Things around David’s Table have been in hiatus since the first of the year as I’ve been busy getting ready for the spring. While things may seem quiet, the site is far from dead. There has been a lot going on, and I will be making some new posts very soon.
Here’s a little of what I’ve been working on and what’s to come:
Book Reviews
We’ve got several book reviews coming up that I am excited about including The Art and Soul of Baking and a new book by former Spago pastry chef, Kim Boyce titled Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours. I’m also reviewing some vegetarian cookbooks. I’ve put together a new methodology for testing recipes and reviewing books that I will debut with these titles, and I am dabbling with a little video to make these reviews more interesting.
Deconstructions
This was one of the core ideas I had when I initially launched the site. Take a dish – any dish, and break it down into its core ingredients, then do a little research, consult some experts and then re-construct the dish with a fool-proof basic recipe that readers can use as-is, or as a jumping off point to build their own variations. Look for three of these deconstruction exercises soon: pancakes, hummus and salsa.
A New Dinner Playlist
I’ve got a new jazzy playlist coming that I named “So What.” Threaded by the classic Miles Davis piece of the same name, it is a collection of some of the all-time great Jazz legends including Coltrane, Brubeck, Mingus and Monk.
A New Site for Ruth
Of everything that has been going on for the last month, I am most excited about this. As some of you are aware, Ruth Zein is a contributing editor here at David’s Table, but I have been begging her for a long time to start her own blog. Well, she has finally agreed, and we are both working to build it out as you read this. Ruth’s passion for food and cooking surpasses anyone I know. She raises food travel to an art form, and her writing is exquisite. I guarantee you she will bring some refreshing insight and lively discussion to this crowded food blogging scene. Ruth’s culinary influences span the globe. She has travelled extensively in search of great food, but it is fair to say that France and the Mediterranean have been at the heart of much of her own creations. Her next travels will take her to Vietnam and Japan, and we hope to capture all of it with this new site.
Throw Away Recipes
Recipes, recipes everywhere, but are they any good. We all know that the Internet has more recipes than could possibly be consumed by every man, woman and child on earth. But what about all those recipes you come across in everyday places like on food labels, at the meat counter in your local grocery store, the church newsletter or your favorite non-food magazines. I recently received a catalog from a spice merchant that included recipes from their customers. One for cookies even garnered a spot on the cover. It got me to wondering just how good some of these “throw away” recipes might be and whether anyone really ever tries them. So I decided to give them a try and see we aren’t overlooking some real gems.
Meanwhile, my first host son, Thomas is visiting from Germany this month, and he’s agreed to help me build my light tent. This will be a big help. With the shorter days in winter, it’s hard to find enough natural light for photographing food. The light tent should help with that. I have to admit, trying to put together a blog of this type, while also working full time, is a lot more work than I realized, but it’s been a lot of fun so far.
We’ve almost made it through winter. So hang in there everyone. Spring is coming.
