Why do you call your
blog Kitchen Fiddler?
I wanted a blog title that
would incorporate two of my great joys in life: music and cooking. I’ve been fiddling around in the kitchen
for decades, nearly as long as I’ve been playing the violin. But unlike my musical studies, which
were formal and incredibly extensive, I’m very much self-taught in the kitchen,
always improvising with new flavors and ideas.
Who takes your
photos? What kind of camera do you
use?
I do. I come from a family of photographers, so it was always my job
to remember the stories and events while the photo documentation was left to
others in the family. But in 2007 I received a new camera for my birthday
and quickly discovered that I really enjoyed taking photos, especially
close-ups of friends and beautiful plates of food. I’ve taken all the
photos on Kitchen Fiddler (up through March 2013) using that same Canon
PowerShot! I am grateful for that
little camera, which definitely kindled my enthusiasm for photography, but I’m
realizing its limits and am exploring new possibilities with more sophisticated
cameras. I’ll keep you posted.
What kitchen items
can’t you live without?
The MVPs in
my kitchen are my Microplane zester and my 8-inch Henckel Pro chef's knife, as
well as my collection of heatproof spatulas from Williams-Sonoma. My All-Clad stainless steel saucepans
and non-stick skillets get a major workout too. I had sticker shock when I first bought them years ago, but
they were worth every single penny.
Favorite ingredients?
I have a huge collection
of different olive oils and salts (fourteen different kinds of salt at last
count!), but I’m partial to Maldon flaky salt and Frantoia olive oil for drizzling
on top of salads or pasta dishes.
Saffron makes me swoon, as do Thai green curries, fresh basil pesto, and
anything with white truffles in it.
I’m addicted to Valrhona chocolate, which I buy in bulk during CocoaRoar
seasons, and their velvety cocoa powder has completely transformed the quality
of my baking. And did I mention
that I love sparkling wine of all varieties? Champagne, prosecco, cava, you name it—if it has bubbles,
I’m totally there.
What’s CocoaRoar?
CocoaRoar is my
home-operated chocolate truffle business. I’m totally self-taught, fueled by an
obsession with high-quality chocolate and flavor combinations that will make
your taste buds roar with delight.
You can read more about it here.
Your blog description
includes the phrase “stories of culinary time travel”. What does that mean exactly?
I have a very unusual
memory called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, and I am the 5th
person in the world to be officially designated as having this. (You can find out more about it
here.) For many people, certain tastes conjure up memory---but for me it’s
often the opposite as the memory itself triggers a specific craving. A number of Kitchen Fiddler posts are
prompted by memories of culinary experiences that happened on that specific day
in a previous year.
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