Fast Company ran an article yesterday on how the gourmet food magazine Bon Appetit shot its entire March issue on iPhones. The magazine’s creative director, Alex Grossman, observed: I’m not going to say we were making fun of ourselves as we did it, but so rarely, in making a magazine, does it mimic real life. I’m … Continue reading Good Enough
The real reason that ignited my recent passion for Sous Vide was seeing Chef John’s recipe for duck breast right as I was wondering what to do with the Grow and Behold duck breast in my freezer. Not only did he make it look easy without any expensive equipment, but the finished product looks so amazing that you just have to check out the video yourself. I’ll wait..
Continue reading “Sous Vide Cooking: Duck Breast with Raspberry Sauce”
While we haven’t spoken about sous-vide cooking on this blog before, it has been on my mind for years. If you’ve never heard of it, Sous Vide is a method of cooking sealed food in a temperature controlled water bath, letting it slowly rise up to its desired serving temperature. It is one of the main weapons of the precision cooking movement where instead of asking if you want that steak medium rare or medium, they might ask if you’d like it at 125 or 130 degrees. Furthermore this method allows for cooking that is much more even, such that the food is not only perfectly cooked in the center and well done on the edges but consistent throughout. The last and most important feature of sous vide is that it completely removes the stress/guessing involved in cooking food to desired temperatures.
Check out this super simple recipe for corned beef that will impress your friends! Chef John over at Foodwishes has really done a great job with this recipe. It has that same corned beef that you love, but with a built in side dish! Warning: Gratuitous picture after the break…
“Don’t panic.” It’s on the cover of one of my favorite books for a reason, and I needed that advice badly tonight. I had just spent an hour preparing one of my earlier recipes from scratch and had taken my first bite of my steaming hot Sloppy Joe Tacos™. Expecting a sweet and juicy bite, I was overwhelmed … Continue reading Accidental Abundance or “Oops, was that Tbsp or Tsp?”
Ben might be based out of NOLA, but that doesn’t mean I can’t whip up some ‘nola myself. (Glad I got that pun out of my system). I’ve recently become a fan of an incredible food blog called Love and Lemons, which centers upon largely vegetarian – and vegetable-based – recipes, coupled with absolutely superb food photography. … Continue reading Maple Granola
Having just moved down south, far from family and friends, I was faced with a real decision to make. My choice would change my life forever. Clearly, the selection of the proper tomato product to purchase at the grocery store would make or break my dinner. But being a naive and uninformed shopper, I assumed that Tomato Paste was basically unflavored Tomato Sauce. Boy was I wrong.
No matter how much I simmered, seasoned, or diluted, the “sauce” that I made had an incredibly strong, sickeningly sweet and acidic taste. What I was really looking for in the store was Tomato Purée. Unfortunately, my pasta was not great that night, but I learned quite a few Tomato Terms™ (which I will share below): Continue reading “Tomato Tribulations”
Last year, I discovered two great Kosher vegetarian falafel places – Soom-Soom (two locations:East 56th and West 72nd Streets in NYC), and Amba, in Montclair Village, Oakland. Both joints served up delicious falafel and superb hummus at great prices. About four months ago, Soom-Soom announced that it was dropping its vegetarian vibe, and putting chicken … Continue reading Farewell, Vegetarian Falafel
When looking for a side dish that isn’t too plain but is loved by most people, sesame noodles is a great option. There are so many optional ingredients and flavors in this dish that almost everyone has a different recipe, and it is hard to really screw it up. In most pasta dishes, the type … Continue reading Sesame Noodles: Quick and Simple
During a recent visit to New Orleans, I fell in love with the famous Cafe Du Monde and their amazing Beignets (Pronounced: “Ben-Yays”). While you can actually make them from scratch pretty easily, they sell a mix that I used to cut down the prep time. Continue reading “Beignets – New Orleans Pillow Shaped Donuts”
Silicon Spatula 