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The Amateur Gourmet
www.amateurgourmet.com
355
#3728 in All , #95 in Food & Drink

Surprise! Dinner at The French Laundry

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9 h ago

The Build-A-Better-Ba gel Workshop

Our friends Patty and Lauren, who visited us recently from New York, did us the huge service–a mitzvah, as the Jews might say–of bringing along bagels from Murray’s Bagels. We’...

4 days ago 1 person likes this

PG Tips (A Morning Tea Ritual)

Recently a friend (who shall remain nameless (John K.)) compared me to an “old lady” because I described my new morning routine: I make toast and I make tea. Tea and toast. I’ve des...

5 days ago

Spontaneous Piano Concert

Live video by Ustream Every so often I like to take off my food blogging hat and put on my piano-playing lounge singer hat. So today at 10 AM P.S.T. (that’s 1 PM on the east coast) I’ll U...

5 days ago

Starry Kitchen, Local & Trader Sam’s

Last week, we went to see “Follies” at the Ahmanson Theater (my second time seeing this production) and, beforehand, we needed a place to eat. I Tweeted out to the world and received a re...

6 days ago

Ten Food Books That Changed My Life

The first food book that I ever read (and the first food book that changed my life) was Calvin Trillin’s Feeding A Yen. I don’t recall what led me to it, but I remember the first chapter ...

22 may 12 1 person likes this

The Warm Tofu at Robata Jinya

If we were playing a game called “Would That Be Delicious?” and you just started to name things–”chocolate dipped beets” (no), “lemon Parmesan chicken wings”...

21 may 12 2 people like this

Yesterday’s Beans Are Today’s Bruschetta Topping

This post combines three recent posts into one scrumptious bite: (1) Rancho Gordo beans; (2) My Love Affair with Toast; and (3) My Very Own Herb Garden. Let’s start with the toast: instead of a...

21 may 12

My Very Own Herb Garden

Our neighbor Chloe is a godsend. Not only did she plant the Meyer lemon tree near our door, but when we go away on vacation, Chloe watches our cat, Lolita. If the list ended there, Chloe would still ...

18 may 12

Bringing Good Food Home

If this post were a text message being sent to a modern-day teenager, the teenager’s response might be: “Obv.” That’s because this post basically says something that you alrea...

17 may 12 1 person likes this

15 Chefs, 15 Roast Chicken Videos

As an experiment, I went on to YouTube late last night and typed in a chef’s name and added “roast chicken.” What you’ll find in this post are the results (though I eventually...

16 may 12

Hushpuppies (A Recipe)

I have a distinct memory of a spring day in New York, back when I lived in Park Slope, at Brooklyn Fish Camp. Craig and I were sitting outside at a picnic table with benches and under that warm blue ...

15 may 12 1 person likes this

Q&A, Take 2

Yesterday’s fun Q&A came to a quick halt when the comments stopped working in that post. I’m trying to get them to reappear (with help from Typepad), but in the meantime–if you...

15 may 12

Your Questions Answered Now!

It’s 1:10 PM here in Los Angeles and instead of writing a 2nd post today, I thought I’d take this opportunity to answer your questions. So go ahead and ask some questions in the comments&...

14 may 12

Fat Betty

“Poor Betty!” I actually said that out loud last night when, at the end of this week’s “Mad Men” (spoiler alert, I suppose), Betty’s Thanksgiving plate contained a...

14 may 12

My Love Affair with Toast

I’m about to make a scandalous admission, the sort of thing that usually requires a press conference and a disappointed looking wife standing next to you: I’ve been having a sordid affair...

10 may 12

What’s Up With These Black Chickpeas?

At Cookbook, the delightful store in Echo Park where I bought my first bag of Rancho Gordo beans, I came upon a bag of black chickpeas. “What’s up with these black chickpeas?” I ask...

09 may 12

60 Second Aioli

Infomercials rarely inspire awe, and yet I vividly remember watching a commercial for a handblender–this was back in the 90s, I think–that showed a glass jar filled with eggs and oil; the...

09 may 12 2 people like this

The Best Curry of Your Life

Go ahead and imagine the most flavorful bite of food you can. What makes it so flavorful? Is it the amount of salt? The amount of heat? The amount of fat? The amount of acidity? All of these factors ...

07 may 12 3 people like this

The Winners of the 2012 Foodie Photo Scavenger Hunt (Sponsored By The CIA)

Look at how much fun everyone had! I have to confess, when I typed up the Scavenger Hunt list last week, I was worried that (a) maybe no one would compete (this was my first year not centering it aro...

07 may 12

The 2012 Foodie Photo Scavenger Hunt (Sponsored By The Culinary Institute of America) Starts Now

On your marks…get set…. Ok, wait! Before you get started scavenger hunting, I need to tell you a few things about the 2012 Foodie Photo Scavenger Hunt. First: choose your partner wisely. ...

04 may 12

English Porridge

As someone who’s starred in “Oliver” twice–as Oliver in 5th grade and Fagan in 7th grade–I know a thing or two about porridge (aka: “gruel”). Rule one: don&#...

04 may 12 1 person likes this

Two Things

1. Check out the new banner by Lindy Groening. If you have bee allergies, my apologies; there’s an epinephrine autoinjector for you on the bottom right of the page. (Hey: I’ve seen “...

03 may 12

The Pancake at Canelé

We need to talk about the pancake at Canelé in Atwater Village. I mean, look at it: it’s totally outrageous. It’s puffed up like a blowfish and it’s filled, almost defiantly, with a...

02 may 12

One Bag of Lentils, Two Dinners

There are two kinds of people who cook at home: the first kind chooses an elaborate recipe, buys all of the ingredients, spends hours cooking it, invites friends to eat it, spends hours cleaning it, ...

01 may 12 1 person likes this

Fresh Springtime Pasta with Farmer’s Market Asparagus and Fava Beans

After hauling home fresh asparagus and fava beans from the farmer’s market, I stood on a chair and made a loud declaration: “I will not adulterate these beacons of springtime with a convo...

30 apr 12 2 people like this

Announcing The 2012 Foodie Photo Scavenger Hunt! (Now World-Wide; with over $3500 in prizes from Th...

Readers, are you ready for something outrageous? Something unbelievable? Something so over-the-top that you might pinch yourself and wonder if it’s April 1st? Well have I got news for you! The Culina...

30 apr 12

Ways To Follow

Some of you may not realize that, during the day, I’m not just updating my blog. Oh no! I’m also updating my Twitter feed @amateurgourmet with things like this fun gay pirate music video ...

27 apr 12

Stop It With The Small Plates! (Except Where They Work)

Dear Restaurant Owners, The jig is up! Do you think I’m a chump? Do you think I don’t see through you and your small plate menus? You’re trying to get me to spend more money than I ...

26 apr 12

Marinated Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about sponges. Well: not actual sponges, but sponge-like behavior. Specifically the sponge-like behavior that occurs when you cook something–pasta, beans, ...

24 apr 12 1 person likes this

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