The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

Happy Birthday Julia!

Just after finishing my culinary school training, I attended a food professionals’ conference in New York. At one of the lectures, the seat next to mine remained empty until a very tall woman ...

Classic Niçoise Salad makes a Return

Summer is in full swing, and we are trying to make the best of it! One of the high points of my summer so far has been teaching one of my favorite classic dishes: the Niçoise Salad in a recent ...

Mushrooms and Polenta

One of the things I love most about farmers markets is discovering that something unexpected is in season. I always buy whatever it is, whether it was on my shopping list or not, and rush home to ...

A Perfect French Omelette to Amaze Your Friends

There are few dishes as shrouded in mystique as the venerated French omelette. Egg cookery in general but especially the ability to make a French omelette has been used as a metric to determine a ...

Food Comics: New and Improved French Onion Soup

We are pleased to introduce Food Comics from The Chopping Block where our resident Cartoonist Tom O'Brien illustrates his cooking adventures. Tom used to make Alton Brown's version of his favorite ...

Making French Crullers is Easier Than you Think

Our new Donut Boot Camp course has inspired me to make fresh donuts at home. This is a project I would typically save for the weekend, but with my family and I going out of town this weekend, ...

Reach New Heights with France’s Most Famous Omelette

I love eggs. I eat them on the daily in simple scrambles, fancy poaches and omelettes... lots and lots of omelettes. Eggs are such a basic pleasure that it’s a shame we limit them to breakfast here ...

10 Tips for Making Sauces Part 2: Espagnole

In this series, we are exploring the classic French Sauces known as the “Mother Sauces:” Velouté, Bechamel, Espagnole, Hollandaise and Tomato. These base sauces are truly the fundamental sauces in ...

Too Many Tomatoes, Onions and Squash? Try a Tian

Another Summer is coming to a close and, if you live in the Midwest like me, your garden is probably exploding with veggies. But by this time, you’ve eaten a dozen BLT’s, you’ve canned so many ...

Not Just Another Salad

My husband and I have been renovating our home for the past few months, and with all of the noise, dust, and disruption, cooking has been the last thing on my mind! That being said, we still need ...