The Amateur Gourmet

Liver and Let Die (Chicken Livers with Leeks, Balsamic Vinegar, and Dried Apricots)

It's summer. It's hot. Most people, hot in summer, do not crave liver. I didn't mean to crave liver. In actuality, I haven't eaten much... read more

How To Make Broccoli and Cauliflower Bad For You (and utterly delicious)

This is a recipe from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, a cookbook I've long dismissed as too complex, too fussy, too--well--not me. Flipping through it now,... read more

How To Make Bland Pasta Better

The pasta you see above may call to you and cause you to eat your computer screen, but don't be fooled. Before I put that... read more

How Elvis Saved My Pound Cake

[Click to enlarge.] For Elvis's pound cake recipe click here.... read more

Fun with Feta

Oh commenters, you complete me. I did a post last week called Summer Food where I asked you, my readers, what foods really capture the... read more

The Day My Pound Cake Threw Up

"Wouldn't it be wonderful," I thought, "if instead of making a complicated fancy-schmancy-my-name-is-Nancy dessert I made something really simple like a pound cake? And used... read more

We Go Together Like Beets And Carrots

Let's play the Kevin Bacon game with beets and carrots. Beets are in Borscht; Borscht comes from Russia; Russia was part of the original U.S.S.R.;... read more

Spring To Summer Salad

Summer is here, and yet spring is still finishing it's run at the farmer's market. Featured in the bowl above you will see my favorite... read more

Elise's Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Isn't the internet great? On that same trip to the farmer's market (see Green Garlic Soup) I bought a bunch of rhubarb and a carton... read more

Green Garlic Soup

At the farmer's market last week, I spotted green garlic and I recalled a whole section about green garlic in my favorite cookbook: Chez Panisse... read more