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"Spring ahead! Fall back!" That's the simple memory device we've all been taught to remember which way to reset our clocks when daylight saving time begins (on the second Sunday in March) or ends (on the first Sunday in November). The practice aims to give people an extra hour of sunlight after their working days during springtime and summer. I always think of daylight saving time's arrival as a sign that the bounty of spring, beginning March 19, will soon be filling up the...
Nowadays, pizza is more than just an Italian specialty. You'll find people enjoying it wherever you travel around the world, from America to England to Japan to Qatar and beyond. I'm happy to have played some part in spreading that popularity, since I first began giving pizzas a new contemporary California spin at the first location of Spago I opened in Hollywood back in early 1982. Before then, not many people could have imagined pizzas topped with such gourmet and internatio...
It can be a challenge when Valentine's Day falls on a weekday. If you have a job or other demanding activities but want to cook for your Valentine, as many people wish to do, how do you prepare something special after what will probably be a busy day? The simple answer is to do some planning, and at least a little bit of cooking, ahead of time. That is why I'd like to share a special recipe to make for the one you love: a classic recipe from my restaurant Spago for the...
If you have read any of my cookbooks, or eaten in my restaurants, you may have noticed that I have a certain fondness for dried fruit. You'll find them in my desserts, of course. But you'll also find them turning up in many savory dishes, from stews braises, and sautes to appetizers and side dishes, to salads and soups. Some of those guest appearances trace back to culinary history. In Austria, where I grew up, it was traditional for frugal people to save some of the harvest...
In the middle of winter, summer can seem like a very long time away. As you read this, you're probably hearing of record snowfall somewhere, possibly right where you live. It's only natural for many home cooks to want to combat the chilly surroundings by cooking foods that are robust and warming, including thick soups, slow-simmered braises and stews, deep-dish apple pies and other pastry-based desserts. And dishes like that do go a long way toward comforting us during the col...
So many people think of sourdough as an all-American - or at least North American - phenomenon. Credit that to the fact that sourdough starters (wild yeast cultures regularly fed and nurtured to keep available for leavening bread) were mainstays not only of pioneering life but also among the miners who made sourdough the reliable daily bread in San Francisco during the 1849 California Gold Rush era; plus, other miners came to be known as "sourdoughs" during the Klondike Gold R...
It seems to me that people who love to cook at home often have two separate styles of recipes that they rely on. First come the everyday dishes that they make week after week for their family and any close friends who might drop by - simple, straightforward, delicious food they can cook quickly and easily with minimal fuss. And then there are more elaborate, special-occasion dishes that they only make to impress their guests at special dinner parties. I think, however, that th...
During the almost 18 years I've had the pleasure of writing my "Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen" column, one theme has recurred again and again, regardless of the ingredients, the preparation, the season or the occasion. What I've always tried to convey through my advice and recipes is the fact that great cooking doesn't necessarily rely on dazzling techniques or expensive products, but rather on understanding and employing the sorts of simple yet profound extra touches that can...
Anyone who has dined in one of my restaurants, read one of my books or articles, seen me on TV, or cooked or eaten with me personally knows that I think of the whole world as my pantry. I love discovering ingredients and ways of cooking them that are new to me, and then mastering and sharing them with others. In the process, I'll often combine influences from various countries and ethnicities into one dish, creating original recipes in a process sometimes referred to by the co...
If you've been a reader of my column these past many years, you know you can expect one thing from me as surely as the fact that I love to help people cook and eat the best food possible: When December rolls around, at some point I'm going to turn my attention to Christmas cookies. My love of holiday baking goes back to my earliest childhood memories. Every year, the kitchen of our little home in the southern Austrian town of Sankt Veit an der Glan seemed always full of the ri...
You've probably heard people talk about their "go-to" recipes. Maybe you have some go-tos yourself. They're those dishes that are easy to make, foolproof and always deliver delicious results that you can count on for just about any purpose, from family meals to casual get-togethers with friends to special-occasion parties. With holiday celebrations of all kinds fast approaching, desserts are generally the go-to recipes that are most in demand. Especially prized are treats that...
Here's a sobering thought as we all look forward to the bounty of Thanksgiving dinner: According to the subtitle of a study first published in 2012 and updated in 2017 by the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, "America is losing up to 40 percent of its food from farm to fork to landfill." The largest part of food waste happens at home, with an average of 238 pounds of food per person being tossed out every year. On a helpful, hopeful note, the report also includes sm...
What's the first thing you'll serve to your guests when they sit down to Thanksgiving dinner next week? That's an important question for any menu. The first course sets the tone for the meal to come. It should, as the old phrase goes, whet the appetite, sharpening the senses and adding a happy edge to guests' anticipation. A great introductory dish should not only look beautiful, smell enticing and taste delicious, but also satisfy and leave guests wanting more. At...
Many people refer to the Labor Day weekend, now more than two months past, as the unofficial end of summer grilling season. But those of us who love to grill know that you can't stop just because you've turned the calendar page. There are diehards, of course, who brave the elements to continue grilling outdoors. I've even known of people who protect their food and themselves with an umbrella in the pouring rain to keep practicing their favorite cooking method, regardless of...
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I recently was diagnosed with diverticulosis. Are there certain foods I should avoid altogether or specific foods that would benefit my diet? ANSWER: Diverticulosis is a common condition that usually doesn't cause any symptoms. But, in some cases, diverticulosis may develop into a more serious disorder known as diverticulitis. Research has shown that eating a high-fiber diet may play in a role in preventing diverticulitis in people with diverticulosis. Other...
I've seen it happen many times in my restaurants, and you've no doubt been on the receiving end of this phenomenon: Guests order a classic dish, something they've enjoyed elsewhere many times before, and when it arrives it looks nothing like what they'd been expecting. The first reaction may be puzzlement or consternation or delight - or a combination of all three. But most of the time they'll eventually inspect the dish more closely and realize that it looks and smells...
A light, crisp salad that also hints at autumn By Wolfgang Puck Tribune Content Agency When people think about "autumn cooking," what comes to mind most often are ingredients that seem to offer the warmth and comfort we crave during the season: earthy, meaty-tasting mushrooms, savory-sweet mellow squashes, juicy-crisp apples combining spiciness and tanginess with their sweetness, and so on. And all that produce I mentioned also abounds in what we think of as fall colors:...
Who wants mashed potatoes? I can imagine hands and voices happily raised in response to that question, whether it's asked around a family table, at a casual diner, or in the finest restaurant. My sons and I love mashed potatoes (or potato puree, as I was trained to call it during my early years as a chef). Whenever we put them on the menu in Spago or my other restaurants, the number of people who order a dish just because mashed potatoes are part of it may surprise you - or...