Last week I asked my friends "Tell the truth: isn't crispy the best part of any dish?", and got impassioned responses, ranging from "Of course. Crispy is carmelized", to "Not if it's a gummy bear…" . For me, it is all about the crunch and those toasty flavors. So when I found I had lots …
Since we talked about vegetarian chili last week, I’ve got to hook you up with the to go with it. It is moist without being cake-like with an intense corn flavor. The butter is browned before adding it to the batter, a genius trick I learned from The Recipe Girl. That contributes some of …
Coconut rice
If you like the flavor of coconut, this coconut rice is a killer side dish. It is about two minutes more work than normal rice, and it is a great change of pace because the rice goes from being the neutral canvas for other components to stealing the show. It uses both coconut …
Braised Artichokes in Tomato-Red Wine Sauce
I was casting about the Whole Foods produce department for a side dish idea, and these huge “frost-kissed” artichokes caught my eye. Apparently when the temperature drops below 32, artichokes develop a slightly ugly “rash” on the outside, but their flavor grows nuttier and more concentrated. It might be a …
Chana Dal in the Style of Puri Jagannath Temple
Every time I eat some form of beans and rice, I ask myself why I don't do that at least 3-4 times a week. Not because of the health factor (though it is great for you), or because it is famously inexpensive. Just because I find it …
Apple-Celery Sorbet
I was trying to decide on a sorbet flavor for an upcoming dinner party, and I ran across this Apple-Celery combination from Michael Laiskonis. That sounded like a good fit with the other flavors I had planned, and the apples are both seasonally appropriate (from storage) and local here in the Pacific Northwest. Read …
I love baking, and I love our KitchenAid Mixer. I *hate* stopping the mixer every 30 seconds to scrape down the sides of the bowl. And it also annoys me that the attachments can’t go in the dishwasher. Apparently I’m not the only one!
This new BeaterBlade is fantastic. It looks just like the normal paddle …
