Cooking with dukkah

August 13, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
  If you haven't tried dukkah, a traditional Egyptian spice blend made with nuts, seeds and spices, you might not know how versatile it is. As Tasting Table tells us, dukkah can be used on almost any food, from adding zest to a fried egg to creating a crunchy coating for meats, fish, and vegetables. In Claudia Roden's The New… read more

You put what in the dish?

August 10, 2016 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
When you discuss putting non-traditional ingredients in an iconic dish there can be a strong response from purists who see the addition as sacrilege. Suggest adding peas to guacamole or cream to pasta carbonara, for instance, and the comments section of the blog post will feature plenty of righteous indignation. Sometimes, however, putting in unusual ingredients is just the ticket… read more

No bake sweets to beat the heat

August 5, 2016 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
  When it's brutally hot outside, the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven. But when you still want a sweet treat to end the meal, you may be tempted to fire it up, especially when you have a hankering for a pie made with the delicious fruits you plucked from your garden or the farmers'… read more

Ways to use all of your peak season tomatoes

August 2, 2016 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
  It's peak tomato season in the US right now. Farmers' market stands and home gardens alike are brimming with tomatoes in all sizes and colors. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to find ways to use all of the delicious fruit (yes, technically tomatoes are fruit) without returning to the same recipes over and over again. But thanks to the… read more

It’s National Cheesecake Day

July 30, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
Today is National Cheesecake Day, and if it's a good enough reason for Dorie Greenspan to celebrate, it's good enough for me. Cheesecake's relative ease and make ahead nature are only two reasons it's such a wonderful dessert. You can also play around with a seemingly endless combination of toppings, crusts, flavors, and textures to suit any mood or occasion.… read more

Improve your pie making skills

July 28, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
  Who doesn't love a great pie? Some foods wax and wane with changing tastes (think aspic), but pie's allure has held strong for centuries. According to historical records, approximately 22 million pies were baked and sold in Manhattan way back in 1895, and the number is no doubt much higher today. Pies are popular the world over, and although… read more

Cherry on top

July 17, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
Cherry season is in full swing in the US and Canada. The luscious fruits prominently displayed in the produce section of the supermarket (or, if you are lucky, at your local farmers' market) are just too pretty to pass up. If you aren't sure which varieties are best for which use, Epicurious can lend a hand, with a guide to… read more

Get the most out of less-than-perfect tomatoes

July 16, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
Sometimes the tomatoes from the farmers' market haul are so gorgeous and ripe that all you have to do slice and serve; they need no other garnish than a pinch of salt and pepper. Other times - or with some supermarket produce - the fruit is less than perfect. What to do then? Bon Appétit has the solution, with four… read more

Diana Henry is sweet on honey

July 12, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
It's always a pleasure to read articles from EYB Member favorite and James Beard Award winner Diana Henry. In a recent article for The Telegraph, she turns her attention to a sweetener that has used by humans even before the earliest recorded history: honey. Diana discusses a few great ways to use this simple product, focusing on specialty honeys. She… read more

Why you should be treating your vegetables like meat

July 9, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
Cooks have developed a plethora of methods to transform meat into something delicious. Brining, curing, and smoking are just three techniques that can add flavor to and enhance the texture of meats. But we shouldn't limit these methods to meat, we should also be applying them to get the most out of our vegetables, says Bon Appétit. The magazine lists… read more

How to use up buttermilk after you make pancakes

June 12, 2016 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Does the following scenario sound familiar? You make delicious, light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes for a leisurely Sunday brunch. Then for the next couple of weeks, every time you open the fridge, the mostly-full carton of buttermilk stares at you reproachfully. (Or am I the only one who anthropomorphizes food?) You ponder what to do with it, but never seem… read more

Why Roman food is hot right now

June 5, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
  There is no shortage of Italian cookbooks - we've all fallen in love with the cuisine of Tuscany, Sicily, and other Italian regions. But until just a couple of years ago there were no books dedicated to the foods of Rome. That has recently changed, with the publication of several cookbooks highlighting Rome's unique cuisine. Diana Henry explores why… read more

Take your ice cream sandwich game to the next level

May 28, 2016 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
  Many people have fond memories of ice cream trucks and stands from their childhood. Whether it was cones, sundaes with sprinkles, or ice cream sandwiches, the icy treats were a treasured part of summer. Pastry chefs are now rekindling those memories by making ice cream sandwiches that feature flavors more suited to adult tastes, says indexed magazine  Bon Appétit.… read more

Much more than just a garnish

May 22, 2016 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
Many diners in the US probably first experienced parsley as a pale sprig garnishing a (likely overcooked) protein in a family restaurant. But the culinary herb has so much more to offer than just being a splash of green on your plate. Epicurious explores the myriad ways you can use parsley in your cooking. Italian or flat-leaf parsley is generally… read more

Za’atar is even better when you make it yourself

May 20, 2016 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Those who are familiar with za'atar, the Middle Eastern spice blend, love how it adds a tart and herbal punch to many foods. Za'atar has been popularized outside of the Middle East by celebrity chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi, who sprinkles it on many dishes. The Los Angeles Times explains how, like most spice blends, za'atar is at its best when… read more

An argument for unbleached flour

May 19, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
  A few days ago we posted about a pastry chef who only uses bleached flour for cakes. Today we look at a counterpoint (of sorts), this time from Cooking Light Magazine, which advocates ditching bleached flour for unbleached. The crux of the Cooking Light article is that the reason flour is bleached is because it benefitted large-scale commercial bakeries who… read more

How to make caramel without melting sugar

May 17, 2016 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
  People are sometimes afraid of making caramel. It can be a fussy process: the sugar can crystallize, you can easily scorch it if you get distracted, and it's really hot and will leave a nasty burn if it gets on your skin (or your lip - I learned the hard way not to rap my wooden spoon on the… read more

If you can’t beat ’em…eat ’em

May 16, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
Dandelions are a gardener's bane. Even before the grass sheds its winter dullness, bright yellow flowers polka-dot the lawn, frustrating homeowners who dream of lush green expanses of lawn. But dandelions weren't always considered a nuisance. The French have long found dandelions to be a culinary delight (the name comes from the French dent de lion, literally 'lion's teeth'), and their… read more

Celebrate Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

May 15, 2016 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Today was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day in the US, but it doesn't take a special day for anyone to appreciate this both humble and transcendant treat. There are different chocolate chip cookie camps: some people prefer thin and crisp cookies, while others like theirs to be thick, gooey, and chewy. Some embellish their cookies with additions like rolled oats… read more

Look beyond the pie to make the most of rhubarb season

May 9, 2016 by
 |  7 Comments  |  Leave Comment
  When people think of rhubarb, they probably conjure images of pies, tarts, or other desserts. (When I think of rhubarb, I recall a conversation with a younger coworker who said "rhubarb is for old people." But I digress.) The uses for this spring vegetable (it's not a fruit, despite its usual treatment as a dessert) extend beyond the pie plate,… read more

A brief guide to beans

May 7, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
  We mentioned earlier this year that 2016 was the UN's International Year of the Pulses. We're back with more bean cuisine, this time via Food Republic, who gives us the lowdown on legumes and beans with a guide to the beans you need to know (and cook). Food Republic's post focuses on several "new world" beans, i.e. beans of… read more

All about asparagus

April 29, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
Spring is in the air, and the first vegetables of the season are hitting farmers' markets stalls. While ramps may have stolen the spotlight in recent years, asparagus remains perennially popular as a star of the spring vegetable pantheon. Since it's easy to overcook or underplay this delicate vegetable, The Washington Post chose asparagus as the ingredient in its annual… read more

Uh oh, it’s magic

April 24, 2016 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
  Scrolling through my Twitter feed today, I came across several recipes with the word 'magic' in the title. A Magic lemon poppy seed cake from The Telegraph promised three types of cake from one batter. Food Network offered a Magic lemon meringue pie, although it was unclear to me what was magical about it. There are many variations of… read more

The sandwich cake phenomenon

April 23, 2016 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
If you are planning a lunch or going to a picnic and have run out of ideas for what to make, you might want to consider making a sandwich cake. These playful mashups of layer cakes and tea sandwiches are getting a lot of buzz, likely due to their Instagram-worthy good looks. Country Living magazine provides a good introduction to… read more

Meet saba, balsamic’s gentle cousin

April 20, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment
  Remember when balsamic reductions were all the rage? Now there's a new trend featuring an ingredient that is a close relative of balsamic vinegar. Food Republic reports on the growing popularity of saba, a cooked grape juice product. Saba is made from wine grapes, and is part of the balsamic vinegar making process. It was traditionally made as a… read more
« Older posts
Newer posts »
Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!

Categories

Archives