Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

I grew up in a rural part of California where there was little opportunity to expand my culinary interests. In high school, already addicted to creative food, I enrolled in a cooking course at the local community center. I don't know the name of the woman who taught the course, but forty years later I am still using her recipes!After all my travels and moves around the globe I have saved little from my youth. But my close friend, Carolyn Kelso, with whom I shared those recipes has given them back to me. The one that we both continue to make today, and which we both relish because it is at all potlucks and parties, is our recipe for caviar pie.It is simple, elegant, tasty and different. It is incredibly easy to make, to carry to a party, and to serve. Wherever I serve it, virtually everyone asks me for .. more»

Herbs are not only used for seasoning foods, but for medicinal purposes, teas, perfumes, and potpourri.Nearly all herbs are perennials, dying down each year and returning the following season. I have found that thyme, particularly, needs pruning fairly hard to keep its bushy shape, so that you have nice young leaves and juicy stems to use. If left to their own devices the stems can become straggly, woody and dry. Basil is an exception to this rule, needing to be planted fresh each year.Herbs growing in pots can be purchased from supermarkets now. You can either leave them in the pot or re-plant in the garden. Either way it is a quicker route than planting from seed, obviously.Most herbs can be dried for use in teas, or to delicately flavor foods. They retain their fresh flavor for up to six months or more if stored in a dry, dark, cool .. more»

Everyone loves the aroma of homemade bread in their house but with the busy lives we all lead, no one can spare hours it takes to make bread from scratch. However, with the advent of no knead bread popularized by Jim Lahey, all this has changed.This amazingly tasty and easy to make herb and cheese bread requires only 5 minutes of preparation the night before and 10 minutes on the day of bread baking. In between all that, you just let the bread rest and allow the yeast to slowly do its thing. You heard right, folks: all you do is mix the ingredients together, let it rest overnight, put it into your baking pan, let rise and bake. You never have to break a sweat.This recipe has some whole grain in it for added depth of flavour and healthfulness. I recommend you make the dough after dinner so that .. more»