Ile Flottante (or Floating Island) Recipe on a French Cooking Vacation
Filed Under Recipes, Special Occasions France
When it comes to Christmas celebrations in France, a lot of traditions revolve around food, and you can learn them on a French cooking vacation with The International Kitchen. A lot of those French food traditions revolve around dessert. After all, Provence has their 13 desserts for Christmas Eve! In terms of classic French desserts come the holidays, it's often the Buche de Noel (or Christmas Yule Log) that's talked… Read
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Pane Rustico (or Rustic Bread) Recipe from Italy
Filed Under Recipes, Special Occasions Italy
While the Thanksgiving table is often packed full of a variety of dishes, don't forget about the bread, whether it's roll or a loaf (or even cornbread)! One of the reasons we love bread on the table with a meal, whether it's Thanksgiving or not, is to clean our plates of gravy and sauces with the bread. Plus the bread is good to have on hand for after Thanksgiving when… Read
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Halloween and the Day of the Dead
Filed Under Special Occasions, What's Up at TIK Mexico, USA
Halloween used to be a predominantly American holiday - and it still is to tell the truth. But from my first visit to Italy in 1990, when my Italian friends wondered what that thing was they saw in American movies with costumes and candy - to now, Halloween has grown in popularity across the globe. It's no wonder really: as the globe "shrinks" our festival and holidays bleed into other… Read
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Chef David Sterling's Recipe for Chiles en Nogada
Filed Under Food History, Recipes, Special Occasions Mexico
Next Friday, September 16, the Mexicans will celebrate their independence day. (No, it's not celebrated on May 5!) The traditional dish for the day is the famous "chiles en nogada," or stuffed poblano chile pepper in walnut sauce. The colorful dish mimics the red, white, and green of the Mexican flag (much like Napoli's famous pizza Margherita echoes the colors of the Italian flag). Browse our cooking vacations in Mexico.… Read
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Our Favorite Holiday and Festival Food Traditions
Filed Under Special Occasions, What's Up at TIK France, Italy, Mexico
We're talking about festivals this week, and for us at The International Kitchen, festivals mean food! Whether we're talking sausages at Oktoberfest, or barbacoa during Cinco de Mayo in Puebla, there are certain foods and certain festivals that just seem to go together. This got us to thinking about some of our favorites. Corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day? Of course, although you won't find that in Ireland… Read
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Ferragosto: Italians on Holiday
Filed Under Destination Features, Special Occasions Italy
Perhaps the single most popular time for Italians to take a vacation the week of "Ferragosto," the summer holiday that falls on August 15. This is the time when shops and restaurants close, people head to the beach or the countryside, and all of Italy is on holiday. Although it might seem like a European version of a Labor Day picnic, the origins of the holiday purportedly go back to… Read
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