Entries Tagged 'recipe' ↓

from Pumpkin Spice Truffles

The amazing thing is that these pumpkin-free wonders taste uncannily like pumpkin pie. Not that anyone will have trouble distinguishing your truffles and a pie, but you just might get asked, “Are these actually made with pumpkin?”

via NPR

One day I was in the kitchen rubbing salt onto some slices of fresh eggplant and tossing them in a colander. My husband paused to watch.”Putting lipstick on a pig, huh?” he said.

a recipe by Anthony Bourdain

You’ve made meat loaf, right? You’ve eaten cold meat loaf, yes? Then you’re halfway to being an ass-kicking, name-taking charcutier. “Ooooh…pâté, I don’t know.” Please. Campagne means “country” in French — which means even your country-ass can make it.

Home cooks share their secrets. Janet Fletcher, Chronicle Staff Writer

The article reminded me of my early days of cooking at home.  At first I stuck to things my mom showed me, basically filipino dishes.  Then into college I slaved away following all the details of cookbooks, even freaking out over how long to bake a lasagna by calling my brother to check my cookbook while I was at my boyfriend’s(now husband) apartment.  These days I’m pretty much just into farmer’s markets and seasonal produce and when I cook I use recipes as a guide having long ago chucked the precision for meals.  There are some good looking recipes at the end of the article and lots of advice from the home cooks.

These weeks’ Top Chef sends us to Cooks.com for a Recipe for Banana Pudding

from the New York Times

The pleasures of cooking are sometimes obscured by summer haze and heat, which can cause many of us to turn instead to bad restaurants and worse takeout. But the cook with a little bit of experience has a wealth of quick and easy alternatives at hand. The trouble is that when it’s too hot, even the most resourceful cook has a hard time remembering all the options. So here are 101 substantial main courses, all of which get you in and out of the kitchen in 10 minutes or less.

from Alimentum Online: Horse Chow By Donald Newlove

Few chefs enjoy cooking for themselves, or so it’s said. For those who would like true simplicity in preparing breakfast, may I suggest a dish that makes boiled oatmeal or even cornflakes tiring and overly sophisticated with their milk and sweeteners. My favorite breakfast when I’m not in Paris is a delicacy called horse chow.

Tomato Bread Salad with BurrataServes 6

Acme Bread Company’s herb slab is a good choice for this recipe. Look for burrata at Cowgirl Creamery in San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace and the Cheese Board in Berkeley, the Pasta Shop in Berkeley and Oakland, and A.G. Ferrari stores throughout the Bay Area.

1/2 pound plain or herbed focaccia, such as Acme’s herb slab, in 3/4-inch cubes

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

11/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, in 3/4-inch dice

1/2 pound cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, then sliced in 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 small onion, very thinly sliced

16 kalamata olives, pitted and halved

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped

8 to 10 fresh basil leaves

The dressing

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

Kosher or sea salt

3/4 pound burrata or fresh whole-milk mozzarella, cut in 6 wedges

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, toss the focaccia cubes with the olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives and capers. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces and add to the bowl along with the focaccia.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and salt. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently but well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Divide the salad among 6 salad plates. Make a small well in the center of each salad and put the burrata in the well. Drizzle some olive oil over the burrata, sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Restaurant Rech, Paris

 Interestingly, this recipe has some heat, but it is from pepper, wasabi, and mustard, not chilies.

 Time: 30 minutes

1 pound bluefish fillets

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 1/3 cups dry white wine

2 tablespoons grainy mustard

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter

2 tablespoons minced chives

2 teaspoons minced cilantro leaves

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Scant teaspoon wasabi paste

2 tablespoons flying fish roe (tobiko), optional

Toasted slices of baguette.

1. Place fish in a sauté pan or a skillet. Pour vinegar and wine over, bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. When fish is cooled, remove to a cutting board and peel off skin. Discard liquid. Place fish in a bowl, breaking it up with a fork. Add mustard, lemon juice and butter and mix. Add chives, cilantro and salt and pepper. Fold in wasabi.

3. To serve, pile rillettes in a serving dish and, if desired, spread tobiko over the top. Or fashion mounds on plates. Garnish with toast. Serve as an hors d’oeuvre or a first course.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings.

Paella Recipe
Authentic paella Valenciana does not mix seafood and meat, which would be sacrilege.