Archives

Making Your Online Cookbook

Ludwig genuinely wants you to have all the tools you need to direct your kitchen performances with confidence and aplomb. He integrated ludwigvanfood.com to Meal Planner Pro, a suite of no-cost functions you can choose to keep recipes, lists and calendars all in one electronic space. At the top of each recipe is a Save […]

Bleu Cheese Potato Salad

Ludwig ran across this lovely potato salad in Dortmund, Germany while enjoying a lovely summer outdoor meal with colleagues. On that occasion it was paired with grilled pike, but there is no reason it can’t be served with bratwurst, chicken or steak instead of fish. This is the only potato salad Maestro’s children will eat. […]

Chicken and Asparagus in Orange Lemon Butter with Potato Carrot Puree

Ludwig says there is no excuse for making a dull-looking dish. He is also fond of reusing recipes, substituting in-season produce for ingredients no longer available. White asparagus is his favorite vegetable, but this menu is just too yummy to limit to springtime. Green spears work just as well. For the most efficient preparation, create […]

Selecting And Preparing Scallops

Ludwig likens scallops to the string quartet and jazz trio; a sweet, delicate morsel that rewards deftness of composition and refinement of execution. Like any small acoustic ensemble, scallops may not be your first entertaining selection but they may prove the most satisfying. Bay Scallops are the smallest, most tender group of these shellfish. Their size […]

Salsa Roja

Lots of composers write music “from” other cultures they have never actually visited. Lord knows Maestro Ludwig has no shortage of hubris, allowing him to imagine cuisines from all over the world. He has eaten it enough to have a pretty good idea of how it is made, and this recipe is a hit. Try […]

Pork Rub

So a fresh pork shoulder or rib rack is lying in the refrigerator, taunting you. You dry-brined it last night (You did, right? If not, do it now), but that was just setting the stage. It is showtime! “Baton is up, and this preparation will make your low-and-slow porkformances really sparkle.” Don’t blame me for […]

Dry Brining

Salt is pure magic. Not only does it make food taste better, but it can act as a preservative or, to the point of this post, salt can tenderize and retain moisture in meats. In other words, salt makes tender juicy deliciousness. Many people use wet brining for their meats, especially large roasts or turkeys. […]

Black Sauce

According to Ludwig, sauces are the grace notes of a meal. They usually are not necessary, but they can do much to liven up a dish. While there is absolutely, positively nothing wrong with the occasional gravy, not everyone has the time or temperment to whisk one up. This black beauty was inspired by a […]