The culinary crossroads of Central Europe

Some of you have been concerned that recent recipes have been too healthy and light. Well, fret no more, friends. This one suffers from no such delusions: it’s rich and oh my, it’s good. [Read more →]

I made these cookies trying to recapture something elusive. Was it that feeling of new independence, of being on my own for the first time just after college, fumbling along in ill-fitting clothes to an ill-fitting job, a windowless office, my first summer in New York? [Read more →]

French press is one of the cheapest ways to make a good cup of coffee. All you need is a french press and high quality coffee. Why high quality? Your french press will be very honest with you about the coffee you use: it will not mask any faults or flaws and will emphasize the true spirit of the beverage. If you use bad coffee, you will get a bad drink. Try to use a medium or light roast as a dark roast will be bitter and unpleasant.

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Being totally honest, I’ve never liked raw tomatoes all that much. [Read more →]

How do you try out a new recipe? Do you follow it to the letter, or are you a tinkerer? For years, I didn’t cook often enough to feel confident deviating from the written word; the recipe was law unto the kitchen. But after being forced to improvise when I was living in a rented apartment in the Balkans without cookbooks or measuring cups, I got used to following my own instincts over the stovetop. It helps that I was mainly cooking for myself, and I kept the bar pretty low; Valerian or anyone else daring enough to join me generally wasn’t familiar with what I was trying to do, and didn’t know any better if something came out wrong. [Read more →]