Category Archives: Cool Cooking Techniques

A Lazy Way — And A Good Way with Tomatoes

Posted on by 3 comments
There's a time and place for stuffed tomatoes. And there's an even greater time for "unstuffed'' ones.
There’s a time and place for stuffed tomatoes. And there’s an even greater time for “unstuffed” ones.

There are times when I am up for a challenge, for those recipes that are as long as a chapter in a novel, made with ingredients that take me four trips to as many different grocery stores, and that leave me spent but gratified when I sit down at the table to enjoy them.

Granted, those times are rare.

More likely, as with so many of you, I gravitate to recipes that are not only quick and easy, but let’s face it, take the lazy approach.

Because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

For example, I’ve made Julia Child’s classic “Stuffed Tomatoes Provencal,” and they were fantastic.

But when I came across Laura Vitale’s “Baked ‘Unstuffed’ Tomatoes,” the loafer in me immediately latched on to it.

Read more

Michael Symon’s Grilled Pork Steaks with the Surprise of Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

Posted on by Leave a comment
Juicy and so very tender, these bountiful pork butt steaks get glazed with a Dr. Pepper -- yes! -- cherry barbecue sauce.
Juicy and so very tender, these bountiful pork butt steaks get glazed with a Dr. Pepper — yes! — cherry barbecue sauce.

Have you ever held a succulent rib between your fingers, then bitten into a taste of sweet-savory, marvelously yielding meat, only to wish there was more left on the bone to enjoy?

You get exactly that with Chef Michael Symon’s “Slow-Grilled Pork Butt Steaks with Cherry BBQ Sauce.”

It has the taste and tenderness of your favorite smoked ribs — but in the much more substantial form of pork butt or shoulder steaks that are meaty and beyond.

Best yet, they get glazed and served with a thick, fruity, savory and slightly spicy barbecue sauce made with not only fresh or frozen cherries but also a can of Dr. Pepper. Yes, you read that right.

The recipe is from his newest cookbook, “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

Read more

Scaling the Heights of Lofty Peaches and Granola Galette

Posted on by 4 comments
As tall and majestic as a deep-dish pizza, that's what this peach galette is like.
As tall and majestic as a deep-dish pizza, that’s what this peach galette is like.

If a classic galette were a ranch house, then this baby is a high-rise for sure.

“Lofty Peaches and Granola Galette” lives up to its name, with a girth and stature like pizza that’s extra deep-dish.

This statement-making galette is from the new cookbook, titled — what else — “Galette!” (Artisan), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Rebecca Firkser, a Brooklyn-based writer and cook, whose recipes have been published in Bon Appetit and on Food52.

I have always loved a good galette, especially because it requires rolling out only one round of dough, and its free-form nature means no matter how you crimp or fold, it will still end up with a lovely rustic look.

Read more

The Nostalgic Taste of No-Churn Yuen Yeung Ice Cream Cake

Posted on by Leave a comment
Sara Lee Pound Cake goes fancy and sentimental.
Sara Lee Pound Cake goes fancy and sentimental.

As a Chinese American kid growing up in San Francisco, I would peer into our family freezer to spy not only bamboo leaf-wrapped sticky rice dumplings and on-sale bags of shrimp for future stir-frys, but plenty of Swanson Salisbury steak dinners, boxes of Banquet boil-in-bag chicken a la king, and Sara Lee Pound Cake.

The latter of which I much preferred to eat still frozen.

Apparently, I wasn’t alone in that, either.

Not if the cookbook, “Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes From A Cantonese American Home” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy, is any indication.

That’s because deep within its pages is a recipe for “No-Churn Yuen Yeung Ice Cream Cake” made with — you guessed it — a Sara Lee Pound Cake, but one gussied up with layers of a fluffy whipped cream-and condensed milk flavored with Lipton tea and a dash of coffee.

For me, it is as if old-school Chinatown milk tea and that buttery dense pound cake decided to skip joyously together down memory lane.

The cookbook was written by Calvin Eng, chef and owner of Bonnie’s, a well-regarded Cantonese American restaurant in Williamsburg in New York. who is also a Food & Wine “Best New Chef,” with assistance from Phoebe Melnick, a New York video journalist.

Read more

Raise A Toast to Tuscan Braised Drunken Chicken

Posted on by Leave a comment
Chicken halves get marinated, then gently simmered in a pan for glorious results.
Chicken halves get marinated, then gently simmered in a pan for glorious results.

With folks tightening their wallets these days and tourism once again peaking so high in Europe that locals are out protesting, a trip to Italy might not be in the cards this year.

However, you can opt for a taste of Tuscany in the comfort of your own home instead, thanks to the new cookbook, “20 Amici 40 Ricette” (The Collective Book Studio), of which I received a review copy.

Translated from Italian to English as “20 friends, 40 recipes,” the book was written by John Bersani, a teacher, writer, and second-generation Italian-American who has lived for more than 20 years in a small hilltop town in central Tuscany when he isn’t splitting his time in Colorado.

It is as much travelogue as cookbook as Bersani introduces you to some of his favorite people and most cherished restaurants in the region. In fact, the recipes are organized not by the usual category of dish but by friend, be they forager, fish monger, chef, or restaurateur.

Read more
« Older Entries Recent Entries »