Eggnog: A Potent Family Tradition

One of my earliest memories is of standing beside my father in the kitchen on the day after Thanksgiving as he made eggnog. I must have been 6 or 7 at the time, because I remember the silvery bowl was almost as big as I was. The bowl shrank over the years, but in the beginning it was huge.

I recall standing on a stool beside him as he added whiskey to the bowl in a slow stream as delicate as a chef making mayonnaise, the electric mixer going full speed beating a whining, rattling tattoo on the sides of the bowl. He was, and is, a gentle man, but he was also big and expansive and that was the most delicate and patient operation I have ever saw him perform.

You can read the complete article, with recipes, at NPR's Kitchen Window.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | holiday | egg nog | npr | kitchen window | christmas

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Granitas

Granita by Any Name Would Taste as Sweet

During my childhood, one of my father's summer specialties was pineapple-buttermilk sherbet. Put aside thoughts of a creamy, citrus dessert combining a tart tropical taste with the refreshing cool of mountain snow: This was a pan of frozen buttermilk with rock-hard chunks of pineapple embedded in it.

You can read the complete article on Kitchen Window.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kitchen window | granita | dessert

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Chowders Lighten Up

Chowders Lighten Up

From its beginnings in New England, chowder spread westward across the continent, and was modified and adapted along the way. Potato chowder, corn chowder and potato-corn chowder are the most common variants, but chowders made of mixed vegetables, kale, and spinach have also popped up.

Read the complete article at NPR's Kitchen Window.

Technorati: Food | recipe | soup | chowder | kitchen window | npr

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