Americans love melted cheese: on burgers, nachos, pizza, sandwiches, in fondue and queso dips. On the elegant end of the melted cheese menu is a gratin (grah-TAH, although Americans say GRAH-tin), a casserole that is topped with seasoned breadcrumbs and cheese, which is browned. Potatoes au gratin is a popular rendition, but your favorite vegetables […]
[1] Mushroom toast. Serve it any time of the day, including with a leisurely glass of wine or beer (photo courtesy Edwards Dessert Kitchen). [2] A wealth of mushrooms from which to choose (photo courtesy Good Eggs). [3] Lobster mushrooms. If you can find them, they add color to the plate (photo courtesy Baldor Food). […]
[1] A cup of chai, garnished with star anise. You can re-use one of the stars used to brew the concentrate (photo courtesy The Prairie Homestead). [2] A hearty masala chai spice blend (photo courtesy Spice Station). [3] Enjoy your Indian tea in an elephant tea pot (alas, this one from Houzz is no longer […]
A few weeks ago, we received a pitch promoting particular wines for International Châteauneuf du Pape day, held on the third Friday in September (today). It inspired us to write about the wine, one of our favorite reds. Châteauneuf-du-Pape (pronounced pop) isn’t a wine common to American wine lists these days. It’s pretty pricey, with […]
Chef Jamie Oliver calls the recipe below a picnic pie, because it’s so easy to transport and serve at picnics or other outdoor events. Picnic season may be just past, but this recipe uses ingredients that are available year-round. With the popularity of chicken pot pie in the U.S., POT PIE HISTORY Meat “pie” […]
September 18th is National Cheeseburger Day. That typically means a slice of supermarket American, cheddar or Swiss cheese: The same old, same old. How about some better cheese, for a change? Murray’s, a New York City cheese and specialty food store, has a separate restaurant that has fine cheeses in every course. If this is […]
[1] A classic apple dumpling, decorated with pastry scraps to look like an apple. Here’s the recipe from Martha Stewart. [2] Add some ice cream, pan sauce or caramel sauce, and maybe some toasted pecans. Here’s the recipe from Jo Cooks). [3] Apple dumplings as rugelach. Rugelach was rolled with a filling, but not apple. […]
September 13th is National Peanut Day. January 24th is National Peanut Butter Day, and PB&J lovers can look forward to April 2nd. A bit of history about the peanut, also known as a groundnut and goober. First, it isn’t a nut, but a legume. The difference: A legume is a pod with multiple seeds. A […]
When chefs create a recipe, they include elements of salt, acid, fat and heat (and sometimes, a pinch of sweetness). It’s all about flavor: Salt enhances flavor; acid balances flavor; fat delivers flavor and mouthfeel; and heat (pepper, chiles, etc.) is a counterpoint. But what about texture? Good recipes take time to add texture as […]
[1] Ants On A log have friends: like these caterpillars and snails on a log (photo courtesy Woman’s Day: photo Steve Giralt; prop stylist: Megan Hedgpeth; food styling: WD Food Dept). [2] Hummus logs, with either celery, fennel or cucumber logs (photo courtesy Cava). [3] Classic Ants On A Log, given a classy treatment: angled […]