Robin Mather – Page 4

Six wild Burgundian snails are the star of the wood-grilled escargot ($12) at Le Sud. The Roscoe Village restaurant's version of this dish is not hiding in a pool of garlic butter or served in a scalding hot dish. Presented on a skewer, the mollusks are brushed with olive oil infused with herbs de provence before they're grilled, absorbing a delicate smoky flavor that lingers in your mouth. Tender and buttery, the snails are served with a few generous pats of herb butter that melt, adding another layer of fragrance and lusciousness. A side of green salad dressed with olive oil, lemon and salt provides a bright contrast to the skewer and a hearty country bread serves as a foundation for assembling a makeshift toast point. The portion is small, so make your dining companions order their own. $12. 2301 W. Roscoe St., 773-857-1985, <a href="https://lesudchicago.com/">lesudchicago.com</a> — Grace Wong

Why comfort foods are so satisfying to body and soul

May 2, 2019 at 1:07 p.m.

The notion that some foods provide comfort is probably as old as the adult child of the first cook, who, having a bad day, prepared some dish remembered vividly from...

Steak and stout pie is best with a mix of fresh or dried wild mushrooms.

Pie for dinner? Yes when it’s a savory hand-raised version with British roots

May 2, 2019 at 1:06 p.m.

We often forget about pie for dinner. Not pie for dessert, but pie at the center of the menu. The good old-fashioned chicken pot pie would be one example; others...

19th-century Viennese chef Franz Sacher would be pleased, I think, by the version of his eponymous chocolate cake served at Café Selmarie in Lincoln Square. First, the top of each slice of Sacher torte is decorated with his name, elegantly written in chocolate script. Second, the cake is a real looker: Layers of chocolate cake are mortared with raspberry preserve and chocolate buttercream; the whole thing is then frosted with more buttercream and wrapped in a smooth sheet of bittersweet chocolate — firm enough to be eaten on its own, if you like, with a fork. Third, every bite is delicious. The devil's food cake is firm and pleasant, while the raspberry offers a deep berry counterpoint to all the chocolate. $4.20. 4729 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-989-5595, <a href="http://cafeselmarie.com/" target="_blank">www.cafeselmarie.com</a>. — Bill Daley

Artisan bakers bringing back salt rising bread

June 12, 2018 at 10:47 a.m.

It's notoriously finicky. It takes the best part of two days to prepare: First, you prepare the starter, then the sponge, then the dough. Some say that it smells like...

7 tips for searching Pinterest recipes for results you’ll actually like

June 10, 2018 at 12:42 p.m.

Have you tried the famous Mississippi pot roast? The recipe that has taken the digital scrapbooking site Pinterest by storm is a slow-cooker pot roast prepared, improbably, with ranch dressing...

Marinated and grilled leg of lamb makes the perfect Easter entree. It can be prepared the day ahead, then needs little attention while it grills (or roasts) and you attend to the side dishes.

Marinated lamb recipe you can bet on for Easter

June 28, 2019 at 11:14 p.m.

The motivations of other people are often difficult to discern, but I believe my brother's motivation was thoughtfulness. We were arguing about whether the leg of lamb we intended to...

Your prime rib will taste as good as it looks.

Roasting prime rib? Follow these steps for foolproof results

June 30, 2019 at 4:02 p.m.

Committing to a prime rib for your holiday meal means a serious investment: A three-rib roast of 6 to 8 pounds, a common size (figure one rib for every two...

Sometimes, nothing beats classic pumpkin pie.

Baking first pumpkin pie at 10 earns rave review from mom

May 31, 2019 at 1:44 p.m.

My mother emerged from her bedroom one fall Saturday morning in her customary nightwear — a ragged, baggy pair of my father's flannel pajamas and the strand of pearls she'd...

In "Food and Freedom," Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini argues for the importance of good and clean food. The organization's annual Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre in Turin, Italy, champions those ideals, showcasing such traditional producers as Pastificio Garniano.

Slow Food founder argues for good, fair, clean food

June 16, 2018 at 2:19 p.m.

Carlo Petrini, the internationally lauded Italian founder of the Slow Food movement, is on a mission. He envisions a future where no one goes hungry, where land ownership is fair,...

Savory individual-size pies make dinner a special event. Here we have Swedish meat pies (with ground beef and pork), tortieres (pork) and sfeeha (lamb). (food styling by Corrine Kozlak)

Pies go mini and meaty for a fall dinner treat

June 28, 2019 at 11:33 p.m.

There's something infinitely charming about individual pies, something that never fails to elicit a sigh of pleasure. Though each equals a serving from a larger pie, having a little pie...

Top-loading buns popular in New England, are made easy with a special pan. The buns bake upside-down, covered and weighted to produce the right shape.

How to make better hamburger buns

May 2, 2019 at 1:04 p.m.

Summer means cookouts, and cookouts invariably mean hamburgers and hot dogs. Why not class up the joint by serving your own hand-crafted buns to go with? Like all bread doughs,...

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