Paper Palate

A throw-away page in the Sunday Times lists the dishes and the books the recipes come from that are now the dishes to serve at all smart dinner parties, from ‘Notting Hill to East Dulwich’.
Roast Pheasant Stuffed With Barley and Golden Sultanas from Feasts by Silvena Rowe [Amazon.co.uk £12]
Chicken Curry from Tom Atkins Cooking by […]

Just as many children eagarly anticipate the arrival of Santa, so do I anticipate the arrival of the December issue of Saveur Magazine. My eagarness was magnified this year as the magazine was a bit late in arriving, but no matter, the contents more than make up for it.
On newstands now, the December 2006 issue […]

The 2006 Food Blog Awards have kicked off on our main site. Head on over there and nominate your favorite food blogs.

The Times this weekend has a list of ten recommended eateries for groups - probably too late for the pre-Christmas staff party but handy perhaps for later ‘into the New Year’ does and of course for parties over the coming months… for parties are not just for Christmas. As usual all these establishments are in London.
Gaucho […]

La Cucina Italiana celebrates its tenth year of publication with a holiday issue that is sure to please its many fans.
Beginning with the gift guide that features designer knife stands and and olive plate that substitutes as a Solitaire playing board, the December 2006 issue has lots of holiday flair.
The A Tavola (”At the Table”) […]

Nigel Slater’s Food Diaries again, this time for trifle. Not appearing until July the recipe for ‘Nigel’s Delightful Trifle’ uses blackcurrants as the fruit base. Of course none available in a late evening raid into Waitrose so blackberries substituted. Hang the air miles, these Mexican berries were big, juicy and flavoursome with three punnets supplying […]

In the Sunday Times - ten recommended food books; did someone mention Christmas present?
1 A Year In My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell
“A beautiful book by an innovative and inspirational chef… the book is held together by a ‘toolbox’ of basic recipes (for stock, toasted nuts, sourdough breadcrumbs etc) that are used throughout. A future classic”
[ […]

If you were to complete a quick sketch of Food Network star Dave Lieberman’s target audience, you would end up with something pretty close to me: interested in quick home-cooked meals made with fresh ingredients and a sucker for a set of sparkly blue eyes.  So, of course I was intrigued by what Dave Lieberman’s newest […]

Well, actually, how much would you pay for a fungus you could eat?  The Sacramento Bee’s Dan Vierria reports that last week, a three pound “humongous fungus” was sold for $160,406.  It was a white truffle that was auctioned off in Hong Kong to a Hong Kong property tycoon and his wife. 
Truffles are among the […]

Thanksgiving is over and we all need a little break from turkey. Most of us also need a little break from the prolonged kitchen toil that comes with feeding hordes of family and friends. Having exhausted my takeout options I flipped open the December issue of Fine Cooking and spotted the recipe for “authentic” Beef […]