By attempting two signature dishes from two famous chefs, I managed to push myself well beyond my comfort zone — and I am a better cook because of it.

While I won the Best Blog award from the International Assn. of Culinary Professionals last week, the conference – especially a French butchery seminar – showed me how much I need to learn.

While watching the Olympics, I was struck by our ability to celebrate both similarities and differences, seemingly without contradiction. And the same holds true in food.

I am generally a fearless cook, but the notion of demi-glace has always scared me a little. Not the abject terror that making a perfect terrine loaded with precisely centered “interior garnish” might evoke; it’s more of an unease. And I have a confession: I have made demi-glace exactly twice before last week. Once was so [...]

Dovapalooza continues. After our skimpy opening day hunt, Holly and I traveled south to the Coastal Range mountain ranch of our friend Michael Riddle at Native Hunt, where I girded myself for three days of hard cooking for the annual dove hunt Michael puts on for about 50 of his friends and clients. I did [...]