Florida Agenda

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Ánna Pávlova. Often referred to as “pav,” it is a cake similar to meringue with a crispy crust and a soft, gooey inside. The dessert is believed to have been created in honour of the dancer either during or after one of her tours [...]

There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella, seafood paella and mixed paella. Valencian paella consists of white rice, green vegetables, meat (rabbit, chicken, and duck), land snails, beans and seasoning. Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. Mixed paella is a free-style combination of meat, [...]

6 lamb shanks salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 onions, chopped 3 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds 1 liter red wine (that’s like a bottle and a glass) A large tin of crushed tomatoes with juice 1 pint of chicken broth Bouquet Garni Season shanks with salt and pepper. [...]

Blue cheeses are typically aged in a temperature-controlled environment such as a cellar. In the European Union many blue cheeses such as Roquefort (France), Gorgonzola (Italy) and Stilton (England) carry a protected designation of origin, meaning they can bear the name only if they have been made in that region of that country. The characteristic [...]

This delicious, easy soup is loosely derived from the Russian and Ukrainian variations listed under traditional borscht. Who knew?? I made it last week ’cause we had bought too many carrots, and other veggies including beetroot, for our juicing…and of course we weren’t juicing! Right says I, I’ll make a soup with that, and I [...]

This soup is amazing. Light, velvety, creamy. You will love it. Zucchini is the star of this soup, and it definitely changes from the usual way we cook it. It is so simple! In France, “La Vache Qui Rit” (the Laughing Cow) is very popular brand of cheese. They even sell it in a mini [...]

The bouquet garni (French for “garnished bouquet”) is a bundle of herbs that is usually tied together with string and added to a soup, stew, sauce, or poaching liquid to give flavor. The bouquet is boiled with the other ingredients, and is removed before serving. There is no generic recipe for bouquet garni , but [...]

A potato blight that had started in Belgium swept over Ireland’s potato crop in 1845 and triggered widespread famine. In the next two years, two-thirds of the crop was destroyed. More than one million people died as a result of the potato blight, and two million emigrated. Even though we suffered through the Irish Potato [...]

This famous dessert was invented at the beginning of the 20th century by the “Demoiselles Tatin” in their restaurant on the Loire River in France. It is caramelized sliced apples oven-baked in a skillet with the pastry on top; when done, it is turned upside-down so the crust is on the bottom and the apple [...]

By CHEF JEAN DOHERTY Chowder refers to a wide variety of thickened stews, often milk- or cream-based, made with seafood and vegetables.  The most well-known are New England clam chowder, which is made with clams and cream or milk, and Manhattan clam chowder, which substitutes tomatoes for the milk/cream. Other common variations include corn chowder, [...]