How To Dice An Onion
Cut off the stem end of an onion. Leave the root end intact to ensure the onion holds together. Make shallow slits from top to bottom on 4 sides. Peel off the skin and the tough outer layer. Cut the onion in half. Place the flat side down on the cutting board. Slice lengthwise in half or in … Read More...
Gâteau de Nillon – A Delicious By-Product of Nut Oil Pressing
One of my favorite weekend activities in Switzerland is attending small, regional food and tradition festivals. The latest one was the Autumn Fair and Cowbell Market, an incredible event held above the charming, tiny village of Romainmôtier in French-speaking Canton Vaud. We made the long … Read More...
How To Grate And Store Ginger
Some recipes call for chopped fresh ginger. It can be difficult to find a really fresh root and, if you don't, it can be fibrous, stringy and woody. I almost always grate my ginger, whether it calls for chopped or grated. There are many ways to do it but the two methods below are my … Read More...
How To Cook Polenta
On a recent trip to the renovated 12th century Bruzella Mill in the Muggio Valley of Ticino, Switzerland, I was fortunate enough to learn how to cook polenta by one of the millers. Below is her (time-consuming) method. Small batches (2 to 6 people) can take 30 minutes. Large batches, an hour. … Read More...
Apple Pressing in Graubunden
It's apple season - one of my favorite times of the year. I grew up not far from a huge apple orchard. Every season we would pile into the car and head to the now-closed Bell's Apple Orchard near our home in Barrington, Illinois. Mom would buy baskets full of apples to make gallons of applesauce … Read More...
Cooking A Wild Boar
Wild boar are native throughout Northern and Central Europe. These impressive creatures can be quite destructive. While hiking with a friend who lives in Alsace, France, I was shown small huts set on stilts so hunters could see and shoot boar foraging in the middle of the tall crop fields. Several … Read More...
Cheese Table
Just one of the many reasons I love living in Switzerland. Cheese table at a party at the U.S. Embassy in Bern. … Read More...
Zwetschgendatschi (Plum Cake)
I love this time of year. The heat is gone and there is a refreshing chill in the air. Everything is still lush green and, best of all, orchards are yielding their fruits. This season is so special to me because it is when Mom would always bake one of my Dad's favorite cakes from his homelands of … Read More...
How To Roast and Peel Peppers
Use your thumb to push around the stem. When it loosens, pull it out. Tear the pepper into pieces and clean out the seeds. Lightly toss with oil and place, skin side up, on a baking sheet. Roast in a hot 400º F / 205º C oven until patches of the skin are blackened, taking care not to burn … Read More...
Wine Aging Barrels and Vessels at Jean-René Germanier
I have had the good fortune, on several occasions, to visit the cellars Jean-René Germanier in Vértoz, Canton Valais, Switzerland. The founder, Urbain Germanier, harvested his first vintage in 1896. The company was passed to his three sons, Francis, Paul and Charles, whose wines claimed their … Read More...
Homemade Yogurt
Recently, I was driving through farm country up and over the mountain behind my house in Switzerland when I passed a sign advertising farm fresh fruits and vegetables. After driving through orchards, I reached a beautiful farm at the end of the road. I was expecting a typical outdoor farm stand, … Read More...
Historic Swiss Food Product Posters
On a quirky weather Sunday in Switzerland, we thought it too risky to hike so opted instead to visit the design museum, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich. Of particular interest was "The Magic of Things" object poster exhibit that runs until January 6th, 2013. According to the brochure, object posters … Read More...
Pasta Making Class in Tuscany
My pasta making skills are, at best, marginal. I adore the taste and ever-so-slightly doughy texture of fresh pasta. Living for many years in a New Jersey suburb next to a town named Verona and a mere 15 miles from Little Italy in New York City meant never having to make my own. One of my … Read More...
