I am always fascinated by things that rise in the oven and wanting to surprise my wife with dinner and dessert for our anniversary I decided to look through some old recipes and came across this recipe for souffle. Long ago, I happened to get this recipe from a  French chef who opened 103 West in Atlanta many years ago. The kitchen would turn out some of the most beautiful souffles I had ever seen. This recipe is almost fool proof and allows a little more stabilization by adding a little cornstarch to the egg whites. I broke down the recipe and made a souffle to test before my wife got home...

For the last couple of weeks I have been taking a close look at each and every recipe on our dessert menu including our honey walnut bread which is probably our signature bread.  You see, after the (abrupt) departure of our pastry chef I made an executive decision and took on the day to day responsibilities of the pastry chef myself. Playing in flour, eggs, butter, sugar and vanilla is one of my life time passions. I started my career as a pastry /sous chef for Pano’s and Paul’s many years ago and because of my success Pano put me on a plane to The Culinary Institute...

Mckendrick’s steak house loves celebrating the return of fresh Florida stone crab claws. As this years season arrives with good news that the Deep-water Horizon oil spill will not effect the catch. Stone crab claws are truly one of my favorite seafood dishes. I love shrimp, lobster, blue crabs and king crab but there is something about stone crabs.  Maybe it is because these tasty crustaceans are only available from October to May, making you wait all summer long for them. What is unique about stone crab claws is the way the are harvested. The fisherman set out traps, haul them...

When we opened Mckendricks 15 years ago we started out with a menu that was very basic. No real pizzazz  and as the months rolled by I would sit and trade menu ideas with Claudia Mckendrick. We tested menu ideas constantly, added new items to the menu and worked hard to quickly develop a brand. One item that has become a signature menu item is the Baked Oysters. Claudia came up with the idea and I developed the recipe into a fantastic dish that has been on our menu since the beginning. The Blue point oysters we use are a good steak house oyster from Long Island and are a medium size oyster with just...

My friend and former co-worker, Lynn Patti always reminds me of how delicious and memorable these truffles are. When we worked together in Jacksonville, Florida at the University club, I had to hide the truffles from her in order to keep her sneaky little hands out of them. I swear she would put the truffles on banquet menus just for her own pleasure. I have decided to share this simple chocolate truffle recipe in hopes many of you will indulge in this delightful confection.       Use a good chocolate such as a European chocolate, Valrhona, Lindt or Callebaut. These chocolates are available  at...