This Mother's Day, gift mom one of these family cookbooks, written by celebrities, chefs, and food bloggers who are also moms. Whether she's devoted to health-conscious eating, fanatic about ethnic cuisine, or considers herself a comfort food queen, she'll love one of these famous titles and hopefully reward you with some home-cooked meals that you'll both appreciate.
Over the weekend, famed California restaurant Chez Panisse celebrated its 40th birthday. The Berkeley eatery, which Alice Waters opened on Aug. 28, 1971, pioneered the farm-to-table, local, and sustainable movement that's practiced in so many kitchens today. To honor the eatery, I've put together this quiz that tests your knowledge of Chez Panisse. From chefs who've worked there to notable dishes, learn more about Chez Panisse now!
Source: Flickr User mikedevlin
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Source: Flickr User Julien Haler
Jake Gyllenhaal, it appears, is quite the lover of food! On his recent visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live, the self-proclaimed "food aficionado" and star of the upcoming film The Source Code dished with the talk show host about taking a journalist out to eat at the Ikea snack bar in Burbank ("they have the best Swedish meatballs in Los Angeles"), who he turns to for restaurant advice (Alice Waters), and what it's like to be overshadowed by other celebrities when dining out.
The first time I saw Alice Waters lovingly coddle an egg in her roaring kitchen fireplace, I thought she was crazy. But lo and behold, fireplace cooking is actually making a comeback, as witnessed by cooking equipment retailers, best-selling open-flame cookbooks, and a growing number of restaurants with live fires. I don't doubt the deliciousness of a flame-licked lamb chop or a charred slice of artisan bread, but growing up in humid Houston, TX, we mostly used our fireplace as decoration and storage. What about you — have you cooked out of a fireplace?
CasaSugar Community member Sourcherries recently wrote to me saying, "Hi Casa, I just found a peek into Alice Waters' kitchen on FitSugar, and I am totally looking for a butcher block like the one she has . . . only in my budget. Haha. Any ideas where I can look? I've also read John Boos' name mentioned on a few sites. Thanks!"
Earlier this year, Slow Food queen Alice Waters released her 12th cookbook, In the Green Kitchen. I recently got my hands on the small hardback tome and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! Since the subtitle is "Techniques to Learn by Heart," the book focuses on teaching culinary basics like washing lettuce, poaching eggs, and roasting meat. The idea is that these simple methods are the building blocks to create countless dishes. The techniques are not shown by Waters, but her friends — Rick Bayless, David Chang, and Charlie Trotter to name a few — from the gastronomic world. To learn more about the book, keep reading.
