We've talked about David Tanis' small kitchen rituals, and reviewed the new book from this Chez Panisse chef. But since David's books focus on entertaining at home and feeding people at a long, convivial table (something I'm deeply interested in too) I didn't want to leave it there. I had a few questions for David on cooking for a crowd, the best dishes for winter, and the secrets of relaxing instead of seizing up when you have ten to dinner. More

A light sprinkling of salt on your comforting, mellow, bowl full of ice cream? My grandmother would be aghast. That doesn't mean I didn't immediately try it and love it, after my conversation with Mark Bitterman. More

As holiday baking projects take over my kitchen, I find myself thinking of friends and family with gluten intolerance who might not be looking at this time of year so favorably. I caught up with Geri Peacock of the gluten-free Cherbourg Bakery in Columbus, Ohio to ask for some expert advice. Here’s her recommendation for a flour substitute that’s simple to make and even easier to use. More

Ina Garten recently released her latest book: Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust (see our review here). Today I want to revisit an interview I did with Garten a little while back. She gave me a few of her favorite tips for entertaining and making dinner, as well as some of the tools that really help out in her kitchen. For common mistakes cooks make, to why she loves roasting so much, to her unexpected favorite tools — plus her views on freezing meals and what she cooks when she's all by herself — read on! More

Spending the afternoon at the Portland food carts with New York Times food writer Mark Bittman was a dream come true. His talk later that evening on his new book — The Food Matters Cookbook — was also entertaining, informative and inspiring. The most intriguing part of our visit, however was the way he bit into and savored his grilled Gruyère cheese sandwich.  More

When she was a pastry chef at Chez Panisse, Jehnee Rains was asked to develop the restaurant's recipe for Crêpes Suzette. From the testing and retesting of several versions, she came up with what turned out to be the Holy Grail of sweet crêpes. She shared a few unusual tips that make these perfectly sweet crêpes stand out — and one very unusual ingredient. Can you guess? More

Where would French Week be without a little foray into the world of cheese? Sasha Davies, a Portland, Oregon based cheesemonger and author, took the time to chat with me about the cheeses of California, Oregon and Washington. We talked about her new book and how American cheeses stand up to those stinky white blocks of France. She also tells us of a certain cheese with a peach-colored rind that makes her "weak in the knees." Which cheeses make your knees buckle? More

Where do the ingredients that make up a pizza really come from? Did someone ever teach you this in school? With more and more schools and community programs focusing on organic agriculture, we turned to an expert, Beret Halverson, at a very special location in Portland, Oregon. This 12-acre site is a Learning Garden. Have you ever been to such a place? More

It's been almost a year since we featured the then-brand-new web TV cooking show called Work Class Foodies.

There are now over 50 episodes up on their site so we thought it was time to check in again and see how things are going. More

I chatted with Ina Garten last week, in an interview about her upcoming book. And of course, since Cocktail Week was impending, I had to ask her about her favorite cocktail! Here's what she said, along with some tips for throwing parties when cocktails are involved. More