Cooking
My recipe development project is an interesting and unusual one. While the client came up with the recipe titles, I'm creating the actual recipes. It's a seasonally organized appetizer book and focuses on fresh flavors or classic recipes with a twist. It's a very cool project. I've always said if I could just shop and cook and write about it I would be very happy indeed. Well, be careful what you wish for! The problem is I have lots of other work at the moment which pulls me away from the kitchen.
So with 44 recipes to create, which would you tackle first? Call me lazy or smart, but I'm a big believer in going for the low-hanging fruit. Spending some time with the list of recipes I quickly identified the recipes I felt I could easily master. First up--hummus. But not just ordinary hummus. This recipe had a few twists to it. I did a lot of research and reviewed many recipes I had made before. One of the twists was a garnish of fresh pomegranate seeds. Aren't they gorgeous? They taste wonderful too, as you might imagine they provide bright juicy accents to a rich and creamy dip. It's really a great way to dress up hummus, provided pomegranates are in season of course.
Second up was a recipe for olives with feta and a very unique dressing. The herbs look pretty but after several tries I decided the flavors of the lemon and olives were just too overpowering, obliterating the herbs no matter what I did. That said, it was still delicious!
- Recipe Development Techniques
I am deep into recipe development right now, sometimes creating up to 4 or 5 recipes in one day. My first step was making the scary decision to take my laptop into the kitchen. I was talked into it by my friend Pam of Project Foodie. Of course, Pam has...
- Made In Marseille: Cookbook Review
In one breath Marseille is described as a glorious place with real culture and the best seafood in the world, in the next it's sadly a gang and drug ridden slum. Located in Provence, a region famous as the place where Parisians take their Summer...
- Pomegranates:cookbook
Would you be inclined to buy a cookbook devoted to burgers, fondue or toast? I wouldn't. None of those things are all that challenging to make in the first place. A whole book on grilled cheese sandwiches? Gimme a break. Cookbooks on single subjects...
- Five-napkin Sandwich
It's not that we're deliberately trying to eat healthier, or anything. But Matt & I have been drawn, of late, to various vegetarian cookbooks I've had in a pile (in a pile because Matt hasn't yet found the time to build a new set of shelves)....
- Greek Salad On Grilled Pita
Actually getting some use of the latest issue of Gourmet... A light & cool salad of cucumbers, mixed Italian (go figure) greens, cherry tomatoes, feta, chickpeas, and black olives, light dressing, on hummus-smeared grilled pocketless pita. So easy to...
Cooking
2 Down, 42 to Go
My recipe development project is an interesting and unusual one. While the client came up with the recipe titles, I'm creating the actual recipes. It's a seasonally organized appetizer book and focuses on fresh flavors or classic recipes with a twist. It's a very cool project. I've always said if I could just shop and cook and write about it I would be very happy indeed. Well, be careful what you wish for! The problem is I have lots of other work at the moment which pulls me away from the kitchen.
So with 44 recipes to create, which would you tackle first? Call me lazy or smart, but I'm a big believer in going for the low-hanging fruit. Spending some time with the list of recipes I quickly identified the recipes I felt I could easily master. First up--hummus. But not just ordinary hummus. This recipe had a few twists to it. I did a lot of research and reviewed many recipes I had made before. One of the twists was a garnish of fresh pomegranate seeds. Aren't they gorgeous? They taste wonderful too, as you might imagine they provide bright juicy accents to a rich and creamy dip. It's really a great way to dress up hummus, provided pomegranates are in season of course.
Second up was a recipe for olives with feta and a very unique dressing. The herbs look pretty but after several tries I decided the flavors of the lemon and olives were just too overpowering, obliterating the herbs no matter what I did. That said, it was still delicious!
- Recipe Development Techniques
I am deep into recipe development right now, sometimes creating up to 4 or 5 recipes in one day. My first step was making the scary decision to take my laptop into the kitchen. I was talked into it by my friend Pam of Project Foodie. Of course, Pam has...
- Made In Marseille: Cookbook Review
In one breath Marseille is described as a glorious place with real culture and the best seafood in the world, in the next it's sadly a gang and drug ridden slum. Located in Provence, a region famous as the place where Parisians take their Summer...
- Pomegranates:cookbook
Would you be inclined to buy a cookbook devoted to burgers, fondue or toast? I wouldn't. None of those things are all that challenging to make in the first place. A whole book on grilled cheese sandwiches? Gimme a break. Cookbooks on single subjects...
- Five-napkin Sandwich
It's not that we're deliberately trying to eat healthier, or anything. But Matt & I have been drawn, of late, to various vegetarian cookbooks I've had in a pile (in a pile because Matt hasn't yet found the time to build a new set of shelves)....
- Greek Salad On Grilled Pita
Actually getting some use of the latest issue of Gourmet... A light & cool salad of cucumbers, mixed Italian (go figure) greens, cherry tomatoes, feta, chickpeas, and black olives, light dressing, on hummus-smeared grilled pocketless pita. So easy to...