read more posts by
Kent
How about a new side dish that brings plenty of flavor to the table while being easy to prepare? This tasty side dish pairs with many main dishes and uses that much maligned vegetable nearly everyone hates from childhood, but enjoys as an adult and is available just about year round. The quick preparation is a bonus and is versatile with key substitutions. Don’t have diced prosciutto? Use bacon. No shallots? Substitute white, red or yellow onions or even scallions. You can use bacon drippings instead of butter to increase the smoky bacon flavor. Heck, you can drizzle the final results with balsamic glaze or honey to add a sweet slant to the dish. If there is one tough aspect of the dish, that would be…
Let’s celebrate tonight’s happy hour with a century old cocktail that seems like a riff on the venerable Manhattan, but truly stands on its own. This combination of rye whiskey and sherry with a splash of orange/cognac liqueur creates a uniquely complex set of flavors. Depending on the type of sherry used, this cocktail could range from a slightly biting dry to a silky smoky sweetness. Unfortunately, all I had on hand was a cream sherry – a notoriously sweet sherry – and the resulting drink was indeed sugar forward but nonetheless enjoyable. Since I like Manhattans, there was more than a strong chance I would like this drink. And I do (even with the cream sherry!)… so now to collect a…
Lately I have been cooking several different side dish staples using sous vide and I thought it was time to start sharing them with you. I know it may seem boring and a bit redundant to write about cooking rice, but trust me this is great information for cooking small amounts of rice perfectly while helping you minimize waste or to help you from over indulging! The first of these posts (except for the Mashed Potato for One post I wrote at this time last year) is cooking white rice for one. I’ll admit, rice is common ingredient in many of my recipes, but it is difficult to cook the optimal serving size for just one person. I’ve tried stove top in my smallest…
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Of course, this week’s menu will include Thanksgiving and I am getting a treat. Two of my brothers are coming over and we will be preparing a feast. Both of my brother’s have serious kitchen skills so this dinner will be nothing short of amazing. I nicknamed my younger brother ‘Iron Chef’ many years ago based on his fearlessness in preparing new dishes. He will deep fry the turkey after it has had a nice long soak in his top secret brine. Last year’s turkey was incredible and I am sure this year’s will be also. My other brother will bring dessert; a family favorite and staple of Thanksgiving, pumpkin pie, that never fails to…
Wow, this week has been a whirlwind. Between meetings and meet-ups, chores, recipe development and experimentation, and other tasks, I am ready to slow down and catch my breath. What better way to relax than with a new Happy Hour tipple – the Embarcadero. The Embarcadero cocktail is a variant of the Manhattan with amaro replacing the Angostura bitters. I was not able to find much more about this cocktail other than it is based on a recipe on Liquor.com from the renowned mixologist Claire Sprouse (@clairesprouse). I love researching the back story to the cocktail and I figured this one had to have an interesting one. But alas, it appears it does not or if it does, it has not been documented. Well, not having…
Last Summer, I featured Brazil’s national cocktail – the caipirinha – which is made from cachaça, sugar and lime. I recently encountered this cachaça based drink (which one resource claimed is Brazil’s original cocktail or coquetel in Portuguese) – primarily a smooth blend of cachaça and sweet vermouth. Roughly rabo de galo translates into ‘rooster’s tail’ or ‘cock’s tail’, appropriate for a simple tipple. After reading the description of the rabo de galo, I just had to try it. With some additional research, it appears the only thing in consensus about this cocktail is that it has no defined recipe. The most common recipes use 2 parts cachaça to 1 part sweet…
Tonight’s pasta dish is another one of those staples found in most Italian restaurants and has about as many differing recipes. I based my recipe on the America’s Test Kitchen version which uses three types of pepper to give this sauce its signature kick. According to my research, ‘arrabbiata’ is used to describe the spiciness of this dish, claiming it to be ‘angry’. Now I did not want the dish to be so hot and intense that all the other aspects of the dish are lost. I desired a notable spiciness with a subtle sweetness and fulfilling umami undertones to deliver a robust, flavor packed meal. The heat in this version sneaks up nicely on you and you know it…
Well, this weekend in the Pacific Northwest has been interesting weather-wise. As I write this post, the snow is falling and beginning to pile up. This snow event is definitely atypical for this area and makes me want to cook carbohydrate laden meals and prepare for hibernation! So I will try to resist that desire when planning this week’s menu so we do not fall into late Autumn lethargy. To combat that ‘carb coma’ trap, I will toss several stir fry type meals into the menu to inject vibrant fresh vegetables and robust flavors. Of course, I will not completely remove all those wonderful Fall comfort foods from this week’s menu. Everything in moderation, right? Here we go, let’s…
Here is another coffee based cocktail, a twist on the Italian ‘corrected coffee’. Caffè Corretto describes anytime espresso has been ‘augmented’ with a spirit like grappa, sambuca, brandy, etc. For my variation, I decided to increase the coffee depth by adding Galliano Ristretto while adding a subtle sweetness and herbal aspect with amaro and simple syrup. This cocktail is the Flatliner’s best friend – strong and reliable, yet easy going and self-effacing. Caffè Corretto is another easy sipper that works best as an after-dinner libation or dessert accompaniment – perfect for what I wanted tonight. Ahhh… time to relax and enjoy the evening, just me and my ‘corrected coffee’. I hope you enjoy your Friday evening too…
Recently I received a a teaser for this recipe via the New York Times Cooking section and I just had to try it. Of course, that means I needed to rework the recipe for one or two servings so I would not be eating an 8 to 12 serving kuchen by myself! So I went to work and the results were simply amazing. So amazing in fact, I just had to share them with you. This kuchen is wonderfully flavored with lemon, honey, ginger… and naturally apple. This recipe is easy to prepare as well; the toughest part is waiting for the kuchen to cool so you can enjoy it! Save Print Apple Kuchen Prep time: 45 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: …