{When I devoured the big, fatty hunks of extra smoky, extra thick-cut bacon hiding in the roasted Brussels sprouts at Kelly English Steakhouse last year, I pummeled chef English with questions. Turns out chefs wait years to get their hands on Allan Benton’s bacon, perfectly produced on Benton’s Tennessee farm. I’ve obsessively stalked this swine ever since: tracking it down on menus at Luke, Farmhaus and in this house-made gnocchi at soon-to-open Central Table Food Hall. Last month, I spotted it at The Wine & Cheese Place in Clayton, used it in everything I cooked for the next week and poured its fat into the jar labeled “lard” in my fridge. That’s one point for me. Game on.}
{The floating island has been a staple on Brasserie’s dessert menu for years, but I hadn’t actually tasted it until I, recently, spent a gorgeous Sunday on Brasserie’s patio. After an especially gluttonous brunch of French onion soup, beignets and eggs en cocotte, I was sure I’d take one look at dessert and leave my spoon firmly on the table. But the second I saw that thick pouf of soft meringue, it was all over. A single bite is salty, sweet, creamy and crunchy. Indulgent yet light. Classic yet confounding. If this is what France tastes like, I’ll meet you there tomorrow. — photo by Ashley Gieseking}
{I first worked with rhubarb last spring, taming its über-tart flavor with a sprinkling of sugar, the zest of juicy oranges and slivers of crystallized ginger. I’ve been dreaming of the vibrant stalks ever since. Now that warm air has finally arrived, these ruby-red beauties are stopping farmers market shoppers in their tracks. I can’t wait to melt them down to jam, bake them into cakes, and stew them with smoky bourbon and a sweet vanilla bean. Some things are simply worth waiting for.}
This article appears in April 2013.