Category Archives: Great Finds

The Timelessness of Chicken Normandy

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Chicken braised in hard apple cider and creme fraiche -- a dish with a spiritual history.
Chicken braised in hard apple cider and creme fraiche — a dish with a spiritual history.

Tender, juicy chicken simmered in a creamy sauce flavored with hard apple cider is as comforting as it gets.

But did you know it’s also a spiritual dish?

Yes, “Chicken Normandy” is a classic that has been enjoyed for centuries at the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille, founded in the 7th century as one of the first Benedictine abbeys in Normandy. It epitomizes this lush coastal region of northern France by making use of the bounty of local dairy farms, apple orchards, and the monks’ own brewed cider.

It’s a dish usually served as Sunday supper, following the monks’ traditional performance of melodic Gregorian chanting.

So writes noted cookbook author and food writer Jody Eddy in her book, “Elysian Kitchens” ( W.W. Norton & Company, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

This fascinating cookbook delves into the food served in monasteries, temples, mosques, and synagogues around the world. It’s filled with 100 recipes along with beautiful photographs of these cloistered sanctuaries of which few are ever granted such an intimate view.

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Feasting at Baekjeong Korean BBQ

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Come hungry to Baekjeong Korean BBQ because it's a huge spread of food.
Come hungry to Baekjeong Korean BBQ because it’s a huge spread of food.

When Baekjeong Korean BBQ opened its first Bay Area location at Westfield Valley Fair shopping center in in August 2023, waits reportedly were up to 4 hours to snag a table.

No way was I going to deal with that.

So, I bided my time, and happily waited until this month to try the restaurant that’s created a sensation everywhere it’s opened.

The restaurant seats more than 200.
The restaurant seats more than 200.

Baekjeong Korean BBQ started in 2003 in Korea by Kang Ho Dong, a former professional wrestler and South Korean TV personality. In 2012, he joined forces with Michael Chon, CEO of Kijung Hospitality Group, to expand the restaurants to the United States, the first of which opened in Los Angeles, where the late-great, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold hailed it as one of that city’s top restaurants.

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The Ultimate Cookie: Brown Butter, Passion Fruit Chocolate, Walnut & Sea Salt

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Instead of dark chocolate in this Dominique Ansel cookie recipe, I used Valrhona Passion Fruit chocolate feves.
Instead of dark chocolate in this Dominique Ansel cookie recipe, I used Valrhona Passion Fruit chocolate feves.

Does the world need another chocolate chip cookie recipe?

Absolutely, if it’s one by legendary pastry chef Dominique Ansel.

After all, the man who originated the croissant-donut mashup, the Cronut, definitely knows his stuff when it comes to baked goods.

This cookie recipe, which I took one liberty with, comes from his newest cookbook, “Life’s Sweetest Moments” (Harvest, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

He may be a James Beard Award-winning pastry chef whom Food & Wine magazine dubbed a “Culinary Van Gough,” but rest assured that this collection is designed for the home-cook with 40 recipes ranging from the easy to those that will require a little more time and effort.

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A Visit to Merced, Part II: Hi-Fi Wine and Vista Ranch

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Visit Hi-Fi Wine to discover a unique tasting room devoted to boutique wines.
Visit Hi-Fi Wine to discover a unique tasting room devoted to boutique wines.

Merced, CA — During the pandemic, while the rest of us were binging Netflix and trying to keep sourdough starters alive, Tracy Proietti was dreaming up her ideal wine shop, Hi-Fi Wine.

In 2019, the former lawyer and middle school language arts teacher moved from Baltimore where she lived in a historic building above a wine shop. With time on her hands when life shut down during Covid, she and her mother, her business partner, set about creating this inviting wine bar and shop.

Opened in May 2022, the light-filled, cozy community gathering spot was designed to be a place where wine was eminently approachable.

Lawyer-turned wine shop owner Tracy Proietti.
Lawyer-turned wine shop owner Tracy Proietti.

A restored hi-fi that has a variety of LPs to play is the focal point that gave the establishment its name — for good reason.

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The Aptly Named “Pasta To Make When You’re Not Near the Sea (But Wish You Were)”

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This lemony, briny, and buttery pasta comes together easily with pantry items.
This lemony, briny, and buttery pasta comes together easily with pantry items.

It says it all that I’ve happily made “Pasta to Make When You’re Not Near the Sea (But Wish You Were)” three times already.

And it’s not because I’m longing to be near the water.

It’s simply because it’s such a thoroughly satisfying pasta dish that’s easy enough to make on a whim.

The recipe is from “Le Sud” (Chronicle Books, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

Rebekah Peppler, a Paris-based writer and stylist, wrote the cookbook to highlight recipes from Provence- Alpes-Cote D’Azur, the southern region of France where the French throng for holidays. The 12,000-square-mile region is bounded in the north by the Southern Alps, to the south by the French Mediterranean, the east by Italy, and the west by the Rhone River. As the book illustrates with beautiful photos of the crystalline sea, it’s a postcard come to life.

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