There’s a new cookbook about seafood which is just being released from the folks at Hog Island Oyster Company.  In addition to delicious recipes from John Ash (a long time Board member and James Beard

Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat Kaffir lime leaves (also spelled Kieffer) are used extensively in Southeast Asian cooking where they lend the most wonderful and pungent citrus perfume and flavor to all

Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat Crepes as we know them originated in Brittany in France. They are thin pancakes made in dishes both sweet and savory and filled or topped with all

Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat I have to confess that I love best the foods of cold weather, especially soups and stews. No doubt a holdover from growing up in the mountains

Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat The cranberry, along with blueberries and the Concord grape, has a unique place in American cuisine. They are the three North American native fruits that are grown

Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat Who doesn’t love apples? From eating raw to the myriad of products that we turn them into. You’re lucky to find a half dozen varieties in your

Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat We usually think of coffee mostly as a beverage and then maybe as a flavoring for ice cream or candies. Coffee however has a rich culinary history

Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat These are sweets that shouldn’t be forgotten. They are often the stuff of our childhood. Many have regional or international roots but if you aren’t from that

Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat A little history about burgers. According to Alan Davidson in his wonderful encyclopedic book The Oxford Companion to Food (Oxford University Press 1999), the word “hamburger” first

Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat THE TASTE OF SPRING AND BEGINNING OF SUMMER  I’m always reminded of that quote from Robin Williams when spring comes: "Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's