I recently had the privilege of giving a talk at the Homewood Museum on Johns Hopkins University’s campus. I focused on Baltimore’s culinary history, but or course there was plenty about Maryland in general. After the talk, someone asked a question about the influence of immigrants on Maryland cuisine. “Honestly,” I said, “if I had…
Drusilla “Dru” Gladden was maybe not the most prominent Eastern Shore woman I’ve researched, but hers is the type of story and recipe I like to uplift in my work – everyday people – and in this case, a prized local ingredient. Dru Gladden liked gospel music and lighthouses, according to her 2023 obituary. At…
Beef a la Mode dates to the 1600s, but persisted long enough to make an appearance in volume one of Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”
I was shocked to realize that Mrs. Florence McKenney’s Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole is the first recipe I’ve made for Old Line Plate from the 1980 “Magician in the Kitchen” cookbook. Produced by the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland, the book was one of the early community cookbooks in my now-sizable collection. It has charming illustrations…
On a winter’s day in early 2015, I embarked on a project. On the meager two feet of counter space in my small kitchen, I laid out a bunch of celery, a bag of flour, a brick of fancy butter, milk, soup stock, and salt and pepper. I took a photo before proceeding to follow…