Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This piece originally appeared on Edible Monterey Bay 's blog in December 2015.  Read it there .  I've decided to repost this piece as some people have asked me what is involved in recipe testing. The restaurant has long been shuttered and I have no idea where Chef Franey is working now. Testing recipes is simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking. It’s exciting because you are cooking someone else’s recipe that will be published somewhere. And it’s nerve-wracking for exactly that reason—you are cooking someone else’s recipe that will be published somewhere. When I am tasked with testing a recipe, which I do from time to time for different publishers, I constantly repeat the following mantra in my head: follow the recipe, follow the recipe, follow the recipe. I am notorious for making tweaks and substitutions when I cook. I’m all about using what I have; I don’t hesitate for a second to swap out one kind of mushroom for another or use a different herb than s...

This month, I invited my fellow Food'N'Flixers to watch  Spinning Plate s*. You can read my invitation  here . Unlike other times I've hosted, I suggested this movie without having watched it ahead of time. So, it was a fun diversion one afternoon to sit down with my family, notebook in hand, and watch this documentary that looks at what goes into running a restaurant. On the Screen Spinning Plates  looks at three very different restaurants: Michelin-rated Alinea in Chicago with Chef Grant Achatz at the help; Breitbach's Country Dining in Balltown, Iowa that's been operated by the Breitbachs for over a century and a half; and La Cocina de Gabby in Arizona that is newly opened and floundering. Alinea, helmed by Achatz, "exists to entertain...to guide you through an experience." And food there is a mixture of art, craft, and science with Achatz being at the forefront of molecular gastronomy. He offers a 25-course tasting menu with items that mi...

Whimsy : whim·sy / wimzē (noun) playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor; a whim; a thing that is fanciful or odd You know it's going to be an interesting evening when there is a Buddha's Hand citron soaking in clear booze on the counter of the bar! Back in the 2015, my piece "Bringing the Farm to Table to King City" appeared in the Fall issue of Edible Monterey Bay . Read it  there . And I have seen Chef Travis at different events since, but I hadn't been back to The Cork & Plough  since that interview. So, when they extended an invitation to one of the  EMB  team to attend their wine dinner - featuring  Herman Story Wines  and  Desparada Wines  - last weekend, I happily accepted and immediately snagged a ticket for a friend to join me. The moment Susana and I entered the doors, we were each handed a glass of Desparada 'Fragment' Sauvignon Blanc and a server made sure we tried their two amuse bouche: grilled shrimp ...

December 15, 2015 – this piece went live on the  Edible Monterey Bay  blog. Read it  there . Adventures in Recipe Testing:  Making Chef Jason Franey's Guajillo Chile-Crusted Baby Back Ribs  Story and Photos by Camilla M. Mann Testing recipes is simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking. It’s exciting because you are cooking someone else’s recipe that will be published somewhere. And it’s nerve-wracking for exactly that reason—you are cooking someone else’s recipe that will be published somewhere. When I am tasked with testing a recipe, which I do from time to time for different publishers, I constantly repeat the following mantra in my head: follow the recipe, follow the recipe, follow the recipe. I am notorious for making tweaks and substitutions when I cook. I’m all about using what I have; I don’t hesitate for a second to swap out one kind of mushroom for another or use a different herb than specified. But—in these instances—the results d...

Crì-crì-crì! Chi è che mi chiama? — disse Pinocchio tutto impaurito. Sono io! Le Avventure di Pinocchio , Carlo Collodi Click to read my blogpost for Edible Monterey Bay about Carmel's newest restaurant, Il Grillo . In the meantime, I will tempt you with some photos of Chef Brad Briske's gorgeous - and delicious - carpaccio plates!