Cassoulet is one of my favorite wintertime French dishes. On the surface it doesn’t seem like anything too special, basically a white bean stew with some meat in it, slow cooked into a rich, hot, warm your bones dish. I don’t think you simply “cook” or “make” cassoulet, it’s something you actually “build.” In herContinue reading “Cassoulet – A Labor of Love”
Tag Archives: water
Pecan Toffee Crumble – A Simple Topper for Your Sweet Potatoes
On Monday nights I usually participate in a Twitter-chat called Foodiechats* which runs for about 2 hours where the moderator asks questions based on the night’s theme. This past Monday’s chat was, of course, Thanksgiving themed and one of the questions asked if you try new recipes or stick with tried and true. I feelContinue reading “Pecan Toffee Crumble – A Simple Topper for Your Sweet Potatoes”
Getting Colder Outside, Make a Hearty Vegetable Garbure!
Your first question is what the heck is a vegetable garbure? Short answer: a ham and vegetable French peasantry stew. Long answer: a French stew I found in Ruhlman’s Twenty which enabled me to use up the bacon rind I’ve been saving in the freezer from the last time I made bacon. Doesn’t it alwaysContinue reading “Getting Colder Outside, Make a Hearty Vegetable Garbure!”
Simple Homemade Dill Pickles Using Basic Brine
As you may have been reading, lately I’ve become a bit obsessed with curing food. I’ve made bacon (and successfully done it a second time) and duck prosciutto which both turned out well. From reading through Ruhlman’s Charcuterie I’ve found it amazing what salt can do. Behold the power of salt! Ok, next up inContinue reading “Simple Homemade Dill Pickles Using Basic Brine”
Mixed Berry Custard Tart – Simple Ratios
On Mother’s Day we went over to our friends Erik and Jen’s for some grilling. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Chicago and we offered to bring some dessert. No idea why since I’m not much of a baker. Well not much of cake baker at least. If I had to rank my dessertContinue reading “Mixed Berry Custard Tart – Simple Ratios”
What’s for Sunday Dinner: Caramelized Onion and Duck Tart
A couple of weeks ago I bought some frozen duck legs with the intention of making confit. I don’t use the traditional method of cooking them in duck fat, I cheat a bit by slowly cooking the legs in olive oil. It achieves basically the same result, some preserved duck legs you can pull outContinue reading “What’s for Sunday Dinner: Caramelized Onion and Duck Tart”
Quick Weeknight Dinner – Farro with Mushrooms and Peas
One ingredient I like to keep in the cupboard is farro. It is one of the oldest grains in the world and was a staple of the Roman diet. It’s a grain which has low gluten levels but is also a good source of fiber and protein, so it’s healthy for you too. And versatile! Continue reading “Quick Weeknight Dinner – Farro with Mushrooms and Peas”
Strudel – The Old Fashioned Way!
Way back in October Cheryl and I attended a hands-on strudel making demonstration at Dank Haus (German-American cultural center here in Chicago). When we lived in Washington DC Cheryl used to get strudel from Heidelberg Pastry Shop in Arlington (they’d also have grilled sausages on the weekends which were great after my men’s league soccerContinue reading “Strudel – The Old Fashioned Way!”
What’s for Sunday Dinner – Ragu Bolognese
It’s the weekend before Thanksgiving and I haven’t done the shopping yet so the fridge is looking a little bare today. Cheryl noticed and commented that it didn’t look like there was much to make a dinner out of, then said “but you could probably figure something out.” Indeed I could. I knew there wasContinue reading “What’s for Sunday Dinner – Ragu Bolognese”
The Roaming GastroGnome 