Betty Rosbottom writes a weekly syndicated column called “That’s Entertaining” for Tribune Media Services, which appears in newspapers throughout the United States. She’s also a frequent contributor to Bon Appétit magazine and the author of several cookbooks including Sunday Soup. Learn more about Betty at her website or check out some of her recipes.

Sweet or salty?

Definitely sweet!

Which ingredient(s) do you use most?

I seem to always be pulling cheeses from the fridge, picking fresh herbs from herb patch  outside my back door (in season), and loading up with produce from the farmers’ market.

What’s the cooking sound you most love?

I love the sizzle of a piece of meat or fish being added to a hot sauté pan.

What’s your favorite cooking smell?

I love the smell of coffee brewing and the scent when you open a bottle of top-notch vanilla.

What are the qualities you most admire in a dish?

Simplicity and creativity.

What is your most treasured possession in the kitchen?

That would be like asking me to pick a favorite child. Two items I can’t live without are my KitchenAid mixer and my Cuisinart food processor.

What is a dirty word in your kitchen?

*&*!!! (not repeatable!) I use this when I have burnt something that is supposed to be served to guests arriving for dinner in a few minutes time.

What are you afraid to do in the kitchen?

Make those exquisite fish dumplings that the French call quenelles. I adore them, but have never mastered them.

What won’t you eat?

I’m not a fan of organ meats — tongue, lungs — you get the idea. However I am crazy for foie gras, so liver is okay!

Have you ever lost your appetite for a food you once loved?

Yes, when I was a youngster I ate a banana and soon after came down with an intestinal flu. To this day, I am hesitant about eating that fruit.

Have you ever had a change of heart involving a food you once disliked?

Yes, I am warming up to beets. As a kid, I didn’t like the pickled ones my mom made, but today I will try roasted beets, especially when they are part of a mixed greens salad with goat cheese and nuts.

If you could choose one historical or living cook to make you a meal right now, who and what would it be?

There are many people I admire, living and dead, in the food world, but the person who influenced my career the most and who taught me, through her books and her TV shows, the essentials of cooking is Julia Child. I think I’d like anything she’d make for dinner.

Which living cook do you most admire/despise?

I admire many, but Jacques Pepin and Maida Heatter are right up there at the top.

Which food website/blog would you be lost without?

Epicurious.com

Who are your favorite cookbook authors/food writers?

Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Maida Heatter and Giuliano Bugialli.

What is your favorite food-related word?

Ambrosia — I love the sound of this word and always liked this dessert, which was served in the South where I was born.

What is your favorite food-related scene from literature or the movies?

Proust’s madeleine scene in A La Recherche du Temps Perdu.

What’s your favorite food-shopping errand or journey?

Going to a farmers’ market whether it’s the one in the center of my small New England town or across the Atlantic in France (which I visit often).

To seduce someone, what would you cook?

Something decadently chocolate with lots of cream!

What’s your poison?

Champagne — I love it!

What are you craving right now?

Comfort food for these really tough times. In my kitchen, that’s soup, pot roasts, spaghetti, meat loaf! All those old-fashioned standbys!

(Image created at Wordle.)

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