- Croque Monsieur Ham and Cheese Sandwich
- Years ago, a French friend of mine introduced me to Croque-Monsieur, the French version of a toasted ham and Swiss sandwich. I remember it being loaded with butter and cheese, and absolutely the most delicious sandwich in the world. My...
- Scalloped Potatoes
- There are many ways to make delicious scalloped potatoes. For this version, I consulted several books - Kitchen Sense, two James Beards, and the Joy of Cooking. Basically you layer thinly sliced potatoes with any number of extras - cheese...
- Cheese Fondue
- Being a quintessential Swiss dish, cheese fondue conjures up images for me of alpine ski huts, deep snow and 20°F weather. Well, we don't get much snow or cold weather in the California central valley, but that doesn't mean we...
- Caramelized Onion Quiche
- Ever wake up in the morning with a craving for a specific food? This morning it was quiche, specifically an onion quiche. To my dear father who turned up his nose at this masterpiece, mumbling something about real men, I...
- Rustic Onion Tart
- I recently observed my friend Suzanne whip up a couple onion tarts for a family meal and was so impressed by the wonderful flavor of the caramelized onion, I decided to try my hand at it. I've deviated a bit...
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon and Pear
- A few months ago I had the pleasure of accompanying Amy of Cooking with Amy and Brett of In Praise of Sardines for a light bite to eat at the Arlequin deli in Hayes Valley, San Francisco. Amy highly recommended...
- Asparagus Frittata
- My father got bit by the frittata bug this week and made these for us for lunch a few days ago. This is a quick and easy, no-nonsense recipe that makes a terrific frittata in hardly any time at all.
- Mushroom Quiche
- Now I see why people use frozen pie-crusts to make quiche. It's a lot of work to make the crust from scratch, especially when you "blind bake" (pre-bake) the crust. But there is nothing better than a real butter crust...
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Sauerkraut on Rye
- I used to love grilled cheese sandwiches growing up; cheddar on wheat bread is what we usually had, using plenty of butter to make the toast tasty and crispy. Here is a variation of that classic theme, but using aged...