Archive for 'Food'

Let me start right off the bat by saying a macaron and a macaroon are not one and they same thing, and I’ll take on a debate with anyone, anytime, if they wish disagree with me. The difference between macarons and macaroons starts with pronunciation (and you will find audio on all relevant words at the end of this article) and extends to history, ingredients, technique, appearance, exclusivity, and price, and most importantly, taste and texture. I don’t ...

Hola Muchachos! It’s Cinco de Mayo time. To celebrate Mexican heritage and pride, I’m doing a little round up of Mexican dishes so you can double-check your pronuciation, and make sure you are getting them right. Someone emailed me querying why I don’t have ‘Mexican’ on my site. For those of you who don’t want to ask, Spanish is spoken in Mexico. It is the same language as you speak in Spain, but the pronunciation differs.  I will ...

*The links in this recipe will take you to detailed explanations and audio files of the correct pronunciation of the French words

‘Sauce Hollandaise‘ is the simplest of the ‘butter sauces’, or ‘sauces au beurre‘ – a category of the so-called ‘Mother Sauces’ (Sauces Mères) of Classic French Cuisine. This simple sauce is a warm emulsion of ...

For those of you who have written to me asking what gelato is, I promise you, you already know the answer, sort of! Gelato is Italian for ice-cream – but if you’ve ever had ‘the real thing’, you know that there is something about gelato that sets it apart from other ice-creams. The flavour is quite explosive – if the gelato is made with, say, strawberries, you taste the strawberries. There is a reason for this – several ...

Spanish words are tricky to say – first of all, as with all languages, there are numerous regional variations of this language. Secondly there is a massive difference in pronunciation between Spain and in Latin America. Here are the top 5 mispronounced Spanish Foodie words explained (more to follow soon). If you have any other words you aren’t sure of, don’t hesitate to ask about them.

1. Chorizo. Oh dear, oh dear. ...

French Onion Soup is absolutely delicious, and anyone can make it. ‘Soupe à l’oignon‘ in French is a simple bistro staple made with minimal basic ingredients – onion, beef stock, bread and gruyère cheese. Don’t be fooled – simple does not mean quick, and unless you are prepared to put in the effort to achieve an outstanding result, you may as well go ahead and heat up a can of the ready-made ...

 A Béarnaise sauce, or ‘Sauce Béarnaise‘ to use the French phrasing, is one of the first sauces a student of French Cooking will learn. Say ‘French Sauce’ and most uninitiated cooks will freeze, and think this must be terribly complicated and far beyond their scope. In fact, the answer to ‘how do you make a Béarnaise Sauce’ is ‘quite simply’ – all you need is a good recipe, a few ingredients, and a little patience.

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Some time ago, a friend took me to lunch. “You must try this place – it makes the most fabulous pizzas”. She pronounced the name “kohl KAT/chee/oh’ which didn’t mean much to me, and off we went. While I was scrutinizing the menu, I looked at the name more carefully, and thought ‘oh wait, if “Col Cacchio” is Italian, you don’t say ‘kohl/KAT/chee/oh’, you say “kohl KAHK/kyoh”. Although it rang a faint bell, I wasn’t entirely sure what ...

I am a Cappuccino!

People who associate the word ‘cappuccino’ only with the delicious beverage made with coffee and steamed milk topped with a thick milk foam may be surprised to learn that it is named after the Italian  Catholic Order of Capuchin Monks. ‘Cappuccino’ translated from Italian into English is ‘capuchin’, and comes from the Italian word ‘cappuccio’ (kahp/POOT/choh) which means a ...

Not a fragrance – but fishy and poisonous!

Fish and Fragrance? Not a combination that readily springs to mind. The only aroma associated with fish is decidedly not fragrant, unless you are refined enough to  think about a “Bouillabaisse”or a delicate fish stew spiked with saffron. But just ‘fish’? I don’t think so. By now, I’m sure you are wondering what on earth this has to do with ...