This steaming, hearty soup-for-dinner recipe is easy and fairly quick. Just add salad and crusty bread and you’ve got a great dinner. While soups are all very simple to make, what makes any soup flavorful is the time that you take at the beginning to develop the flavor. I mention this often, taking time in [...]
Poaching is a technique used to gently cook what is usually already a tender ingredient. Chicken and fish are commonly poached in a flavorful broth called court bouillon, which is made by simmering aromatic vegetables and herbs in water. When used to cook fruit, it’s common to simmer in red wine, another sort of alcohol [...]
Fresh apple cider has a very short shelf life and even changes flavor over a few days. It is possible to use cider that’s beginning to ferment, “cider that tastes like ginger ale” as my daughter describes it, in your cooking such as with the below recipe. The other possibility is to make apple juice, [...]
Delicata squash is a smaller squash that has a shorter shelf life than most. It is oblong in shape, with a butter-colored skin, striped with dark green. When I first tested this recipe I tried it with some of the usual squash accompaniments – maple syrup, nutmeg and butter. It was good. Then I tried [...]
Don’t get me wrong, I really like to entertain and have folks laughing and eating at my table. But, the day after, when there are leftovers, is perhaps the warmest and coziest part of Thanksgiving, when you can enjoy the good food without all of the buzz of entertaining. My favorite way to use Thanksgiving [...]
Brussels spouts have gotten a bad rap. Mostly due to the fact that perhaps the only way we’ve eaten them is when they’ve been cooked to a mushy, gray pulp. I grew them for the first time this year in my garden and am still harvesting the generous offering the four plants have given all fall [...]
Skirt, hanger or flank steaks are all wonderful cuts of beef for broiling, sautéing or grilling. All are thin cuts from the belly of the steer and have a coarse, loose grain that absorbs marinade well. I like these steaks for a number of reasons, not the least of which is you can get away [...]
Creamy Butternut Squash and Pear Soup 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup onions, diced 1/4 cup celery, diced 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash (or 1/2 butternut squash), cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 pear, peeled, cored and minced 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 cup sherry 4 cups chicken stock 1 cup heavy [...]
As the weather turns to the cosy-sweater-and-maybe-a-scarf variety, I find myself looking to the dining room table rather than the picnic table as a place to entertain friends. It’s no longer warm enough to eat outside, but we can still bring the brilliant leaves-in-full-color glory to our tables with pumpkin, beets, squashes and leeks. The [...]
Pear Tarte Tatin Pastry: 1 1/2 cups flour 6 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 10 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/4 cup ice cold water, as needed Pears: 8 Anjou or similar pears; peeled, cored and quartered 12 tablespoons butter 1 cup sugar Pastry: In a medium bowl, sift the [...]
