I was making chocolate bowls. You inflate small balloons, dip the round end in chocolate, then let it cool on wax paper. Once the chocolate hardens, you deflate the balloon slowly and you have a ...

No soaking here, either. I put a pound of pinto beans in a slow cooker with about 1/2 of a small white onion (chopped), 2-3 cloves of garlic (diced), and a couple tablespoons of fresh ...

Birria! Oh, man. Frontera in Chicago was serving it every Tuesday awhile back; I'll have to see if it's still on the menu.

I've never done corned beef, but you can remove excess salt from home cured bacon by blanching the slices/lardons in boiling water for 45-60 seconds before cooking. Soaking it overnigh...

Curing (bacon or otherwise) doesn't have to include smoking. It has more to do with the salt. You can make fresh bacon, for example, with a dry cure of salt, curing salt/prague powder (nitrite), a...

Boiled or steamed for true authenticity. Save the grilling for your Maxwell Street Polish, the redheaded stepchild of Chicago's encased meats.

Topolobampo (Bayless' restaurant in Chicago) sometimes serves a very simple rustic tart with dark chocolate and fresh raspberries. I don't know if it's traditional, but it's wonderful and suits th...

Dislike. It's more a texture issue than a taste issue. They always make me feel like I'm eating a plate full of antacid tablets.

For those in Chicago, Fox & Obel often has these in both chocolate and red velvet. I think they call them "fat boys" rather than whoopie pies, though. They're at the bakery counter.

Guinness & lamb stew for me.

The key to avoiding the grimy film is making sure you don't put your cast iron pans away too oily. A lot of people rub their pans down with a thin layer of oil after use. That's great if you're g...

Knife cut while chopping dark chocolate for a torte. I was holding the chef's knife in my right hand and using my left hand to help push the blade down through the ~2" block of chocolate. I got d...

Avocados lime garlic salt. When I want something more substantial, I'll add in a small amount of diced white onion, roma tomato, and cilantro. Occasionally a jalapeno.

I've heard that Stephanie closed her restaurant (Scylla) to be on the show. I think it had been fairly successful and well received critically. I certainly hope she wants another restaurant, beca...

Quiche with caramelized onions and goat cheese.

I had them in a wonderful green mole/pipian dish at Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill a few years ago. They manage to absorb a lot of favor without going mushy from the long cooking.