What started out as a basic chocolate cake became much more fragrant and flavorful with the simple switcheroo of unrefined peanut oil for butter. Using maple syrup instead of sugar intensifies both the chocolate and the peanut, and you can add your choice of spice to provide a different dimension of flavor. In the end, [...]
I got the “rice browns” idea when I was flipping through a Spanish cookbook and reminiscing about the glorious tortilla españolas I’d had at the tapas bars in Spain. Unlike the Mexican corn-based flat tortillas, the Spanish version is a thick omelette consisting of eggs and fried potatoes. It’s deceptively and simply glorious. (And it’s [...]
When I was a kid, I thought cranberries were sweet — after all, cranberry juice sure was! But then I finally tasted an honest-to-goodness whole cranberry and realized that good ol’ Ocean Spray had added a fair amount of sweeteners to make the juice palatable for the American tongue. Now that I’ve veered off the [...]
There’s a time for crusts and ends and corners, but that time isn’t all the time. Sometimes you just want what’s in the middle without having to bother with anything else. If you’re a big pumpkin fan like I am, you might prefer no-holds-barred, maximum pumpkin, especially at this time of the year when it’s [...]
There are plenty of non-dairy creamers out there: hazelnut, French vanilla, Irish creme, extra-rich…the list goes on and on. (Literally. Take a look at the ingredients sometime.) All of those flavors do, however, have something in common — they’re usually accompanied by hydrogenated oil and high-fructose corn syrup, two of the worst substances you can [...]
Olive oil is a wonderful oil to have on hand for dressing salads, drizzling on breads, tossing with pasta, finishing fish, etc. So is walnut oil and hazelnut oil and sesame oil and peanut oil and lots of other oils that we tend to overlook. (Pistachio oil, macadamia nut oil, pumpkinseed oil…okay, I’ll stop now.) [...]
In the U.S., we tend to view avocadoes as a savory vegetable, to be served alongside tacos as guacamole or to be sliced and used as a sandwich topping. In other areas of the world, though, you’re just as likely to find avocadoes on the dessert menu: in Tanzania, avocado ice cream is a favorite; [...]
Making your own patties is easy — all you need are some spices, an egg, an onion, and top-notch pastured pork. (The latter can be found at farmer’s markets, on co-op farms, and occasionally at markets that stock sustainable and local foods.) With ingredients like that, you’re guaranteed to sink your fork into the best [...]
Technically, a sandwich is a bready dough filled with something. Hoagies, gyros, calzones, quesadillas … they all fall into the “sandwich” category. You can stuff them with veggies or meats or cheeses or herbs or condiments or whatever your tongue desires. Sandwiches are, in short, the ultimate custom dish.
In the spirit of adding to the [...]
