The Spice Series – Coriander

Coriander is a wonderful spice used in both sweet and savory dishes.  It can be applied in both the whole seed or in ground form.  The whole seeds almost hold the appearance of a Chinese lantern with beautiful ridges running down the sides. Native to both Southern...

The Spice Series – Ginger

Ginger comes from a tropical perennial plant and the part that we actually use is the root!   Ginger holds a very powerful aroma that is sweet and soothing. Dried ginger or ginger  powder lacks the strong aroma but maintains the wonderful...

Spice Series: Cumin

This is the first of a series of 5 in the Spice Series by Chef Jean-Philippe.  We hope you  enjoy it.  Read on for a bit of culinary trivia. Personally, I was not the biggest fan of cumin based on the smell when it is by itself.  However, after doing some research...

Book Review – The French Laundry Cookbook

Thomas Keller, the author of this book and owner of The French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley, is a true believer that a meal is an emotional experience. He applies that philosophy to his restaurant and also to this cookbook. This cookbook provides...

Book Review – The Complete Robuchon

We thought it would be nice to provide our readers with some insight into some of the inspirations behind AYS. Here we are featuring an amazing cookbook written by Joel Robuchon.  Since THE COMPLETE ROBUCHON was originally written in French, Robin H. R. Bellinger...