Category

dinner parties

  • How To Host An Indoor Clambake

    How To Host An Indoor Clambake

    My usual dinner party process goes like this: a day or two before a dinner party, I grab a handful of cookbooks off my towering cookbook shelf and casually thumb through them. The goal is not to frantically search for the perfect recipe, it’s to let the perfect recipe come to me. Usually that happens…

  • A French Feast for Craig’s Birthday (And The Best Soup I’ve Ever Made)

    A French Feast for Craig’s Birthday (And The Best Soup I’ve Ever Made)

    This year, on Craig’s birthday, I had a revelation. My usual instinct to take him out to a fancy dinner on the big day (a tradition that began with an epic meal at Per Se back in 2008) really has nothing to do with Craig’s interests or wants and everything to do with my own.…

  • The Art of Eating Artichokes

    The Art of Eating Artichokes

    Once upon a time, I Tweeted: “Artichokes: not worth it.” As with all Tweets like this, it had its share of supporters and detractors. Though I was being tongue-in-cheek, I was also sort of being serious. I hate dealing with artichokes. For my cookbook, the terrific chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero taught me how…

  • Shopping is Cooking

    Shopping is Cooking

    When you’re having friends over for dinner at 7:30, and it’s getting on in the day, time grows precious and you have to prioritize. Do you spend it shopping or do you spend it cooking? More often than not, I spend it cooking. My usual cooking routine goes: rush to Gelson’s, gather up overpriced ingredients,…

  • Cooking For A Chef

    Cooking For A Chef

    At first I wasn’t nervous. Or, at least, I told myself I wasn’t nervous. My friend Barrett Foa, who agreed to come on The Clean Plate Club, told me that his dream food guest would be Suzanne Tracht, the celebrated chef at Jar here in Los Angeles (also, a Top Chef Master). Before I knew…

  • Heavenly Hummus with Homemade Pita Chips

    Heavenly Hummus with Homemade Pita Chips

    One thing that I like about cooking is that even if think you know a recipe, there’s always a better version lurking around the corner. It’s always possible to make something better. So, for example, homemade hummus: I’ve been making it for a while. Generally, I just strain a can of chickpeas (reserving the liquid),…

  • The Night People Paid To Eat My Food (A Charity Dinner in Bellingham)

    The Night People Paid To Eat My Food (A Charity Dinner in Bellingham)

    A few months ago–what seems like an eternity ago–Craig’s mom, Julee, asked if I’d be willing to donate a cookbook dinner for a charity auction to benefit the Whatcom Center for Early Learning in Bellingham, Washington, where she and Craig’s dad, Steve, live. I said, “Sure” and didn’t think twice about it. Of course I’d…

  • Reader Mail: How To Entertain?

    Reader Mail: How To Entertain?

    Here’s a question from a reader that I thought might be best answered on the blog. (Note: I edited the letter for brevity’s sake.) Dear Adam, I’ve been reading your blog now for six or seven years, though I’ve never commented. I really enjoy your humor and down to earth advice about cooking. I started…

  • A Really Good Radicchio Salad

    A Really Good Radicchio Salad

    Look, let’s be honest, I make a really good radicchio salad. That may not mean much to most people because radicchio isn’t one of those vegetables that gets anyone excited. It’s bitter. It’s red. It’s red and bitter. What’s the big deal? Well: I like to serve it before a big, heavy dinner to wake…

  • Planning A Dinner Menu

    Planning A Dinner Menu

    Good morning! Like my bed-head? That’s me at this very moment trying to plan tonight’s dinner menu. I’m having a few friends over this evening and I’m in Phase One of the process: figuring out what I’m going to make. Usually I keep this process to myself but today I’ve decided to share it with…