Chris Nordquist
Ok, I’m back. The blog, and my life in general, was derailed last week by an illness that landed me in the hospital for a few days. It was a bit of an ordeal, but I’m getting back into action now, and I’m expected to recover completely. I’m very grateful to my family, friends and […]
This is one of my favorite dishes. In my humble opinion, it’s got everything going for it. First, it’s delicious, marrying light flaky Halibut with the rich and complex flavor of Catalan Romesco sauce. (See my post about Romesco here.) Second, the beautiful bright orange color of Romesco makes for an dramatic and appetizing presentation. […]
The flavor of Romesco sauce is difficult to describe –sweet, smoky, spicy, rich, a bit like a Catalan version of a Mexican mole. Like a mole, it transforms simple food into extraordinarily flavorful dishes. Unlike a good mole, though, which takes hours to make properly, you can whip up an excellent Romesco in a few […]
Ok, so this is basically a recipe for a wine cooler, but keep reading. It really isn’t the sort of thing that underage girls drink in 711 parking lots. It’s something you should drink with brunch (in place of the ubiquitous mimosa), or before dinner on a warm evening, or at a festive lunch. The […]
Sometimes, as they say, it’s the little things. Every time I open a kitchen drawer to find a neat stack of clean white flour sack towels, I smile (at least inside). They’re just humble squares of white cotton gauze, but they’re perfectly adapted to life in the kitchen. Folded into a small square, they’re great […]
This upgrade to the childhood classic chocolate sundae was actually the result of a total dessert failure. About a year ago I offered to bring dessert to a dinner party in San Francisco hosted by my friend Marta. She had requested a lemon tart with a chocolate-lined shell. Overconfidently, as it turned out, I tackled […]
Marigolds probably aren’t the chicest bedding plant around these days, but I’ve always loved the bright sturdy little flowers. And I think style has a lot to do with context: I don’t think I’d plant them in a row along our brick walk, but I think they look fresh and cheerful indoors, bunched in a […]
