They call it raita in India, tzatziki in the Middle East, and tarator in Bulgaria. We call it tartar sauce, and we make it with pickles instead of cucumbers and mayonnaise instead of yogurt. Frankly, though, it’s time to revisit the original versions for some inspiration, because rich, creamy Greek yogurt kicks commercial mayonnaise to [...]
Continue reading about Adventures in Sauce (or How to Make the Dip Your Own)
It’s summer, it’s hot (since when was Detroit in the middle of the Sahara?), and I’m sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to spend much time over a hot stove right now. Hence, this soup! Although it involves a bit of simmering time, the heat is on low and you don’t have [...]
Continue reading about Cool Moroccan Flavors to Spice Up Your Summer
Ever since I had baked Feta at a lovely out-of-the-way restaurant in Panamá, I’ve been wanting to make it myself. The idea is just so simple! I’d had baked Camembert plenty of times in Germany — when I lived there, baked Camembert with rote Grütze was one of my favorite dishes, right up there with [...]
Compared to fish, clams, scallops, mussels — even lobster — shrimp strikes me as the richest, smoothest morsel of the sea. Wild shrimp are especially sweet and creamy. The only trick is not to overcook them into tough rubberiness. Seeing as everyone loves a speedy and delicious dinner, though, the fact that they cook so [...]
Although I normally steer clear of fish on Seafoodwatch.org’s “avoid” list, if skate shows up at my local fish market, I sometimes buy it. (I actually hadn’t realized skate was on the “avoid” list until after I’d made this dish.) It tastes a lot like scallops, which is a bonus for me since scallops are [...]
Now that we’re heading into fall and then winter, jamming and canning are on a lot of people’s minds. Mine, too — it sure would be great to enjoy summer’s ripe fruits in January! I haven’t quite gotten up the nerve to jam or can full-tilt (although both are near the top of my to-do [...]
There’s something ever-so-charming about edible little packages: tamales, spring rolls, pasties, grape leaves…every culture seems to have a neatly-wrapped specialty. (Maybe they appeal to our sense of orderliness?) Not only are these wrappables practical to eat and fun to make, their central position in any given cuisine means that centuries of tradition have fine-tuned their [...]
An overlooked fact in the drink world: cocktails (or mocktails) have seasons. In the summertime, fruit-based drinks are light and refreshing; in the wintertime, hot toddies are much more appealing than an iced spritzer. Now that summer is in full swing, I thought I’d use the classic mojito platform to come up with some new [...]
…flour, that is! Why just just one when you can mix and match to your heart’s desire? Just be sure to remember a few rules when baking standard recipes (gluten-free is a different ball game): You can freely substitute gluten-containing flours for one another. (Gluten is a protein found in some grains.) These flours include: [...]
