Blog

Making biscuits with Maw Maw started a lifelong kitchen tradition

2010-03-12T05:56:58Z

Making homemade biscuits is becoming a lost art. Biscuit mix and frozen biscuits are an easy out to what many cook’s think is too complicated. But these rustic sweet biscuits are not really that difficult and most typical kitchens will have the ingredients on hand.

I learned to make biscuits in my grandmother’s kitchen. “Maw Maw” used to say that you can’t make good biscuits if you don’t touch the dough with your hands. Those words were heaven to a 5-year-old’s ears! Play with your food? Yes!

But good biscuits need a light touch, and overworking the dough is the biggest mistake you can make. So folding the flour mixture into the well of liquid just until a soft lump of dough begins to form is the trick. No kneading is required -- for these rustic biscuits all you need is a light pat down with a sprinkle of flour. Use a large chef’s knife to cut the dough into rough squares and gently lift them onto an aluminum baking sheet. (We like Doughmakers ® with the unique pebble texture.)

These biscuits are great with everything from a savory beef stew or a mild vegetable soup. Of course they are delicious alongside just about any country breakfast. Just be sure to serve them with lots of extra butter and fruit preserves. MMMmmm!

Related Recipes

Rustic Sweet Biscuits

These biscuits are great with everything from a savory beef stew or a mild vegetable soup. Of course they are delicious alongside just about any country breakfast.
Read full recipe.

Calamata Olive Pits hard on the teeth!

2010-03-11T05:04:52Z

Shiny, dark globes beckon me like a sea siren calls out to lost sailors. Supposedly pitted, I munch down on my first olive and crack! Not the pit, my tooth.

A few days later I'm sitting in the dentist chair, head cocked back at an awkward angle, mouth open wider than it should be and "Mr. Thirsty" is hooked in the corner of my lip. Miserable barely begins to describe it. But then I close my eyes, rememeber the suculent and briney flavor and decide it was all worth it. But dang, that's one expensive olive!

Please tell me you've done something similar! Was it worth it?

Wild-caught vs. farm-raised salmon: Which to buy?

2010-03-10T06:39:38Z

One of our more confusing food choices is whether to buy farmed or wild-caught salmon. Environmental issues come into play, as do health benefits. Wild-caught salmon has a higher and more potent form of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart and why you’re urged to eat fatty fish three times a week.

Salmon that is farmed in ocean pens, (as opposed to tanks on land), often harm the environment.

So what is a responsible cook to choose? We like the advice from the Seafood Watch list of the Monterey Bay Acquarium in California (click here) to either buy wild-caught Alaska salmon or U.S. tank-raised Coho or Silver salmon. The only problem is finding a store that labels the fish that carefully!

Also, the Rodale company, (publisher of several health magazines and cookbooks), has a helpful article weighing the pros and cons of all farm-raised vs. wild fish on its Web site (click here). An Alaskan commercial fishery, called Triad Fisheries, has a video of how its wild salmon is caught (click here). Also, Mark Tupper, president of the company, said salmon that's flash-frozen at sea and glazed with ice, just after being caught, is the best way to get a fresh-tasting fish.

"The finest seafood restaurants around the world wouldn’t dream of serving (salmon) that hasn’t at one point been frozen, a fact that most consumers find surprising,” Tupper says.

We’ve been pretty clear in the past that we prefer the flavor of the more fatty farm-raised salmon, but it seems that we’re going to have to change our supplier from our regular supermarket (no origin or species specified) to the pricier specialty markets, such as Whole Foods.

What’s your position on which salmon to buy?

Related Recipes

Garlic Roasted Salmon with Two-Cheese Polenta

This salmon is delicious with either farm-raised or wild-caught fish.
Read full recipe.

Photo of the week - Intracoastal Waterway sunset

2010-03-09T05:07:17Z

Can you beat a purple and pink sunset at the NC coast?

The Essential Chef’s Knife: Invest in a good one!

2010-03-08T05:45:24Z

No desperate cook should be without a good-quality chef’s knife. I know, because I lost mine. I took it along on a special cooking project, and somehow my knife didn’t make it back home. After calling everyone who could have picked it up and trekking back twice to scrounge around for it, I finally accepted the bitter reality. Cooking dinner without my trusty knife the following night, I nearly cried.

I reached for what I thought would be the next best thing. I pinched my fingers, obliterated the onion I was trying to chop and realized I couldn’t go another day without a new chef’s knife.

Chef’s knives (sometimes called cook’s knives) are designed so that the triangular-shaped blade extends out past where your fingers grip the handle (knuckle clearance). That means you can balance the knife edge on the cutting board, and with a smooth rocking and rotating action, chop or mince in an instant.

The wide blade makes for easy scooping of whatever you’ve minced -- from tiny pieces of fresh garlic to larger cuts of onion. The longer blade also works wonders on big fruit like cantaloupe and watermelons. Large pieces of meat are a never a struggle when you’re wielding a chef’s knife.

You could pick up a chef’s knife starting at about $20 in kitchen and variety stores, but be aware that these knives tend to be thinner, loose their edge faster and won’t stand up to repeated sharpening.

Count on spending $60 and up for a quality knife that, properly maintained, will serve you for decades. The blade length (6 to 12 inches), weight and construction will make the difference in the price. Talk to the sales clerk about how and when you’ll be using the knife to help you decide.

Love a Margarita? You've gotta try these!

2010-03-05T05:02:37Z

I've never been much of a margarita fan. But then I'd never tasted a margarita made the way Scott Cole makes them.

Granted the real appeal to his margaritas is that the first step is to walk out in his back yard and pick a few fresh oranges and limes to squeeze, but hey, I can move past that if I have to. And it's really more of method than a recipe.

I can pick up fresh citrus at the store, right? (I'll just keep telling myself it's the same.)

After salting the rims of the glasses, Scott fills each glass with ice. Next goes in the Patron Tequila. No measurement necessary, just to taste, he says. Follow that with a bit of Cointreau.

Then the fresh orange and lime juice. If you like them more sour than sweet, go heavier on the lime. For me, I'd skip the lime and just use fresh orange juice. But I wasn't about to complain since he was kind enough to be making my drink, afterall.

After both juices have been added, top it off with a little Grand Marnier. Why, you ask? Why not?

Just swirl and sip. Delicious. As the ice begins to melt, it only gets better. Or is that the Patron talking?

OK, my Target glasses are not nearly as cool as his vintage Georges Briard glasses, either. But I swear these drinks are delicious out of a paper cup. Hope you enjoy!

**Scott wanted me to remind everyone,"If you are going to drink, drink in moderation, have fun with it and use organic ingredients." My response, I'll have whatever he's having! Check out his website at www.scottcole.com.

Rants and Raves from Beverly: Current food trends, tips and news

2010-03-04T07:17:46Z

Takeout trend still strong at restaurants

While unemployment remains at an alarmingly high rate, Americans continue to live busy lives. Lots of multitasking is still going on — and that means food eaten on the run, according to a story on Top Trends in Takeout by The Food Channel.com. Thus, the carryout/takeout category of the restaurant business remains one of the strongest, despite the struggling economy.

In fact more people get restaurant food to go now than dine in, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm. Restaurants are catering to the needs of those on the go, offering designated parking and curbside car delivery, and creating special menus such as Ruby Tuesday's RubyTueGo.

Are you still doing takeout for your family? Which takeout restaurants do you like best and how much do you spend per visit?

"Instant" oatmeal that's really the Real Thing!

Old-fashioned rolled oats will cook overnight in an insulated beverage container, according to a foodie at the cooking Web site Chow.com.

“Using Quaker (old-fashioned, not quick) rolled oats, I put 2/3 cups boiling water in a Thermos and add 1/3 cup rolled oats," says the woman who goes by the avatar "rworange."

“The next morning I open it and … hot oatmeal.” This works best with a stainless steel Thermos, "rworange" notes. (Click here for the entire blog entry.)

What's your favorite way to fix oatmeal?

Coffee with that oatmeal can ward off risk of strokes

People who drink coffee are nearly one-third less likely to suffer a stroke, a new British study suggests.

It didn’t matter if the person drank one cup per day or four, the benefit was the same. The stats held true for brewed, drip, decaffeinated, or even instant coffee.

While other studies have suggested reasons for coffee's stroke-fighting abilities, this new British study did not try to find a reason for the benefit. (For the complete story at the Web site Sciencenews.org, click here.)

Lentil chili makes it easy to give up meat for a meal

2010-03-03T05:28:27Z

If you’re trying to get more vegetarian dishes into your diet, chili is a great place to start. Since chili naturally relies on beans, vegetables and assertive seasonings for much of the flavor, it’s easy to disguise the fact that meat isn’t present.

There are lots of ways to make vegetarian chili, but we like this easy lentil version a lot. What’s your favorite meatless chili recipe?

Related Recipes

Very Veggie Lentil Chili

Even your meat eaters will be satisfied with such a thick, rich chili. The texture is similar to “regular” chili, and the flavors are bold enough to transform this lowly, inexpensive legume to a real feast.
Read full recipe.

Photo of the week - Billy Beer

2010-03-02T05:24:54Z

Do you remember Billy Beer? Did you ever taste it?

Mollie Katzen's homemade pizza made easy even for a weeknight!

2010-03-01T06:03:35Z

Any pizza aficionado knows the crust is the key to good pizza. And while food manufacturers have come a long way in providing consumers with a variety of prepared pizza crusts, a good recipe for homemade pizza crust is still invaluable. I’d go so far as to call this crust from Mollie Katzen (click here to view recipe) a truly great pizza crust.

Mollie Katzen wrote one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, “The Moosewood Cookbook.” My tattered copy has drips and stains and notes in the margin from the 20 years I’ve used it, and I think I have cooked every one of the recipes. Besides my own cookbooks that I wrote with Beverly, I cannot say that about any other book.

The biggest drawback to homemade crust, of course, is the time it takes for the dough to rise. This is one dinner that must be planned at least an hour and a half ahead. The good news is Mollie’s pizza crust freezes beautifully (unbaked) and can defrost on the counter top and be ready to bake when you get home from work. We love to divide the dough into fourths and freeze it ahead; taking out to defrost only the dough we need any given night. Since each pizza makes one serving, this is a perfect way to approach pizza when you’re cooking for one or two!

Mollie’s pizza toppings are simply a suggestion of vegetable options, and every pizza can be different. At my house the toppings are usually whatever’s in the veggie bin and cupboard. What pizza combinations would you like to use to top Mollie’s delectable crust?

Related Recipes

Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable and Walnut Pizza

A good homemade pizza recipe is invaluable, and we’d go so far as to call Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable and Walnut Pizza truly great.
Read full recipe.

Paris bistro sparks a lifelong affair with duck recipes

2010-02-26T05:14:18Z

From Guest Blogger Liza Bennett Gyllenhaal:

On one of our first trips to Paris many years ago, my husband and I managed to track down a tiny restaurant on an obscure side street near Les Halles — the old market district — that had been highly recommended by friends. It was called La Fermette du Sud Ouest, and it specialized in the cooking of Southwest France, especially all things canard. That first dinner was a revelation to me, a small town girl whose only exposure to duck up until that point had been the tough, stringy, candy-coated varieties served up in Chinese restaurants. That first night I ordered the magret — duck breast as tender as filet mignon, sauteed with garlic, thinly sliced on a diagonal, and served with crusty potatoes and fresh cepes, the succulent and fleshy French mushroom.

That dinner, honestly, seemed too good to be true. And, in retrospect, it only seemed to get better. But the next time we were in Paris, we seriously considered not going back, fearing that our first visit was simply the result of the inflationary tendencies of so many happy memories. But, in the end, hunger won out — we broke down, and made our way back down the tiny street to the welcoming little restaurant. And it was all just as wonderful as before. We returned again and again over the years. We became friendly with the owners — the short blond Monsieur who smoked too much and the taller, blonde Madame with a terrific figure she enjoyed showing off. We were treated as regulars after a while — greeted with smiles and offered a complimentary Cognac at the end of the evening.

In the meantime, duck breasts began to make an appearance in specialty butchers in this country, and I started to discover many delicious, easy, and mostly very quick recipes for preparing them myself. If you can’t find duck breasts in your grocery, they are available for purchase from many sites online. Though more expensive than some, I highly recommend D’Artagnan, which supplies many of the top-rated restaurants in New York City. In general, a single large breast, sliced thin, will serve two, but I usually make an extra and serve it in a salad for lunch the next day. Baby spinach, walnuts, and dates are great accompaniments.

The rich taste of duck pairs well with fruit, especially fresh figs and cherries — both fresh and dried. I’ve tried many recipes for duck breasts and fresh figs, but my favorite remains this one I clipped out of The New York Times a few years back (click here for the recipe). I love the Five Spice rub used here, though if you’re rushed, it’s not really necessary to marinate the breasts first — just sprinkle and sear. A grill pan works just great for this.

Here’s another wonderfully fast and easy recipe, this one using fresh (or frozen) cherries (click here). I’ve substituted the much less expensive Marsala for the Port wine with equal success.

Perhaps my favorite duck recipe is this slightly more complicated one that also incorporates Five Spice rub. You can substitute any sweet wine —Marsala or Madeira — for the plum wine and forego the bacon if you don’t eat meat. But the salty and sweet, soft and crunchy combinations in this dinner are well worth the extra time and work. (Click here for that recipe.)

Last fall, my husband and I returned to Paris. We couldn’t wait to go back to La Fermette du Sud Ouest and, though a little jet-lagged, decided to visit the first night after we arrived. There was the sign hanging from the second floor! There were the half-timbered walls, the yellow glass windows! The door was open, we walked right in — and were greeted by two eager strangers. Monsieur and Madame had retired, sold the restaurant, and disappeared from our lives forever. The new restaurant specialized in couscous. We did not stay.

Liza Bennett Gyllenhaal is a novelist who divides her time between New York City and The Berkshires. Read about her novel Local Knowledge at www.lizagyllenhaal.com.

Won't share your recipe? That's just mean!

2010-02-25T05:02:07Z

It astounds me when someone refuses to share a recipe. Here I am, raving about your great brownies or fudge (chocolate causes me to lose all dignity), begging for the secret so this ecstasy doesn’t happen only once in my life.

And then I’ll continue to humiliate myself, promising never to publish it in a cookbook, never to serve it in public, to eat the whole thing alone in the dark.

But your answer is NO. And then my inner child throws a hissy fit: Inconsiderate! Small! Just plain mean!

Really, what could a cook be thinking? Moving to the mall to compete with Mrs. Fields? Your grandmother bestowed this culinary gem on her deathbed?

When someone swoons and asks for a recipe, it’s the ultimate compliment. Pride and friendship are at stake. Maybe I should just move on, and eventually I do. It’s not like there aren’t a gazillion great brownie recipes in the cookbooks on my shelf. But still.

Related Recipes

Hot Fudge Sauce

This is ice cream parlor hot fudge sauce at its best!
Read full recipe.

New Crock-Pot Duo does double duty in the kitchen

2010-02-24T05:04:59Z

Has anyone else been wondering what the Crock-Pot people will think up next? Ever since the Rival company (the original manufacturer) was sold to a new parent, there’s been an explosion of innovative ideas. One new model we really like is the Crock-Pot Duo, which puts two separate cooker pots, side by side, in one base. This is particularly helpful if you want to slow-cook an entire meal, including a side dish, all at once.

Or you can get even fancier and try dessert alongside your stew. Our Pear Spoon Bread (click here) is made deliciously hassle-free in the slow cooker.

Here are a few of our observations, pro and con, on the Duo:

Each pot holds 2 1/2 quarts, which is a good size for most recipes that serve up to 4, but the smaller round shape doesn’t work for large roasts or a whole chicken.

The pots have separate controls, so you have a choice of whether to use one or two.

Because the pots can be turned immediately to the warm setting, (unlike many other models), the Duo is perfect to keep foods warm when you’re entertaining. (There’s also a Trio of pots that’s geared toward buffet entertaining, but this appliance is very large, and in our opinion, too difficult to store since we’d use it rarely.)

The Duo model is fairly priced – starting at $60 at Walmart and at Bed, Bath & Beyond. (Some stores are selling it at $70 to $80, so shop around!)

Has anyone else tried these new Crock-Pots? What do you think?

Related Recipes

Pear Spoon Bread

Here's a lovely dessert made hassle-free with the help of a slow cooker!
Read full recipe.

Scrumptious Crock Pot Beef Stew

This is my beef stew secret. Alicia and I are both thrilled to have an official copy in our virtual recipe box. Let us know if you like it as much as we do!
Read full recipe.

Photo of the week - Bottles

2010-02-23T05:01:44Z

By Alicia Ross, 2010

Is there a magic genie in one of these bottles? What would you wish for if there was?

Greek Appetizer Soup Makes a Wonderful Main Event!

2010-02-22T06:45:20Z

Whenever we dine in Greek restaurants we always start with the avgolemono, a traditional soup made from chicken broth, lemon juice, eggs and rice. This is a simple, easy soup that we’ve somehow neglected to make a desperate version of – until now. (Click here to view the complete recipe.)

And we’re so glad we did! The fresh lemon juice gives jolt to the taste buds and adding some diced chicken takes this from a starter to the main event.

With just a few basic ingredients and only 20 minutes in the kitchen, you can enjoy this restaurant classic without leaving home. Serve with a spinach salad and some pita bread chips (with our without hummus) for a delightful meal.

Related Recipes

Greek Lemon-Rice Soup with Chicken

Avgolemono, a traditional Greek soup made from chicken broth, lemon juice, eggs and rice, is a simple soup that we’ve somehow neglected to concoct a desperate version of – until now.
Read full recipe.