Cooking class in Tuscany

Sage and Blackberry Pie

I baked this pie on a Saturday when I had more blackberries than I knew what to do with and a bunch of sage from the garden that was about to bolt. Two and a half pounds of fresh blackberries mixed with sugar, chopped fresh …

Spicy Heirloom Tomato Relish

Ten pounds of heirloom tomatoes. That is what goes into this relish, and the result is four jars of something so concentrated and spicy that a single spoonful changes whatever you put it on. The tomatoes cook in peanut oil with ground chili flakes, fennel …

Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Pearls

Valrhona chocolate pearls in cherry ice cream. The pearls are tiny spheres of dark chocolate that stay firm and crunchy even after freezing. Combined with pitted, quartered cherries stirred in during the last eight minutes of churning, they turn a vanilla base into something you …

Experts make case for domestic food safety focus

Experts are hoping revised foodborne infection data can shift the focus of resources from trade to investing in domestic food safety. The World Health Organization (WHO) updated foodborne illness estimates thanks to work by the Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG). Incidence, death, and disability-adjusted …

Homemade Sun Dried Tomatoes

The smell that comes out of the oven after eight hours of cherry tomatoes drying at 170°F (77°C) is concentrated summer in the middle of winter. Every bit of water slowly leaves the tomatoes and what remains is intense, sweet, and chewy. Two ingredients: cherry …