Columbo was definitely a good cook, however, in some episodes he says the opposite. And it's also debatable whether Mrs Columbo can cook or not.

In "Murder by the Book" he says about not being able to cook very well, but there's one thing he can make is a great omelette.

In "Double Shock" he helps with Paris's cookery show, but says after that Mrs Columbo tries all his recipes but they always fail (although he's using this to trying and find out about the equipment).

Yet, as we see in "Murder Under Glass" he really does know his stuff as he's able to identify the different dishes and really appreciates them - yet has never tried sushi.

Wow, how did I miss that continuity error? You are absolutely right... guess his cooking comes and goes to suit the situation. Like when I really want to dine out, suddenly the chicken practically burns itself!

Well in this episode (death lends a hand), I only have the french version, where Brimmer says it's Sole Quenelle (it's the moment where Brimmer proposes to Columbo to work for him).
I searched in the english subtitles, but no trace of "niçoise" in the english subtitles I found, only "sole quenelles".
Therecipe was a little bit hard to find but here is an example :

http://translate.google.fr/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgusteaucookbook.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F05%2Fquenelles-de-sole%2F

About Columbo's wife, I remember in Murder under glass that he tells that "Mrs Columbo is a perfet wife on many points, but she is not interested in cooking", or something like that (translated from the french version).

PS to wendy : De rien! / Je vous en prie! =)

LOL Okay that is embarrassing - I must have confused two episodes, because now I have watched that part, and you're right, it's sole (and it isn't breaded).

I know there is an episode where he's dealing with a fish amandine, but this one isn't it. Oops sorry about that, Bryce! :)

I wouldn't say it's a continuity error, like you say he uses it depending on the situation.

I mean there are other inconsistencies, for example in one episode he says he doesn't like heights, but in another (one of the newer ones) he goes up in a cherry picker without much problem.

Look at "Suitable for Framing". He purports to know nothing about art, and yet knows that one artist's paintings are more valuable than another ("Wouldn't you take a de Groot first...") and they're not that well known artists either. In fact he mentions someone like "Barenbam", but I can't find it on the internet.

No problem, Wendy! I was actually thinking of that amandine recipe, too, but couldn't recall which episode it was from. After trying to remember, I think it's in "Publish or Perish", when Columbo's having a meal at a restaurant with Riley Greenleaf's rival publishers. But thank you for pointing out the recipe, because that sounds good, too! And thank you, noorvensen, for identifying the sole quenelle; I don't think I would have ever been able to find out the correct name myself!

Ah you are right, I think it was from their restaurant meal in that episode. Thanks! :)

A quick and easy Columbo-prepared recipe from Dexter Paris's cooking show in "Double Shock":

Hollandaise Sauce
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Ingredients:
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 c. melted butter
~ 1/3-1/2 c. lemon juice (qty. is a guesstimate)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Several "uh"s sprinkled throughout
- Steamed or sautéed green veggies

Directions:
1) Melt the butter. Add butter, yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper to blender and blend briefly but thoroughly.
2) Dish out your steamed or sautéed veggies (asparagus? Brussels sprouts? broccoli florets? Can anyone figure out what those are that he's serving?) onto a plate and dress with Hollandaise.

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I looked up the recipe online, and it's legit - that is all there is to it! Here's an "official" blender-based Hollandaise that is roughly the same thing, but with a bit more elaboration on technique:

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_blender_hollandaise_sauce/

In honor of the clue in "Double Exposure," ...

Caviar Varieties and Terms:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/seafood/a/caviarvarieties.htm
*The type in "Double Exposure" is listed as "royal Iranian beluga" in the subtitles/script.

How to Eat Caviar (Columbo double-dips -- don't YOU make this mistake! *grin*):
http://homecooking.about.com/od/etiquette/a/caviaretiquett.htm

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Interestingly, my Columbo DVD collection came bundled with "surprise episodes" of the Mrs. Columbo show, and one of her episodes was also based on caviar being employed by the killer. I guess Hollywood script writers assume cops and journalists eat caviar with wild abandon.

Columbo aficionado and analyst here... the Caprese salad (if you look carefully while it's being prepared, then the crunch when Columbo eats the first piece) also had a red onion in it..

I thing that's a very important part of the recipe..