Monthly Archives: December 2012
Citrus and Cucumber Salad
We are in the throes of citrus season (I’ll throw in persimmon season too) and, depending on where you live, this season is brief. Growing up in Florida we had orange, tangerine, persimmon, and fig trees in our yard. What we didn’t pick from our own trees we were able to find at the roadside […]
Posted in General Blog, Recipes, Salads Comments closed
Shrimp Scampi – New Direction
For years I cooked shrimp scampi from a 1999 Cooks Illustrated recipe. This year however, I was cooking for more than two, so I went searching for a recipe that could be baked. I googled “Baked Shrimp Scampi” and landed on one created by Ina Garten. Her recipe is quite simple but my adaption is […]
Posted in Appetizers, General Blog, Main Courses, Recipes Comments closed
Gnocchi Parisienne
I was introduced to these light as air dumplings, not in a French restaurant but in one that specializes in the cuisine of the Mediterranean and Middle East. I was hooked on the first bite and had to come home and start researching and testing various recipes to make them. This recipe is an adaption […]
Posted in Appetizers, General Blog, Main Courses, Recipes Comments closed
Chocolate Crinkles
This is a variation on a recipe I found in a 2008 issue of Bon Appétit. They are made without flour or butter, so folks who are sensitive to gluten might enjoy these. Since there are so few ingredients, use the best chocolate that you can get your hands on. I used a 64% Valrhona, […]
Posted in Desserts, General Blog, Recipes Comments closed
Lentils and Lamb
Lentilles du Puy are not your ordinary run-of-the-mill green lentils even by French standards. This particular variety grows in the rich volcanic soil of the Haute-Loire which give them a nutty flavor with a hit of minerality. Recipes for preparing these little gems are numerous both in print as well as in cyberspace. Having read […]
Posted in General Blog, Main Courses, Recipes Comments closed
Spicy Pepita and Dark Chocolate Shortbread
I had the great pleasure for a couple of years to be a guest contributor for an on-line magazine called Spezzatino . It was produced by a small group of dedicated foodies who wanted to make a difference by giving all the profits from the sale of the magazine to the Healthy Food Bank. Unfortunately, […]
Posted in Desserts, General Blog, Recipes Comments closed
Birdhouse on Hennepin, they’ve flown the coop –