Making something delicious out of “scraps” is one of the pleasures of cooking. It’s simple to make a piece of steak or a chop appetizing, but transforming an admittedly ugly-looking piece of pig – a tail in this case- into a dish worthy of a classy fine dining restaurant needs technique and some creativity. So, when a friend […]
Under Pressure: Fried Pig Tail, Deviled Quail Egg, Beans and Sauce Ravigote Read More »
The decision was made a while back by my 6-year-old that the cake for Mother’s Day will have lots of strawberries. So that was that. Diana had to choose if she wanted it chocolate mousse based or “something white and lighter”. She went for the latter choice. This delicious cake is a perfect spring time cake and a
A Cake for Mom: Strawberry Ricotta Cake Read More »
I’ve posted in length about quiche, specifically about the fantastic Bouchon quiche from Thomas Keller. So this is a bit of a gratuitous post, but what the heck, it’s my blog and I love it everytime this quiche turns out so well. besides, these pictures are way better than those from the older post. This one is a
Friday, November 28, 2008 It’s been a while since I’ve added some updates to this particular journal. It’s not much due to laziness as much as redundancy. I’ve been trying to cook my vegetarian meals, but over the last month or so, I’ve not made many interesting or new dishes worth posting about. Also this
VDP: Pizza – Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and an Egg Read More »
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Eggs. Is there anything they cannot do? From savory to sweet, the egg is the undisputed queen of the kitchen. Without it we have no custard, no quiche or crème caramel, no egg-pasta and no omelets. Without the whites of the egg we have no fluffy meringue preparations, no macarons and
Sunday, May 18 (and 19), 2008 When it comes to quick-cooking legumes, you cannot bet lentils. They are delicious plain and simple or dressed up. They need no soaking to cook in under 40 minutes like their cousins, the dried beans. Sure, you can cook beans without soaking but they will take a long time.
VDP: Lentils served two ways in two days Read More »
Thursday, May 1, 2008 Very few dishes are as satisfying to make and eat as a properly made pie, be it pizza, calzone, turnover or empanada. They are very versatile and take on almost any filling, with or without meat. The main rule is to make sure the filling is not too wet, so that
VDP: Eggplant and Zucchini Pie Read More »
Sunday, March 30, 2008 I had quiet a few more roasted peppers than I needed for the dinner the other night. To use them up I cooked them with a touch of garlic and some onions in olive oil. I then cracked a couple of eggs and let those cook leaving the yolks runny. To
VDP: Eggs with Roasted Peppers Read More »
Friday, March 14, 2008 To make these Lebanese pancake-fritter hybrids (Ijja) first buy some zucchini, the ones with the pale green skin. Next, core them and reserve the pulp. What to do with the actual zucchini? Well, I don’t know. You can stuff them with rice and lamb and braise them in some tomato broth.
VDP: Zucchini Pulp Fritters (Ijja) Read More »
Saturday, February 16, 2008 Why is this a tart, not a quiche? I am not exactly sure, but I can give it a shot. This here is a quiche. It’s got a lot more eggs, it’s about 2 inches thick and the whole point of it is the custard, not the ‘filling’. A savory tart
VDP: Swiss Chard, Shallot and Goat Cheese Tart Read More »