The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

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

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 ...

Quest for Cassoulet

I have eaten a lot of cassoulet over the years and have a developed an understanding of what it should be: both rich and light, both crunchy and creamy, both earthy and bright and without a doubt, ...

Soufflé All Day

Spring has finally hit Chicago with a vengeance: flowers popping, showers washing away the last dregs of winter and warm breezy nights blowing in the promise of summer. The first signs of life are ...

Winning French Onion Dip

Football is a big deal in my house. Sundays are spent in sweatpants, cozied up on the couch, yelling at the TV, and enjoying delicious food to go along with the games (this is an all-day affair after ...

Foolproof Homemade Bread

I need to make a confession… for many years I felt extremely intimidated to bake bread. The kneading, the waiting, the pans it involved, it just felt too complicated. Even after I studied at a ...

Salad Lyonnaise: A Cozy and Satisfying Winter Salad

I'm not always inclined to eat salads during the winter months, but occasionally it feels good to balance all of those rich and hearty cold weather foods with something bright and crisp. Salad ...

Food Comics: Deconstructed Croque Madames

We are pleased to introduce Food Comics from The Chopping Block where our resident Cartoonist Tom O'Brien illustrates his cooking adventures. Here, he shows us how to deconstruct a classic French ...