Growing up, my Italian Aunt Nancy (who was actually my father’s aunt) used to make fresh pasta every time my family came over. She had what I like to call a pasta factory in the basement of her Chicago bungalow. Flour everywhere, old school equipment for handmade pasta, I’m sure she spent hours upon hours …
Ah, if we owned a restaurant (Can you imagine? How dreamy!) this dish would be on the menu. Hands down. It’s a complex dish with many harmonious flavors. And I won’t lie, it takes time to complete all the components. But trust this: this dish is worth every second you may spend making it! The …
Offal and Waffle, crispy fried sweetbreads and sweet, fluffy waffles, is a dish we’ve been thinking about making for a while now. It’s the ultimate in highbrow meets lowbrow, a twist on the classic Chicken and Waffle, with an unusual main ingredient: veal sweetbreads. Let me just say: if you’ve never tried sweetbreads, well, you’re …
A while back I promised my cousin that I would send her some cookies. And so the hunt began for a great cookie recipe. I searched a plethora of places, asked friends, got some good candidates, but nothing spoke to me. So, I finally came across a simple recipe for shortbread and decided to doctor …
Creme fraiche is simply amazing. And, it is easier than easy to make. There is just one tiny detail to pay attention to. Creme fraiche (fresh or new cream in French) is a soured cream that is not as sour as regular sour cream, but has a similar texture. It is made by combining fresh …
One of the secrets to this dish over all is the light, fluffy, steamed buns used to serve everything in. We followed the recipe here, but with some minor changes. Instead of using pork fat, we used some duck fat we had in the fridge. A word on fat: a couple of months back, a …
Pickling red onion is quick and easy, and can add a nice tangy bite to any dish. And, since this is a quick pickle, it can be done about 15 minutes before you need it. Ingredients 1/2 Red onion 3/4 c. Red wine vinegar 1Tbs. Pickling spices 1Tbs. Fennel seed 1Tbs. Mixed whole peppercorns 2-4 …
Good food takes time. While the prep for this dish is not labor-intensive, it takes days to complete. The good news is that, while taking days to complete, the flavor of the dish are so good, it’s completely worth it. Carnitas is traditionally a Mexican dish. “Little meats,” as the name means, is made up …
Get the best flavor out of fresh wild mushrooms. Here, we have chanterelles, oysters, and wood ears. A few quick notes: Chanterelle mushrooms have great texture and are beautifully golden, but do not have a very intense flavor. Include in dishes to which. you’d like to add a delicate meatiness Oyster mushrooms are soft textured …
Pan-seared wahoo in white wine sauce and citrus gelee served with wild mushrooms and spinach in a savory mochi bun This was our first time preparing Wahoo. Normally, we tend to keep fish pretty simple: salt and pepper, then seared in butter or oil (or a combination). We also tend to serve most fish medium …