I bought some red bananas at the local international supermarket. They were a nice maroon color and simply labeled “Red Banana.”

I was inspired to do this by a recent issue of Saveur in which red bananas are listed as their “favorite” banana to eat raw… sweet taste similar to a yellow banana.

Well, it didn’t turn out well. The first day, I opened one up (with a knife, the skin was like armor) and took a bite. I expected something different, of course. But what I got was a bitter, astringent and INCREDIBLY dry/starchy experience… I mean this thing dried out my mouth, my tongue, my lips, everything felt like I had just eaten poison.

I thought, well, that was awful, but let me wait a few days and try them again, maybe they are not ripe. Pretty much the same experience (maybe a bit less starchy, but terrible flavor (almost no flavor, really) and that starchy, bitter feeling. No sweetness at all.

Are these things supposed to be like this?

UPDATE: Someone on chowhound advised me that it’s probably some sort of a plantain that I bought, mislabeled as a red banana.  Plantains are extremely starchy so that would make sense.

Thomas Keller’s recipe for his “simple” roast chicken appears in his wonderful book Bouchon on one of the first few pages.  I noticed it’s being shared on Epicurious and some other sites, so I figure I can also share it here without too much worry.  It is, he writes, his favorite thing to make at home and just enjoy with little fuss.  I have to agree… this is a fantastic recipe and I don’t even bother with fancy sauces, brines or rubs any more.  The chicken (provided you use a small, nice chicken) provides all the flavor and fat needed.  It’s so crispy and delicious, with nothing but natural chicken flavor, super-crisp skin and a little thyme.

If you want more servings, just get two chickens and roast both.  Don’t buy a huge 7-pound monster.

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I haven’t posted about them in a while, because I was busy cooking and using them, but the Aerogarden plants have run their course.  The herbs are now dry and yellowing, and things just aren’t the same.  The tomatoes actually went first and stopped bearing fruit, although I was not diligent enough about harvesting, feeding and pollinating new flowers.. maybe they could have lasted longer.  It’s to be expected.  All three gardens have been running since early February.

Overall I got a lot of cooking done with the herb gardens.  I really liked being able to walk 10 feet to the gardens and grab some fresh thyme or parsley for a dish.  I give the herb gardens a solid recommendation.  One caveat – you do have to take care of them and clean up a small mess after harvesting.  There are a lot of little leaves in there.

The cherry tomatoes… well they were delicious.  And I did get quite a few of them.  If you are a big cherry tomato fan for salads, I say it’s worth it.  Other than salads, I didn’t find too much of a use for these.  But they did taste good.

I need to clean out the gardens soon and think about the next planting.  Right now I am thinking about doing a lettuce garden, another herb garden and either a custom herb garden with more of the herbs I use regularly (no more mint, please) or a hot pepper garden.

Overall it has been an enjoyable experience and I didn’t have any major problems.  The only snafu was some mold that appeared early on and had to be swabbed with hydrogen peroxide.  But that was pretty simple.  All in all, it was sure nice to have some fresh things growing when the ground was covered in snow.  I will definitely be growing more in these gardens!

Onion soup is such a classic, comforting and warm dish.  It’s deceptively simple.  Onions, stock, bread, and cheese.  When you make it right you will know it, but it takes both time and patience to be any good.

There are many recipes out there for what I will call half-assed onion soup that can be made in a couple of hours by sauteing onions and adding sugar until they brown relatively quickly.  I’ve tried several variations.  This recipe, based on Thomas Keller’s time-consuming method, is the right way to make onion soup.  I don’t think there is ever going to be an improvement on this recipe.

It will, however, test your patience.  By the time you finish cooking this soup, especially if you opt to make your own beef stock, you won’t even remember that initial craving you had for it.  We’re talking about a serious investment of time.

It also won’t matter, because the soup is so good that you and everyone eating it (up to 3 days later) will be in brothy, cheesy, onion-y heaven.

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We started to visit some local farmers’ markets recently.  Picked up some delicious Shiro plums, blackberries and blueberries.  Those were all spectacular.  But the mega-find was a gigantic watermelon with big black seeds, just like we remembered as kids.  It was red, sweet and juicy when we cut it open.  Seedless just isn’t the same!

I hardly have to go into all of the reasons to buy local organic produce when possible (the more of this we demand the lower the cost for good food will eventually be) but even more important to me is the taste.  This stuff just tastes better, and the difference is clear.  It’s another healthy sign of real food in America.

I located some local markets online and it definitely has been worth the effort.  Visit Local Harvest to get some help finding local food.

Cooking with wine is one of the most basic kitchen skills and one that I personally enjoy a lot.  There is something just so right about pouring a shot of wine into a hot pan or smelling a red wine stew bubble for hours.  Wine can do some pretty amazing things to a dish, and is responsible for many of your favorite meals.  It can turn a tough piece of meat into a tender roast or brown, dried up bits into a delicious pan sauce.  Cooking with wine the right way is basically food magic.

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I wanted to share this recipe today.  I love the play between the pork juices, balsamic sauce and fruit.  It’s quite impressive and it tastes great.  It’s also a great use of your real homemade stock.

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