Martin, Melissa M.: Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou
Lee, Lara: Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen
Chauhan, Maneet: Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India: A Cookbook
McDermott, Kate: Pie Camp: The Skills You Need to Make Any Pie You Want
Lee, Lara: Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen
Kimber, Edd: One Tin Bakes: Sweet and simple traybakes, pies, bars and buns
Clark, Letitia: Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia
McDowell, Erin Jeanne: The Book on Pie: Everything You Need to Know to Bake Perfect Pies
Michael Solomonov: Federal Donuts: The (Partially) True Spectacular Story
Chris Cosentino: Offal Good: Cooking from the Heart, with Guts
Deb Perelman: Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites
Samin Nosrat: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
Michelle Tam: Ready or Not!: 150+ Make-Ahead, Make-Over, and Make-Now Recipes by Nom Nom Paleo
Lee Brian Schrager: America's Best Breakfasts: Favorite Local Recipes from Coast to Coast
Jacqueline An: An: To Eat: Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen
Carolyn Phillips: All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China
Alexandra Stratou: Cooking with Loula: Greek Recipes from My Family to Yours
Meathead Goldwyn: Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling
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Posted on March 31, 2018 at 08:01 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted on March 30, 2018 at 07:24 PM in INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)
Citrus and cranberry are a classic combination. Although cranberries are quite tart on their own, their flavor is enhanced when paired with a bright citrus zing. It somehow brings out the earthy sweetness of the berries by rounding out the flavor of the fruit. Our newest glaze at Curiosity Doughnuts is a cranberry-yuzu glaze. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit with a complex floral flavor that brings to mind a hint of lemon, lime, and mandarin orange. While you might think the idea of cranberry-yuzu would be a hard sell, it has the benefit of being a gorgeous pink color that draws people in. They want to taste it before they know what it is, and once they take that first bite, they are hooked. It's beautiful and delicious.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 29, 2018 at 07:05 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)
We always salt our chicken and air dry it on racks in the refrigerator for at least a day and upwards of three before cooking. The other night we had our seasoned chicken ready to roast but no vegetables around to roast with it. We find it essential to roast chicken on or surrounded by vegetables to allow the flavors to mingle and make dinner a bit simpler and more delicious. But the key is the flavor. Anything roasted with chicken tastes better. Thankfully our pantry is always stocked. Aki pulled out a few bags of frozen artichoke hearts and spread them onto a sheet pan. She nestled the salted chicken thighs between the artichokes. We roasted them together for 45 minutes. The result was crispy, crackling chicken surrounded by rich, caramelized artichoke hearts. If anything, the artichokes became too saturated with chicken juices, an experience we had not had before. The vegetables were delicious but I wasn't able to eat nearly as many as I wanted. Still, the convenience of the artichokes and the initial pleasure in eating them was awesome.
Which led me to the question of convenience and whether I would buy salted and air dried chicken, from whole birds to individual parts, at the store? If I could get my seasoned chicken fix without tying up our refrigerator space and without having to plan ahead, I believe that would be a delicious convenience. Of course then we lose our ability to control the salt amounts, so maybe what appears to be a good idea is actually a desire for convenience that would not make our dinner more tasty at all.
Years Past
March 28, 2009
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 28, 2018 at 05:43 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted on March 27, 2018 at 07:22 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)
We put together an assorted spread of our doughnuts for a friend passing through town. The only style of dough we did not have available was our apple cider, we call it new fashioned. It is our improvement on an old fashioned doughnut. The flavors and styles in the picture are listed below from left to right and row by row.
Boiled Cider with Caramelized White Chocolate Crumbs-SC, Blackberry Ring-SC, Chocolate Glazed with White Chocolate Pretzel Crumbs-SC, Cranberry Yuzu Glazed-SC
Black and White-SC, Vanilla Glazed-Y, Passion Fruit Cluster-Y, Chocolate with Butterscotch and White Chocolate Pretzel Crumbs-Y
Cinnamon-Cardamom Sugar-SC, Butterscotch and Passion Fruit Cluster with Caramelized White Chocolate Crumbs-Y, Vanilla Glazed Marble-Y, Curiosity Cruller-C
Dough Key
SC = Super Cake
Y = Yeasted
C = Cruller
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 26, 2018 at 07:14 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)
Posted on March 25, 2018 at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted on March 24, 2018 at 07:34 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)
This taffy was an impulse buy. It was mentioned in the New York Times and it brought to mind a couple of summers ago. Amaya and I were in Rhode Island and Alex asked us to pick up some salt water taffy for him. (He claims he has no recollection of this conversation.) We did and while it was very pretty, it was not delicious. It had that sweet, bland flavor that is the hallmark of many salt water taffies, where the flavor seems to come from the color rather than from any actual flavorings in the candy. I was intrigued by the idea of good taffy, and tired and stressed from opening a new location, so I bought some. Normally these kinds of impulse buys end in disaster, so I was relieved when the Salty Road Taffy showed up and I actually enjoyed it. It was toothsome and chewy, melting slowly in my mouth as I savored the slightly salty (in a good way) flavors. The salted caramel was delicious but little too salty for me, the chocolate chews had a deep chocolate flavor that I enjoyed--although I thought they might be even better dipped in chocolate, and the honey peanut taffy was everybody's favorite. We're savoring the candy one bite at a time and, if I had more time on my hands, I might be inspired to try and make my own. Then again, maybe not. Some things taste better when somebody else does the cooking. For now, I'm glad that I don't have to because this taffy is so good.
Years Past
March 23, 2010
March 23, 2005
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 23, 2018 at 06:23 PM in Balancing Tastes, DISCOVERIES, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0)
In the picture above you see the same dough prepared two different ways. The babka dough is rolled around a chocolate filling. In the left picture the dough is slashed and twisted so that the chocolate is on the the outside of the loaf. In the right picture the dough is twisted around the chocolate so that it is hidden inside. The two loaves are exactly the same and dramatically different. This is the essence of cooking. We all take the same ideas and ingredients, sometimes even the very same recipes, and end up with completely different results. That's the special seasoning that makes what we do so much fun.
Years Past
March 22, 2005
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 22, 2018 at 08:48 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)
Michael Klein wrote an insightful article about Curiosity Doughnuts and the quest for perfection over at Philly.com. Go check it out and tell us what you think.
And while we're on the subject of Curiosity Doughnuts, we are looking for staff to make doughnuts and work the counter at our Spring House, PA location. We especially need people who can work during the week and on Easter weekend, so we can keep getting delicious doughnuts out to all the people who want them. Experience is appreciated but not required, a strong work ethic and a good attitude are the most important things you can bring to the table. Email us at [email protected] telling us a little bit about yourself, why you'd like to work with us, and what kind of salary/hours you're looking for and we'll be in touch promptly.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 21, 2018 at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The best thing about asparagus for dinner is that, if I plan well, it means asparagus for breakfast. There's nothing like a simple cheesy scramble with chopped asparagus. It makes breakfast feel healthy and festive.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 20, 2018 at 06:04 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)
We've been on this Calabrese Salami kick. It's got a deep meaty flavor and a rich heat that pairs beautifully with so many things. Tonight we were cooking asparagus and decided to embrace the idea of finger food. We wrapped the salami around the cleaned asparagus and roasted it in the oven. We didn't take them all the way to crispy because sometimes the asparagus overcooks and the salami becomes too intense. Instead we went for tender and juicy, all the way around. These beauties are perfect for picking up and savoring slowly without any silverware involved. They are dripping with flavor, which makes licking your fingers is a requirement. Some times two ingredients are all you need.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 19, 2018 at 06:39 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)
Every once in a while we come across a product that we love so much we need to mention it here. Kiehl's Mom & Baby Moisturizing Cream is one of those things. I bought it to use as a face cream this winter, because I needed an additional layer of moisture to stay hydrated in the cold, dry weather. Then as I spent more time at the doughnut shop and the number of times a day I washed my hands increased dramatically, I found that it went a long way towards healing the resulting dry, chapped skin. Recently Alex got a couple of new tattoos to commemorate our new location and he used it on them to moisturize the skin beneath. It worked like a charm and he says that he's never had tattoos heal so quickly. Amaya refuses to touch it because she's not a baby anymore, but two out of three of us love it.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 18, 2018 at 06:55 PM in Not Food Related | Permalink | Comments (0)
There's a certain type of customer who takes our prices personally. We can see them coming. They walk by and eye the doughnuts. Then they check out our price. Then they walk away, looking offended. Then they come back and look again. Then they walk up to the counter and say some variation of "Are your doughnuts really three dollars EACH?
When we politely inform them that yes, they really are three dollars each, you can almost see them swelling up with the force of their righteous indignation. "How on earth can you justify that price?" We politely inform them that these are the best doughnuts they will ever taste. Once they try them, they will understand. At which point they generally shake their heads in disbelief and storm off, muttering to themselves about the price of our doughnuts. Sometimes they will go through the checkout line and circle back around on their way out, loudly exclaiming that those doughnuts are outrageously over-priced. It can be a little bit disheartening.
But every once in a while we convince one of these people to try the doughnuts. Or one of their friends insists on buying them a doughnut, and then we see grace. Some of our biggest detractors have turned into our most loyal customers and that is an amazing thing. It's a great reminder that we need to be patient, we all have our price barriers. As more people try the doughnuts, they share the love, and more people come to see what all the fuss is about.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 17, 2018 at 07:23 PM in At the Table, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (2)
...sometimes don't work out exactly the way we expect them to:
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 16, 2018 at 08:31 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)
This is an older Ted talk. Amaya and I watched it together. Birke Baehr, an 11 year old aspiring organic farmer, explains how to make good food choices. We agreed with everything he said. Sadly, we still have all the same issues as we did in 2010, but the system is changing and we have a much wider range of better choices today. Kid by kid we are making a difference.
Years Past
March 15, 2011
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 15, 2018 at 07:49 PM in At the Table, Food For Thoughts, INSPIRATIONS, Videos | Permalink | Comments (0)
Today was opening day of Curiosity Doughnuts and I fried all day long. I have the short shift because I get Amaya off to school and am back at home to meet the bus, so I'm there from 9:30-3:30, give or take. I arrived and started frying immediately. didn't stop until it was almost three. By then we were down to apple cider debris and that was gone in about twenty minutes. We were that busy. Also, we can only fry one dozen at a time, so that means I was playing catch up all day long. People can buy doughnuts way faster than I can fry them. This is mostly a good thing.
Customers were coming in from the parking lot and telling us that people leaving the store told them they had to come and get doughnuts. That was pretty cool. Aside from the all too often heard "$3 doughnuts!!! Are you serious?" we had a lot of positive feedback. People bought one doughnut to taste and then came back for more. Do we have a lot of work to do? Yes. Are we tired? Yes. Alex is still there prepping for tomorrow. Totally looking for some good staff, but until we can find them, we're making do with the amazing staff we've got. Surrounding ourselves with the right people makes all the difference.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 14, 2018 at 05:33 PM in American Noodles, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)
Opening a second location feels a little bit surreal. Being an independent vendor in a this huge store is very cool. The WF team, led by Alan Morgan, has been amazing. They have gone above and beyond to help us make CD2 happen. The colaboration came together in a fast and furious way, a few months from conversation to reality. But that's what we do. Life is about making magic happen. Tomorrow Whole Foods Market Spring House opens it's doors and so does the second location of Curiosity Doughnuts. See you in the morning.
Years Past
March 13, 2009
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 13, 2018 at 07:59 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (2)
So these made me stop and take notice. Look at those cute, smiling animals on kabobs. There's something about the fact that they are threaded on sticks that makes them a little more graphic than your average Peeps. It seems like kind of a mixed message. Amaya and her friends discuss the ethics of eating meat on a regular basis. For the record, they all eat meat, some more than others, but they are having the conversation. I think that a good thing. Even in the third grade, it's important to make informed decisions. Still, I can only imagine the kind of reaction I'd get if I pulled these babies out at Easter. Half the kids would gleefully devour them and the other half would squeal and run in the other direction. How do you feel about animal kabobs?
Years Past
March 12, 2011
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 12, 2018 at 03:25 PM in At the Table, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (2)
Growing up I ate more than my fair share of Italian takeout. There were a couple of different places in the neighborhood that we got food from, depending on whether we were picking up or getting delivery. They all had their specialties. Lilian's was the closest. We always got their special pizza or heroes from there. It was only a block away, but the downside was that we had to walk over and pick up the food. A&J's was the other place we got pizza from. They delivered but it did take longer for the pizza to arrive. They had our favorite cheese pizza and a veggie special that was cheese-less and loaded with roasted vegetables. Mike's was who we called for pasta dishes. They had a great antipasto salad, baked ziti, baked ziti siciliano (with fried eggplant), stuffed shells and lasagna. It's funny to think that all these dishes had basically the same ingredients in different compositions. One night when my friend Jackie was over for dinner, we ordered from Mike's, and I discovered that you could get spaghetti and meatballs parmigiano, with a layer of mozzarella cheese melted over the top and it rocked my world. Wasn't everything better with a layer of melted cheese on top?
Fast forward many years and not much has changed, except I make the pasta dinner myself instead of having it delivered. We always have fresh mozzarella, ricotta, and Rao's in the house. It makes a last minute comfort food meal easy. Almost any type of pasta will do, although Alex prefers the short noodles in these types of preparations. Once your pasta is cooked, it comes together in a flash. Warm the sauce in the pan and add the al dente pasta and some cooking water. Mix well, dollop with ricotta cheese and layer on the mozzarella. Stick the whole thing under the broiler while you make the salad and you've got dinner. Skillet pasta and salad makes everyone happy--as long as we don't have it every night...
Years Past
March 11, 2006
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 11, 2018 at 05:49 PM in Approach to Cooking, At the Table, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)
For years I took notes in legal pads. I converted the legal pads into digital notebooks. From the legal pads I went to small spiral notebooks at work and post it notes at home. I grew tired of the spiral notebooks. I adopted the post it notes which could be stacked and stuck anywhere and everywhere. When the pile became large enough or the cabinets no longer visible I inputted the ideas into more digital notebooks. I eventually left the post it notes and began taking notes on my phone, using the notes app and emailing myself thoughts. These were all inputted into documents.
Over the past year I have taken to writing ideas on note cards. I still use the computer for food-centric thoughts. But on the creative thought process I have enjoyed dashing off ideas on the cards and stacking them in a corner. Finally I began looking at the cards and highlighting key words. The ideas with the key words were put into piles. I am seeing patterns of words, of language of thoughts. I still have a fair number of cards to sort, but the process is creating its own shape. Once the piles are formed I wonder what other ideas will emerge?
Years Past
March 10, 2005
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 10, 2018 at 07:42 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)
We have been caramelized white chocolate fans, (cough) addicts, since we first saw the technique demo-ed 10 years ago. Since then we have explored various methods of caramelizing the chocolate from pressure cooker to microwave. Today I needed caramelized white chocolate quickly. I knew my end plan was a crunchy crumb. I did not need tempered or even melted chocolate. I wanted the toasty nutty flavor of caramelized sugar and milk solids.
I put white chocolate chips in a pot and started melting them. The chips liquefied and then dried and crumbled. I suppose the chocolate seized. I kept turning, stirring and scraping. After ten minutes of cooking I had caramelized white chocolate crumbs. I put the chocolate onto a sheet pan to cool. When it was cold I put it in a food processor with toasted rice krispies and some salt. The crumbs are nutty, rich, crunchy, brown-buttery, and caramel sweet. The rice krispies added a but of crunch, some toasty notes, and tempered the sweetness. While the plan is to put these on doughnuts, Aki is also plotting to steal some for the tops of her blueberry muffins. You could sprinkle them on shortbread, fold them into cake filling or mix them into your chocolate chip cookie dough. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
Years Past
March 9, 2009
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 09, 2018 at 08:29 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (1)
The plan was for fried shrimp. When we lived in New Hampshire we would occasionally frequent a local seafood joint where Amaya always got the fried shrimp. She loved them and hadn't had any since we moved back to PA two years ago. It's probably been closer to three years since she's had them, because the place was one of Oso's favorites and we couldn't bring ourselves to go back after he was gone. So she's been asking for fried shrimp and I kept putting off making them. I have no idea why, they are incredibly easy. In my head they were a chore. The other night I finally got down to it. I cleaned the shrimp, dipped them in egg wash and bread crumbs, and prepared to fry.
Unfortunately I was out of ghee. I like to shallow fry in ghee because I love the flavor of the butter in the crust. I wasn't in the mood for olive oil so I reached for the coconut oil. Alex doesn't love coconut but I figured that the coconut oil would be mild enough to slip by. Amaya does like coconut but as I discovered at dinner, she likes coconut to be sweet and shrimp to be savory. The shrimp fried up beautifully, they were crisp and golden and perfectly cooked. They had a little snap to them as your teeth broke through the crust and their sweet flavor was amplified by the rich coconut undertones. Unfortunately Alex and Amaya both refused to eat them. The coconut oil was too strong for them so I got to enjoy the shrimp all by myself. Clearly I'll be cleaning and breading shrimp again sometime soon and this time I'll make sure I have some ghee in the house.
Years Past
March 8, 2012
March 8, 2005
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 08, 2018 at 06:07 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted on March 07, 2018 at 06:57 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)
With a week until we open Curiosity Doughnuts 2 and another snow storm headed our way, we're looking for some inspiration. Somehow a video about How To Make Stress Your Friend by Kelly McGonigal sounds like exactly what we need right now.
Years Past
March 6, 2005
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 06, 2018 at 04:29 PM in Balancing Tastes, Videos | Permalink | Comments (0)
Popcorn needs salt. I was initially planning on using our Cornflakes crumbs to top our popcorn glazed doughnut. As I ran the idea through my head I felt the cornflakes would not carry enough impact and it would pull the flavor and idea away from the popcorn glaze. Instead I reached for our white chocolate pretzel crumbs. It provided a roasted, toasty, almost buttery saltiness to the doughnuts. It wasn't corn flavored with corn. The crumbs brought focus to the popcorn glaze and the doughnut.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 05, 2018 at 07:16 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)
I have this long held fascination with fried bologna sandwiches. I am an avid reader. Long ago a I read series of books (The Mitford series, in case you were wondering, there are some great food descriptions in those books) where one of the characters had a thing for fried bologna sandwiches. The idea of these sandwiches teased my imagination. They were presented so matter of factly, as though everyone should know what they are, although I had never come across them before. At the time I couldn't imagine frying bologna and I would idly wonder whether they fried the bologna or if the sandwich itself was fried. Research has taught me that in most cases you fry both and that there endless variations of this sandwich with passionate fans of each version. Still I never actually tasted one until today.
I had egg sandwiches on the brain this morning and for unknown reasons I reach for the bologna. I set a small skillet over medium heat, glazed the bottom with butter and lay slices of bologna in the fat to sizzle and curl. Fried bologna is pretty awesome. It has a rich, bouncy quality on your palate and a deep, almost funky flavor. It was perfect in the egg sandwich, so much better than ham or bacon. The roll may look large, but it flattens out with the first bite, compressing around the sandwich filling without taking center stage. Add some American cheese and ketchup and you've got a pretty well-rounded sandwich. Amaya ate hers in complete, concentrated silence, leaving nothing behind but a few sesame seeds and some crumbs. That's how I knew for sure I had a winner.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 04, 2018 at 02:26 PM in Approach to Cooking, At the Table, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (2)
Aki is a popcorn junky. We have fresh popcorn in the house daily. So, the idea of popcorn is always at the back of my mind. Our friends at Pulled Fork BBQ make some delicious, Hell Yeah, creamed corn. The base is canned corn. I have seen the corn water being discarded for months and have wanted to find a use for it. I was thinking in their world, not mine. Finally today it dawned on me. The flavor packed liquid would make a delicious doughnut glaze. I asked them to reserve the corn water for me and I set about making a glaze with the idea of popcorn in mind. I added a bit of heavy cream for richness and vanilla because I like vanilla. The result was a creamy, corny, sweet glaze reminiscent of popcorn. It will be on doughnuts in the morning. Once I had a use for the corn water, I realized it would be incredible to boil hot dogs in it for a simple take on corn dogs. It's a great use to give back to them for their world.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 03, 2018 at 06:34 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)
We love potato chips. We also take our frying pretty seriously, what with a doughnut shop and all. We recently made the switch from rice bran oil to sunflower seed oil in our fryers. We find that the sunflower seed oil has less transfer of flavor and that the doughnuts fry up cleaner and with less oil absorption using the sunflower seed oil. So when we saw these Martin's Kettle Gold potato chips fried in sunflower seed oil at the market, we had to try them. They are crisp and crunchy with a clean potato flavor and just the right amount of salt. These chips are delicious and addictive and disappeared at an alarming speed, which told us everything we needed to know about these chips.
Years Past
March 2, 2005
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 02, 2018 at 05:06 PM in Approach to Cooking, At the Table, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (1)
In a recent workshop the creative catalyst was squid ink gnocchi sardi. Too often we make squid ink pasta and leave it alone. Recently we have revisited exploring complimentary pastas. As it turns out squid ink noodles have been the foundation. Not by design but through chance circumstances. In our recent exploration we looked at the squid ink sardi and it dawned on us that saffron sardi would be deliciously complimentary.
Years Past
March 1, 2011
March 1, 2009
March 1, 2007
March 1, 2005
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
Posted on March 01, 2018 at 07:19 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, Culinary Conversations, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)