Here at Ben and David, we love cooking (and also eating), and I have a strangely warm place in my heart for cooking (not reheating) with microwaves. I use it to make pasta, eggs, and so much more. Now, the New York Times is jumping on the bandwagon, helping us put the microwave back on the map. … Continue reading The New York Times Gives Some Love to the Microwave
In the last year, I’ve come to love blue agave nectar. It provides a subtle sweetness that’s more liquid-y and less cloying than honey, and serves as a cheaper alternative to maple syrup on waffles and pancakes. And because it’s less viscous than its gooey cousins, the food’s flavor is augmented, rather than dominated, by … Continue reading Agave ‘n’ Mustard Dressing
Last week, my apartment in the East Village was without electricity or cell phone service from Monday night to Friday evening due to Hurricane Sandy, and I remained in the powerless Village until Friday afternoon. While the damage that the hurricane has done is severe, I like to view my experience in a positive light.
Thankfully, my apartment was fairly well off, in that we had running water, hot water, and gas that still worked even though the power was out.
My favorite outcome of the week is a new dish, which was concocted with a desire to use up perishables before they would spoil. Even with this humble purpose, it turned out to be incredibly tasty and my roommates and I named it Hurricane Stew. Continue reading “Hurricane Stew”
Last weekend I rotisseried Cornish hen for my family (and regrettably didn’t blog about it) so when I was asked to prepare Cornish hens for this weekend I decided to try out a different method. After some googling, I decided to butterfly them (sometimes called spatchcocking) and then BBQ them and the results were wonderful. Not only was the outside crispy and well spiced, the inside was moist (yes, even the white meat) and delicious!
Butterflying is a technique that requires removing the spine and then flattening the meat. This allows for the meat to lie flatter on the cooking surface and thus get cooked evenly and quickly. You can see a slightly horrifying but very helpful demonstration of the technique in this video. The recipe I used was slightly different than the one in the video but very similar.
Continue reading “BBQ Butterfly Cornish Hen (salt free recipe)”
Here at the Ben & David, we like food. We like reading about food, watching movies about food, and listening to music about food. Heck, we even like eating food. And, occasionally, we like cooking.
While I’m not one to be an impulse buyer, today I let myself go during a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond and bought a Pasta Boat. It may seem silly, but I went to the store with the intent to buy a pot for pasta (which would have cost $20) and I substituted that … Continue reading Cooking Gadget: The Pasta Boat
There’s been a great deal of talk about Greek debt lately, and I wanted to turn the spotlight on another Greek specialty: Yogurt. Greek yogurt is a thicker, creamier version of regular yogurt that’s become popular over the last few years, largely due to its health benefits and versatility. The yogurt is somewhat plain on … Continue reading It’s All Greek Yogurt to Me
Whether or not this reviewer bought all the bottles of coffee pictured above is neither here nor there. But what is both here and there is the following; In an entirely unscientific study at Leschenk headquarters, we’ve found that the number cups of coffee one drinks per day is directly proportional to the number of … Continue reading Interesting Relationship Between Coffee and Productivity
All of this talk about the fit hitting the shan got me thinking about the word pieces, which, as it would with just about anybody, got me thinking about the words “Reese’s Pieces”, which then got me thinking about Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, which I happen to be eating as I type this. So here’s … Continue reading The Economy in Pieces?
Salmon is awesome. So is putting stuff on the grill. The problem is that placing salmon directly on the grill often means that the outside of the fish burns quickly but not thoroughly, and that it sticks to the grill. Enter the cedar plank. Marinate the fish, place it on a plank and grill away. … Continue reading Cedar Plank Salmon: The Best Things in Life Just Got Better, Somehow
