I began cooking for survival, since my college cafeteria was abysmal. Since my marriage in 2004, I have done 99% of the cooking for both of us, and it is one of the big ways I show my affection to my wife. I also enjoy entertaining friends, for similar reasons. I love anything baked. I love the magic of putting something into the oven, waiting, and taking out something different than what I put in. I stir fry and steam much more than I bake, however, for health reasons. An egg curry dish, Eggs Bombay, is a Christmas breakfast tradition with us. I love to concoct an impromptu dressing for each salad I serve. One of my wife's favorites is Baked Brie in a Brioche with raspberrry jam. Any dinner for 6 is a cooking triumph, but I am particularly proud of some Paellas I've made, and homemade Chocolate Ecclairs. Gravy is my Achilles' heel. I also notoriously ruined a homemade Alfredo with about $6 worth of high-quality ingredients in it. It was inedible.