CASA Blog
Culinary Education

Have you ever said something tasted green?  What did you mean by that? Did you mean fresh and aromatic or earthy and alkaline?  Do all greens taste the same? Can one substitute one green for another?  Do all greens pair equally well with the same foods? The long and short of it is that “green” […]

Butter in Ancient Times   Butter was so precious to the Norsemen that they were buried with large tubs full of the stuff to take with them into the afterlife.  However, we do know Europeans referred to the invading Vikings as “butter eaters.” Nevertheless, the taste for butter caught on.  By the 12th century, Scandinavian […]

Americans get made fun of a fair bit for using the word entrée.  In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the word entrée refers to a starter course or courses, coming after the appetizers but before the main course.  So, is it another case of Americans just not knowing what’s up or is there another […]

Everybody loves food trucks.  They’re easily accessible, they’re fun and, most times, the food they serve is delicious.  Question is: as a young restaurateur, does it make more sense to open your own food truck or is opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant smarter?  Does the larger investment make for a more sound and stable business?  Or […]

The “mother sauces” were developed during the early 1800s by the bastion of French cuisine, Marie-Antoine Carême, and are a mainstay of French cuisine and cooking in general.  Except for Hollandaise, all the mother sauces start with a roux at their foundation which begs the question: what is a roux?  Answer: nothing to be afraid […]

#1 Have a Lot of Guests? Go Buffet! If you’ve got plenty of guests coming to your holiday dinner, say more than 12, a buffet setup might be perfect for you.  Serve dishes on a sideboard or bar area where people can help themselves to seconds and thirds.  If you simply must do the traditional […]

Love the holidays but dreading all the chaos, cleanup, chopping and shopping? Well, with a little planning and a the right supplies, you can make holiday cooking this season relatively stress-free and enjoyable. 1 – Source Make-Ahead Recipes When browsing through those holiday recipes, look for the all-important phrase “make ahead.”  A slew of different […]

When You Want to Get Creative The Mind of a Chef has a surprisingly simple and effective premise: spend time with a well-known chef, keep the cameras rolling, and get them talking about what’s going on in their minds. This documentary show does a superb job of focusing on what a chef is thinking and […]

A few years ago there were two words that were on everyone’s lips—molecular gastronomy. It was simultaneously being heralded as the worst thing to happen to food since McDonalds and the greatest culinary achievement made since Georges Auguste Escoffier developed the brigade de cuisine in the first decade of the twentieth century. These days, it’s […]

For those of us afflicted with a sweet tooth there are nearly countless sources of culinary delights but one delight in particular, the macaron, has been getting plenty of attention lately. This has prompted me revisit the debate: Is it macaron or macaroon? Answer: It’s both. The common misconception is that the words “macaron” and […]

This herb crusted salmon is about as good as it gets and it’s healthy too! Serve atop a bed of greens and you’re in for a super easy, super delicious lunch or dinner. If you’ve got an herb garden like I do, you might want to play around with the herbs you use. I recently […]

If you’re a fan of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern cuisine such as Greek, Lebanese, or Armenian cooking, chances are you’re very familiar with the almightily strong garlic dipping sauce. You know, it’s that super delicious and super garlicky stuff they serve next to the Shish Tawook aka Chicken Kabob and a slew of other faves. […]