Today’s tip: Get to know farmer cheese. We grew up on it: Our grandparents loved it, our mother loved it and we’re in love with its milky freshness, too. For eating at breakfast, for crostini, for a cooking cheese, it’s a tangier option to ricotta: Middle Europe versus Italy. This tip is all about farmer […]
[1] Honey ice cream with a luscious cherry swirl. The recipe is below (all photos © Vermont Creamery). [2] Some people love their ice cream in a dish, others in a cone. [3] Crème fraîche is packaged in eight-ounce tubs. You’ll have to resist eating the contents with a spoon! A few years ago, […]
The one food prep task we fear is slicing and peeling butternut squash (and all the winter* squashes, but we eat butternut most often). It’s not the easiest thing to slice and peel, given the force needed to cut through the squash. Even with a firm cutting board and a super-sharp knife, we face with […]
[XXXX] [XXXX] [XXXX] It’s been a while since I succumbed to the siren song of a good Mac and Cheese. I’ve tried a few fancy versions at various gourmet purveyors and even an unnamed frozen variety, but nothing has quite hit the mark. And, to be honest, because my favorites have always involved way […]
[1] Chocolate bacon potato chips, a delicious snack or dessert with ice cream (photos #1 and #2 © Castle Ranch Steakhouse [since closed]). [2] If you prefer, you can cut crinkle chips, but they will be thicker. [3] Idaho Russet Potato† (photo © Idaho Potato Commission). [4] Huckleberries are a different species in the same […]
We love cheesecake. Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s a sweet cheesecake, but every once in a while we come across—or decide to bake—a savory cheesecake. There’s no sugar. Using a base of cream cheese—just like dessert cheesecake—it’s an unsweetened cheesecake that combines savory ingredients: herbs, vegetables, seafood and/or other cheeses. Savory cheesecakes are always […]
[1] A modern execution of the Welsh Rarebit, topped sauce instead of a pourover (photo by Tristan Kenney is licensed under-CC-BY-2.0). [2] This upscale version uses an artisan bread loaf with the crusts cut off (photo by The Food Place.co_.uk is licensed under CC-BY-2.0). [3] This creation has a side of tomatoes, a fried egg […]
September is California Wine Month, and one of California’s most distinguished wines is Zinfandel. Zin, as it’s called for short, is a black-skinned wine grape (photo #5) that produces a robust, bold and spicy red wine that can stand up to the most robust and rich foods. While the Zinfandel grape is only grown in […]
Summer isn’t over yet, and the upcoming long weekend calls for lots of refreshment. We’re making a pitcher of rosé sangria, which is lighter and more thirst-quenching than a the more traditional red-wine sangria. You can make the sangria up to two days in advance, so it’s ready to pour when you’re ready to kick […]
Baby gold potatoes, ready to peel the day before (photo © Melissa’s Produce). September is National Potato Month. We’ve got a tip for anyone who peels potatoes, to cut down on potato prep time. The solution is a time shuffle: Peel the potatoes the day before. Sound obvious? It is! We peel potatoes the […]