Food - Marblehead Current

23 Jul

FOOD 101: How to decode egg labels and elevate your breakfast game

Will DowdColumns, Food

Eggs have been in the headlines for months. When something becomes rare or costly, it forces a closer look. Similar to Marblehead’s ups and downs of lobster. Linda Bassett, the Current’s food columnist, writes about understanding egg labels and preparing chef-style scrambled eggs with caviar. CURRENT PHOTO / LINDA BASSETT To better understand eggs, first read the box. Lots of verbiage. Some significant, some meaningless, some misleading. Here are a few translations and definitions. “Natural” means nothing. Eggs are always naturally manufactured by chickens. “Cage…

03 Feb

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets

Leigh BlanderArt, Community Resources, Entertainment, Environment, Food, Local News

Current Events spotlights exciting happenings in the coming days. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email Current Editor Leigh Blander at lblander@marbleheadnews.org. Social media’s impact on kids and teensWednesday, Feb. 5, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Hear Jill Walsh speak at the Tower School, 75 West Shore Drive, about the impact of social media and devices on children and teens. Walsh is the founder of Digital Aged, a consulting group that educates students, families and educational institutions about positive technology use Walsh will discuss ways that…

20 Jan

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets

Leigh BlanderArt, Culture, Food, Local News

Current Events spotlights exciting happenings in the coming days. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email Current Editor Leigh Blander at lblander@marbleheadnews.org. Rock out to True NorthThursday, Jan. 23, 7-9 p.m. Come out to The Landing Restaurant for live music in the old pub. Local band True North is performing. *** Improve your emotional fitnessSaturday, Jan. 25, 1 p.m. Start the new year with positivity with Shaun Zetlin of Zetlin Fitness at Abbot Library. Learn how fitness can help treat anxiety, depression, stress…

17 Jan

Marblehead restaurants play musical chairs

Leigh BlanderBusiness, Food, Top Stories

Some of Marblehead’s most popular restaurants are on the move, but don’t worry — they’re all (or almost all) staying in town. Fen Yang House on Atlantic Avenue bought Caffe Italia’s building on School Street last year. The Italian eatery is reportedly closing March 15 and moving into Soall Viet Kitchen’s space on Bessom Street (Village Plaza) this spring. Soall, which announced it was closing in November, will be moving to the former A&D Clam Box on Pleasant Street. A&D closed Dec. 31, with no…

04 Sep

Culinary producer shoots new cooking show in her backyard

Leigh BlanderEntertainment, Food, Top Stories

If you smelled some delicious scents wafting out of a Humphrey Street backyard last month, there’s a good reason why. Resident Alli Berkey is a culinary producer for “America’s Test Kitchen,” and she filmed a new series called “Grill Next Door” over three weeks in her backyard this month. “It’s a new show about outdoor grilling, and it’s based around Morgan Bolling,” Berkey told the Current. Bolling is the executive creative director for Cook's Country Magazine. There are eight episodes of “Grill Next Door,” and…

26 Jun

FOOD 101: Putting a twist on classic peach dishes

Will DowdColumns, Food, Linda Bassett

A blueberry cobbler recipe, famously created by Alice Waters, has long been considered the gold standard of that dessert. The West Coast chef reduced the amount of sugar in a traditional cobbler highlighting the fruit's natural sweetness. On the opposite coast, John Martin Taylor, king of the peach cobbler, does not shy away from sugar. He includes a full cup to his dough — and he's sticking to it. Surely their surroundings and culinary heritages influenced their choices: Waters is a Mediterranean-influenced Californian and Taylor…

19 Jun

FOOD 101: Baking classic chocolate chip cookies

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Food

This summer, defying 80th birthdays, the Rolling Stones are performing their classics from Boston to Atlanta, from Chicago to Denver. Their decades-younger backup musicians breathlessly try to keep up on "Satisfaction," "Brown Sugar" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Current food columnist, Linda Bassett, writes about baking the perfect classic chocolate chip cookie. CURRENT PHOTO / LINDA BASSETT Seems the classics are up for a summer revival. Shakespeare in the Park. Bach and Beethoven alfresco. "Casablanca" and "Rear Window" under the stars. Chrome-embellished convertibles parading at festivals.…

12 Jun

Exploring pesto: Classic recipes and creative twists

Will Dowd0 CommentsFood, Linda Bassett

Normally a food column ends with a recipe. This one is reversed, with the recipe at the top, followed by hints and alterations. This is an exploration of classic pesto, a sauce originating on the Italian Riviera, where basil grows in lush abundance. In gardens, on windowsills, in courtyard pots and wild by roadsides wherever the wind carries its seeds. Blended with Parmigiano cheese, green olive oil and garlic, pesto is the definitive flavor of a strip of shoreline called Liguria. Our columnist, Linda Bassett,…

22 May

FOOD 101: Quick family meals for busy spring evenings

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Food, Linda Bassett, Opinion

Is it spring yet? You know, the season when a mother's heart turns to baseball. Yes, I recognize all those families involved in dance and musical instrument lessons and theater are also part of the equation. (All I can say is, thank the stars above that you don't spend afternoons and weekends shivering on aluminum bleachers). We do share a common problem. Dinner. Getting it on the table efficiently so there's time for homework, baths and a decent bedtime. We are always thinking of putting…

09 May

FOOD 101: Quick family meals for busy spring evenings

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Food, Linda Bassett

Is it spring yet? You know, the season when a mother's heart turns to baseball. Yes, I recognize all those families involved in dance and musical instrument lessons and theater are also part of the equation. (All I can say is, thank the stars above that you don't spend afternoons and weekends shivering on aluminum bleachers). We do share a common problem. Dinner. Getting it on the table efficiently so there's time for homework, baths and a decent bedtime. We are always thinking of putting…