"photo essay" news and stories

This pizza was made with a crust recipe that I got out of the most recent issue of Cooks Illustrated. As soon as I read the article saying that they had come up with a way to replicate the light, crisp crust of pizzeria pizza in a home oven, I knew I needed to try it.

Let me just say that I was not disappointed at all. This was definitely the best pizza crust I have ever made - and better than many that I have had in restaurants. It was light, crisp and delicious - not to mention that the outside edge was full of delightfully airy holes. I may never use another crust recipe.

I recently stumbled upon a great gallery of photos entitled Rice: A Global Grain by Robb Kendrick/Aurora. Hosted by PhotoVoyage (which has plenty of other great galleries as well), the pictures are browsable by categories such as "Landscapes," "Consumers," and "The Growers." The photo here is of the 1200-year-old terraced rice paddies on the Philippines. Honestly, I'm finding it hard to write this post, as I keep going back to browse more of the photos. Most pictures have brief captions and the occasional fact about rice production, like the fact that Thailand leads the world in rice production, shipping 4.5 million tons each year. Definitely worth a look.

Pecorino with peppercorns from the Eastbank Farmer's Market, August.

I didn't keep track, but I must have eaten thousands of dishes in 2005, and tried hundreds of new foods. While I won't admit to how large a percentage "toast with peanut butter" and "breakfast: one cookie, one coffee" were in my personal dietary pie chart, I will offer up some of the unarguable highlights. The following is a photo essay on some things that warmed my stomach oh-so-well in 2005.

Marinated salmon and onion with citrus and cucumber, Tani's Sushi, November.

Crisp, melting, sweet, tangy, citrusy, flavorful, refreshing. One of my favorite dishes in the city.