How To Grill Shrimp Skewers Here’s a tip when grilling shrimp. First make sure you soak your wood or bamboo skewers (I recommend bamboo, they hold up better to heat) in water for at least half an hour. Then set up your grill so you have one side that is hot, and another cool. Put the shrimp over the hot side, and the exposed skewers over the cool side. That way the shrimp cook quickly and the skewers don’t burn....
A Konkan-Inspired Masala Konkan is a strip of land on the Western coast of India encompassing parts of Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. In developing this recipe, I consulted a Konkani family friend, Sandhya Nadkarni, who offers Indian cooking classes and runs the blog Indfused. Sandhya explained that while Konkani recipes are generally diverse in flavors and textures, some fundamental commonalities do exist. Because of its tropical climate, Konkani people (those native to the Konkan region) often cook with coconut, chilies, and tamarind....
Claire is my mother’s friend, a lovely woman in her 80s, recently widowed, who brought my mom these fabulous cookies for a book club gathering. I couldn’t figure out what was in them that made them taste so good. I recognized some chocolate and a few nuts, but what was the rest? For the Best Toffee Cookies, Use Heath Bars Praise be to mom who delivered Claire’s recipe a few days later....
Well, of course, buying hamburger buns isn’t labor intensive so go ahead and use them for your random neighborhood barbecue, but make THESE to treat your family or friends to a totally different experience when you have more personal gatherings this summer. In fact, even for the novice baker these are easy enough to make. A stand mixer with a dough hook does all the heavy lifting. If you don’t have a stand mixer yet, here is a guide to help you choose the best mixer for all of your baking needs....
When you have more zucchini than you know what to do with it, freeze the excess. Here’s what to know. Can I Freeze Uncooked Zucchini or Do I Need to Blanch It? It’s always best to blanch vegetables before you freeze them. This may feel like an inconvenient step adding more work to your plate, but quality is greatly improved when you blanch first. Blanching destroys enzymes that can break down vegetables, make them mushy, and make them taste unappealing once you get around to using them....
Of course, it remains to be seen if little kids (like mine) will actually eat a burrito. If they don’t, then they might have to find a different house to live in. (Kidding, kidding!) So, go on and cancel that Chipotle delivery, and let’s learn how to make the best burrito filling, wrap those burritos tightly, freeze them well, and reheat them into delicious meals! What Makes a Good Freezer Burrito?...
There’s a solution! If you have white sugar around and a food processor or blender, you can make your own powdered sugar. What Is Powdered Sugar? Also known as confectioner’s sugar and 10x sugar, powdered sugar is white cane sugar that’s been pulverized to a fine powder. A little cornstarch is added to help keep it from clumping up. Powdered sugar dissolves easily, so some recipes call for it in drinks or for sweetening whipped cream....
Avocados are a climacteric fruit like bananas, meaning they finish ripening after they’ve been picked. That’s why you’ll often find them rock-hard at the grocery store and they tend to take a number of days to soften up. Getting the timing right so that you have ripe avocado ready to go on your timeline can be tricky. We’ll explore how to tell when an avocado has reached its peak and different methods for speeding up the ripening time....
Then, several years later, I heard the term “honing” for the first time and realized I had missed an entire portion of knife maintenance! Honing and sharpening are two completely different but critical components required to keep your knives in tip-top shape. Interested in learning more? Here’s what you need to know about honing and sharpening. What is the Difference Between Honing and Sharpening? A newly purchased knife is razor-sharp and swiftly cuts through any produce in sight, from cucumbers to squash to tomatoes....
During this week’s meal plan you’ll assemble pizzas and fire up the grill. Who doesn’t want start off their week enjoying pizza and a glass of crisp, white wine or a refreshing negroni outdoors? The grill is your friend during the long, hot summer months. Gas grills get dinner on the table faster, but there really is no flavor substitute for good old-fashioned charcoal. Make the most out of using the grill by heating your veggie sides....
Oh my gosh. If you have not yet tried membrillo with Manchego, get yourself to the nearest Whole Foods or other specialty market and buy some! If I lived in Spain I would eat this every day. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll see what all the fuss is about, and you may even be motivated to try your hand at making some, which is exactly what happened to me. Not familiar with quince?...
These cookies have a crumbly, buttery, nutty texture that just melts in your mouth. Like I said: completely irresistible. The soft, melt-away texture of Mexican Wedding cookies is thanks to a rich, buttery dough and lots of crushed nuts. These cookies don’t have any egg to bind them, so they’re crumbly instead of chewy. This makes them more like shortbread than, say, sugar cookies. Those crushed nuts in the dough also give these cookies their addictive flavor....
Papaya. It’s so good! Easy to prepare too. There’s no peeling around pineapple eyes or carving around a thin sturdy mango seed. You just peel the papaya, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and slice. Papaya is especially helpful when you travel to a tropical climate as it is filled with enzymes that help with digestion, a bonus for those of us with adventurous appetites. My favorite way to eat papaya is simply drizzled with a fresh squeezed lime....
This week, I decided to make my own and got some great advice from the king of desserts himself, David Lebovitz on just how to go about it. David is the author of a fantastic book on ice cream, so he should know! I fudged a bit with the ingredient proportions that David gave me, but the method is all his. Thank you David. What Makes This Peppermint Ice Cream Special As with French vanilla ice cream, this method requires cooking a custard to add to the cream....
Similar in spirit to a fettuccine Alfredo this white sauce is perfect for pizzas and so easy to make. Warmed milk is slowly whisked into a flour and butter mixture, cooked until thick and then seasoned with shredded Parmesan and a whole head’s worth of roasted garlic cloves. A pinch of cayenne provides a bit of heat, while freshly grated lemon zest whisked in toward the end, cuts the richness of this cheesy sauce, while also adding a bit of brightness....
And no, the sky is not falling, but it sure feels like my world is changing all around me when it’s no longer pitch black at 5 o’clock. An Easy Side Dish for Spring This dish is radically simple and easy, and really highlights the arrival of asparagus season. Roast some potatoes in the oven, then add asparagus. Roast a little longer and voila! While that’s happening you can make an easy lemon and mustard dressing to toss with the vegetables just before serving....
The primary spices of a classic homemade sazón spice mix are achiote or annatto, salt, cumin, coriander, garlic, onion, oregano, and black pepper. Some variations also use turmeric, paprika, or saffron. The flavor profile is garlicky, but not fiery. Achiote or annatto has a sweet and peppery taste. Freshly ground coriander adds a lovely citrus aroma. Sazón’s savory flavors stem from the cumin, onion, and garlic powder. Its mild astringency comes from oregano....
How to Make Scalloped Potatoes With Onions and Gruyere For this recipe I wanted a somewhat “lighter” version of the classic, so we skip the cream and bacon that you would normally find in a more traditional scalloped potatoes dish, and instead flavor the potatoes with darkly caramelized onions, nutty Gruyere cheese, some Parmesan, and a sprinkling of rosemary. With the cheese and the olive oil, it’s not exactly “skinny,” but it still manages to have less than half the fat of a more traditional recipe, and it’s still loaded with flavor....
