Gourmets and Good Eaters by Gail Blakely » Uncategorized

tomato mania

Gail Blakely — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:26:58 +0000

as mentioned in last Friday’s food column, more recipes for end of summer tomatoes will be posted here soon. meanwhile, keep picking!

The road to where?

Gail Blakely — Sat, 08 May 2010 13:13:19 +0000

Ah yes, my intentions. Last time I posted I promised to treat my blog like my sourdough starter–i.e. not neglecting it. Today it took a link to The Wall Street Journal, no less, to remind me that I have not kept my promise. “Was That Blob in Your Kitchen Born in the Gold Rush?” is the title of the (front page) article, and it is well worth a quick read. Plus, it has a terrific no-knead bread recipe. I’d better get into the kitchen to check the starter…. here’s the link, if you’re interested: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702304628704575185842461583472-lMyQjAxMTAwMDAwMzEwNDMyWj.html

Feeding the starter

Gail Blakely — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:26:06 +0000

poor neglected sourdough starter

It’s been over a month since I last entered a post, and I have come to realize that maintaing a blog is a lot like keeping a sourdough starter. It needs attention–the blog, that is, and wants to be fed–the starter, of course.

When I pull the starter from the refrigerator, it sometimes looks a little funky–a thin, rather nasty smelling, liquid on top, and a thick sediment on the bottom–not unlike wall-paper paste. But when I take off the top and feed it, oh my! I stir down the liquid, add some fresh flour and a little water, and I can almost hear the tiny “thankyou’s” coming from the container.

Then I let it sit at room temperature for a while, until it bubbles (or “smiles”), return the cover and put it back in the refrigerator. Or, I make some bread–a loaf or two of delicious sourdough.

ahh, the bread!

Okay, blog, I won’t neglect you for so long again, I promise!

That tuna pate

Gail Blakely — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:18:56 +0000

As mentioned in this Friday’s column, here’s the tuna pate recipe , adapted from The Way We Cook. According to the book, Sheryl Julian has been making this for almost thirty years, and guests always wonder what’s in it. I have made it in numerous cooking classes and it is always a hit. Remember to let it mellow for at least half a day for the flavors to blend, then serve it at room temperature.

Tuna Pate with Capers

1 can or jar (6 to 7 1/2 oz) light tuna in oil, drained

8 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

cayenne pepper and fresh lemon juice, to taste

1/4 cup capers, drained

Place the butter and tuna in a processor and pulse until smooth; add the pepper and lemon juice and pulse again. Check the seasoning, and adjust it as needed; add the capers and pulse again for 30 seconds, just to distribute them but not mash them.

Transfer to a small bowl and smooth the top; cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least several hours, or as long as a few days. Serve with crackers or pita chips.

A glance back in time

Gail Blakely — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:51:05 +0000

Here they are, as promised a week or so ago. Photos–a little yellow around the edges, I must say, of my first column. Published on November 6, 1985. Wow! Did I look different!

And I wrote differently, as well. The style seems a little more stilted, but then, so was the process. I would interview someone, or visit a food store (as in Damson & Greengage), then come home and write my column, longhand, on a pad of paper.

Next I would type it up, perhaps making a few changes here and there, then place it in an envelope and give it to my partner to deliver to The Enterprise office first thing Monday morning. Hoagy was working at the High School then, so she dropped it off on her way to work.

Then the column would be somehow magically transposed into authentic newspaper writing, and next it would appear in the Tuesday paper for all to see. I had often said I wanted to follow it through, step by step (sort of like a recipe) to see how all that happened, but alas, I never did.

Now it’s too late for that, as computers have made our lives so much easier in terms of writing and delivering, to say nothing of editing (and spell checking too!).

So take a look at what’s here, and tell me what you think!

My very first food column, published in 1985

Page two of that first column from 1985

Click on the page(s) if you want to read…

When a food writer meets a food writer

Gail Blakely — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:13:29 +0000

Yesterday my column was about Andrea Norris, a talented and energetic young woman who is starting a new business in town. More about that in a future column, to be sure. But I thought readers of my column might like to see what her experience of the interview was…to do so, visit http://www.wickedlocal.com/falmouth/fun/food

and click on her column for this month, Lessons from Val’s Kitchen. Who knew?

Welcome to the Gourmets and Good Eaters Blog

Gail Blakely — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:17:01 +0000

A brand new blog, a brand new world. The first entry seems to me to be a time for reflection, so that is what I will do. As a matter of fact, I will go to my archives and look for my very first ever food column, published in 1985. That in itself, should inspire some thoughts to share here.