Sittin' in the Kitchen

Calling all-day trippers and barbecue lovers! Ross and I took a road trip last month around Lake Ontario via Kingston and Rochester. A highlight of our five-day tour was the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que lunch in Rochester. We ordered Sweetheart Deal for Two ($41 U.S.) - the full rack of ribs and four sides. The tender, smoky ribs were succulent and divine - potato salad and baked beans were delicious. The best!
 
If you're stuck and home and have a hankering for delicious barbecue, listen to my podcast episode with grill expert and author, Rob Firing. Rob has some excellent tips for being your own grill guru: Rob Firing: Steak Revolution, Toronto (marionkane.com)

The new biography on the life of book editor Judith Jones is having its moment in the literary spotlight. Judith, who died in 2017 at 93, was a publishing pioneer. She rescued "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" from the publisher's rejection pile and famously collaborated with Julia Child. In 2012, I visited Judith Jones at her Upper East Side home in NYC. Her little dog stole gum from my purse and we had marvellous conversation about Julia and her iconic cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” – a culinary tome of enduring popularity. Tune into my conversation with Judith Jones to hear us talk about how Julia introduced French cuisine to American cooks. Judith Jones, Julia Child’s Editor, Talks About her Dear Friend (marionkane.com)
 
You can find the synopsis and reviews of Sara B. Franklin's biography of Judith Jones, "The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America" here: The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin | Goodreads
 

Alex Prud'homme had a special bond with his great aunt, Julia Child. I found Alex an affable and warm person. Perhaps that's because we both had a special connection to Julia – I was her dear friend. In 2016, I interviewed Alex Prud'homme while he was on a book tour promoting The French Chef in America. You can listen to our conversation here (and I highly recommend it – Alex is delightful!):  https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/julia-childs-act-alex-prudhomme/ 
There are two staples from Julia in my cooking repertoire: Potatoes Anna and Lemon Loaf Cake. You'll find both of those recipes here: https://www.marionkane.com/recipe-2/potato/alex-prudhomme-julia-childs-act/ 

In 1999, Julia visited to the Toronto Star test kitchen where Julia sampled from delicious dishes of Toronto’s most talented chefs. The video is here: https://youtu.be/LtH6nDnaYog?si=xnLvlSH4w3DsCUUW

Eloquent Toronto restaurateur Jen Agg is a strong woman. Her book “I Hear She's a Real Bitch” relates how the media has not always been kind, mischaracterizing Jen's feminine strength and ambition as pushy and bitchy. As a strong woman, who also had a career in a male-dominated field, I can relate.
I don't find Jen to be a bitch. When I interviewed her in 2017, I found her to be passionate, principled, caring, creative and a credit to her profession. Listen to my interview with Jen Agg here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/patriarchy-pate-jen-agg-tells/

Follow Jen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jen___agg/?hl=en

Old-school fast food is in Sean Brock's blood. The Nashville-based, James Beard award-winning chef recently opened Joyland - a burger-fries-fried chicken joint that hearkens back to the 1950s. We can see Sean's love of diner food in Charleston episode of Parts Unknown clip of him with Anthony Bourdain to the iconic Waffle House. In this funny and nostalgic video, Sean waxes poetic about the virtues of scattered, smothered chunks while Anthony declares the food is better than French Laundry.
Since this was filmed, Sean has found sobriety and we have lost our great Anthony but the charm of this interaction is timeless: https://youtu.be/bct8stbZafI?si=gkcmIcruMV8_HJ51

I interviewed Sean Brock in 2019, you can listen here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/sean-brock-friend-tony-fatherhood/

The Waldorf Salad – named after its birthplace, Manhattan's legendary Waldorf Astoria hotel – has evolved since it was first created in 1896. In my 2013 interview with the hotel's then executive chef David Garcelon, we talked about the enduring popularity of the famous salad. At the time of this interview, the Waldorf Astoria was serving 20,000 salads/year! Hear David and me chat about the evolution of the world's most famous salad here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/youre-a-waldorf-salad/

I also wrote a blog post based on my interview with David, which includes my recipe for Waldorf Salad: https://www.marionkane.com/.../chef-david-garcelon.../

For those of you who are fans of the classic British comedy show Fawlty Towers, here's a link to the hilarious and famous Waldorf Salad episode! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoUH43nI4w

My friend pastry chef Joanne Yolles made Tarte Tatin together at least six times before we perfected the recipe. We went through a lot of apples and butter - but oh my, was it worth it! Practice makes perfect. Tune into this episode to learn the recipe the hacks we discovered after baking this ultimate apple scrumptious dessert: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/talk-tarte-tatin-joanne-yolles/
Here is the Ultimate Tarte Tatin recipe: https://www.marionkane.com/recipes/recipe-tarte-tatin/ and the story behind it https://www.marionkane.com/recipe-2/pastry-chef-joanne-yolles-core/


For more recipes of all kinds, join my Facebook Group, Sittin' in the Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SittinInTheKitchen

Apples are my favourite fruit, and I particularly love the McIntosh. It's truly part of Canada's culinary heritage, originating as a wild seedling in the Ontario village of Dundela. The story of the McIntosh is compelling, with moments of triumph and tragedy. Listen further to learn about the dramatic history of the McIntosh:

https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/core-mcintosh-apple-story/

My recipe for Apple Crumble works best with tart apples. Try making it with a mix of McIntosh, Northern Spy and Cortlands: https://www.marionkane.com/recipe-2/apple-crumble-crisp-crunchy-and-delish/

For more recipes of all kinds, join my Facebook Group, Sittin' in the Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SittinInTheKitchen

BBQ guru Rob Firing taught me two important lessons about grilling steak. First is to use a coulotte cut of beef; for the uninitiated, the coulotte is boneless, has the flavour of a flank steak but is less chewy. (Bonus: Coulotte is usually reasonably priced). The second piece of advice Rob gave me was to reverse-sear. This method requires slow, low temp cooking before briefly searing the juices in. Trust when I say that reverse-searing guarantees a tender, juicy steak, every time!

Listen to my podcast episode with Rob Firing here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/grill-rob-firing-barbecues-steak/

For more instruction on the reverse-sear method of cooking steak, read my blog post here: https://www.marionkane.com/toronto/grill-cookbook-author-rob-firing/

For more recipes of all kinds, join my Facebook Group, Sittin' in the Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1573678999552442

Should peaches be crunchy or soft? What is the best peach dessert? Are peaches an aphrodisiac? Find out these things and more when you listen to my podcast episode about the Winona Peach Festival which takes place this weekend August 25-27.


https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/sleuth-ultimate-dessert-annual/

Visit the Winona Peach Festival website for more information: http://winonapeach.com/

I have an outstanding recipe for Peach Galette. It uses a trick I learned from chef Jacques Pepin - layering ground almonds to prevent a soggy bottom crust. https://www.marionkane.com/recipes/recipe-peach-galette/
Love to cook? For recipes of all kinds, join my Facebook Group, Sittin' in the Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1573678999552442