• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman I think good cinnamon rolls are taken for granted. There is certainly some craftsmanship that goes into a good, quality cinnamon roll, but I think that the ability to produce a really spectacular morsel is not given its due respect. Mass produced, mall-wrought fast-food style rolls are commonplace. These fat-laden, way-too-sweet gooey dough amalgams are not pure specimens; rather they are the one-size-fits all, “eat it, semi enjoy it, feel lousy afterwards and come back for another next time” variety. In other words, they get by as a good cinnamon... read more

• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman The sweet, syrupy smell of falling aspen leaves, barely crinkling under your feet. Overly juicy, ripe-right-now Fuji apples exploding all over your chin. The wash of tingling of somebody saying "I really like you" for the first time. The closet-fresh, just-risen-from-summer-hibernation comfort of your favorite sweatshirt with the threadbare sleeves and stretched head opening. Coffee with a splash of hazelnut liqueur topped with way too rich whipped cream. Two slices of squishy-in-the middle, gently tanned French toast with each little pocket over... read more

• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman The seventeenth century was a turning point for soup. Bisque was no longer made entirely of pounded pigeon or boiled game and garnished with crayfish. In fact, the crayfish took center stage. And, not surprisingly, the color of this classic soup turned pink. To get it straight, a bisque is defined as a cream soup, usually seafood-based and, classically, thickened with rice. There. I said it. I acknowledge that there should be some type of crustacean swimming about and rice, in one form or another, holding the goods in place. However, like the laws... read more

• Last updated 11/23/12 by Jim

    by: Chef Jim Berman I am simple. I treasure that which holds great significance without pretension. Fussy-less, wrinkle-free, add water and stir. Old denim jackets, well roasted turkey and one comfortable chair that fits my bottom just so. I like to look at the stars without knowing a thing about Orion or Vega. Crisp mornings, crunchy leaves and nowhere to go. Pocket-sized novels, earmarked for the tenth time. Well-worn brown leather shoes with but a trace of the lining left for the wear. There is a lot to be said for complexity, rich knowledge and the... read more

• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman I have often debated aloud as well as alone the one troublesome question that just about every cook worth his or her grease stained apron has asked at one point or another: For whom am I cooking? Do I prepare food as I would art? Is it self-expression - each dish a work borne of my own insight, hard work and wonton desire? Or is cooking a medium for which to deliver food and turn a profit? This can be tumultuous if you are one of those 'type a' personalities, like myself, that likes to work with a clear goal in mind. More aptly put, when working in a... read more

• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman  "They are a hash smoking culture" Robin Williams quipped, "and anybody who is a friend of the hooka [hash smoking pipe], knows Pop Tarts are exactly what you want". Robin Williams was explaining the reasoning why hunger relief included Pop Tarts in the air-drops for the Afghans. And, I thought, naively, why not just drop hash? How hard could it be for our Army cooks to whip up some hash? They are a talented bunch, preparing thousands of meals a day, surely they could muster the forces necessary to get the potatoes peeled and meat diced to make a... read more

• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman The most vibrant aroma of summer comes not from the barbecue, but from the garden. Few can quibble that the verdant smell of tomato leaves rubbed against your canvas gloves or wafting scents from just torn oregano leaves does not define summer. Or plucking the swelling cantaloupes from their viney entantanglement in the patch just by the shed isn't a rewarding culmination of all the sun's hard work. Summer and, more particularly, the harvest is the decisive time to bask in the aroma of a hard season's labor; digging in the cool soil, planting row by... read more

• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman Springtime is sensational for reinvention. All around us there are new vegetables poking up there first little leaves of the season. The gift wrapping is an early morning shower, shrouding the plantings in a damp haze. There are wonderful fruits hitting the market from closer rather than further away. Different specimens of ingredients are afoot. With invention comes innovation. And improvisation. So, with so many delicious components for our meals, it is meaningful to play with your food rather than simply prepare it. Look at those lime-green... read more

• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman My younger daughter is, and always has been, quite taken by the color yellow. Yellow teddy bears. Yellow butterfly stickers. Yellow paper for which to make her favorite friend's birthday card. She insists on the yellow set of badly marred, well-worn plastic fork and knife set for every meal. "Mommy, is the dishwasher clean?" you can hear before any meal, "I need my stuff."  Yellow is her signature color, if a five year-old is needing of a signature color. And besides, it's rather cute. So it was of no surprise that as we made our way across the just... read more

• Last updated 2/28/10 by Nicko

by: Chef Jim Berman The rise of contemporary television chef-dom has done little for the classics. Prime time recipes must fit neatly into their allotted time slots, sans commercial interruptions, but allowing for the back-up bands and viewer questions. What could be a forum for intense discussion and demonstration has evolved into a few minutes of splash, bam and shaaaaazam; it is entertainment with some instruction as garnish. Not to say all is lost, as there are some fiercely talented chefs creating some fantastic food. Unfortunately, to keep pace, and ratings,... read more