potato Pancakes — a New Twist on an Old Classic Read More »
Enough winter! It’s February, and we are spending several weeks in New Orleans, away from Chicago’s lingering cold. Here, spring is coming early. Spring fruits and vegetables and baskets of seafood—crawfish, shrimp, scallops, and finfish—are filling local markets. Eager to take a break from months of meat stew, pasta, and chili diet, I am inspired
This Meatball Chili is my make-ahead-keep-in-reserve dinner this month. Each December, I focus on baking cookies, breads, and cakes, pickling herring, making pâtés, and curing meats for our traditional Scandinavian and Ukrainian Christmas celebrations. Other meals throughout this month are often thrown together at the last minute from leftovers and pantry ingredients. This year, I
I embarked on recreating the Cajun Tourtière after learning that this traditional dish vanished many decades ago. When our daughter Sophia settled in New Orleans, I became interested in learning about Christmas traditions brought to French-ruled Louisiana by Acadian emigres after their expulsion by the British from Nova Scotia in the 18th century. Those French-speaking
Cajun Tourtière – Recreating a Lost Recipe Read More »