Pasta Alle Vongole – Overthinking Classics

Pasta Alle Vongole - Overthinking Classics
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People often ask me about my favorite foods and restaurants. The moment they find out what I do, I am immediately asked what my favorite pie, Italian restaurant, and/or cocktail is. And my answers are always halting, vague, and laced with caveats. I can’t help it. For me, my favorite anything has so much to do with context. Are we talking lunch or dinner? Upscale or guilty pleasure? What neighborhood am I in? How tired am I? Who am I with? All of these are factors when I decide what I want to eat and drink and where I want to do it. But when it comes to the inevitable pasta question, I always have my answer at the ready because that answer never changes. My favorite pasta is Pasta Alle Vongole. So naturally, it’s the subject of the latest installment of my ongoing series Overthinking Classics.

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Dinner Rolls Three Ways – Overthinking Classics

Dinner Rolls Three Ways
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Today is Canadian Thanksgiving Monday, so you might be wondering why I’m posting a piece about dinner rolls now. Well, I like to think of Canadian Thanksgiving as the kick-off to the holiday season. While it’s true Canada’s Thanksgiving is more or less in the rearview mirror, American Thanksgiving is a little more than a month away. And a mere week after that is Hannukah. And after that, well, I don’t think I have to tell what comes after that. Basically, we have a marathon of feasting ahead, so it’s in your best interest to know your way around a dinner roll. So today, I bring you the latest installment of my ongoing YouTube series Overthinking Classics where we will explore three ways of approaching the classic dinner roll.

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Caesar Salad – Overthinking Classics

Caesar Salad - Overthinking Classics
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It’s time for another installment of my ongoing video series Overthinking Classics. Today, I’m tackling Caesar Salad. I chose this much-beloved salad as my next subject because I felt it dovetailed nicely with the previous episode, which covered the ins and outs of crafting the perfect Roast Chicken. Chicken Caesar Salad anyone? If you do decide to go all out and make both, I suggest saving the breast meat from your roast chicken for this salad. I’m usually a dark meat person but in the case of salads, I feel white meat is the best option. So let’s dive into this Caesar Salad.

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Dry Brined Roast Chicken – Overthinking Classics

Dry Brined Roast Chicken
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A few weeks ago, I announced a video new series called Overthinking Classics. The premise of the series is simple, I do what I do best and overanalyze and overexplain well-loved classic dishes. Our first episode explored the magic that is Coconut Cream Pie. So for our second installment, I decided to take things to the dinner table and create a centerpiece of a meal. Roast chicken is one of those dishes every omnivorous cook should have in their arsenal. It’s a very approachable introduction to roasts and it creates a manageable amount of food. And chicken, unlike its turkey cousin, is very forgiving. But even with its forgiving nature, there are a number of things you can do to take your chicken to the next level. So let’s dive right in and overthink our way through crafting this Dry Brined Roast Chicken.

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