Posts by joanne
Roast Salmon with Hot Mustard-Cracker Topping
The Husband and I have taken to eating rice crackers as a way of staving off the impulse to devour our own hands during the terrible hour before dinner. These crackers come in a bunch of flavors. (My favorite is wasabi). They’re thin and crispy. And – the best part…
On September 27th, I'll be at Chicago Gourmet; please stop by!
On Sunday, September 27th at 2:30 pm, I will be at Chicago Gourmet making Sautéed Duck Breast with Gingered Grape Sauce on the Bon Appétit Culinary Stage. Hope you’ll stop by my demo! Chicago Gourmet runs from September 25th to 27th in Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St. between Michigan & Columbus Avenues). For more information go…
Tomato Gratin
This dish tastes best when the tomato season is at its height. As with almost any recipe featuring tomatoes, I pre-salt them to remove their excess liquid and concentrate their flavor. You can top them off with any kind of cracker—even plain old bread crumbs would be fine—but I like…
Join me in NYC for the 12th Annual "A Second Helping of Life" on September 21
On Monday, September 21, I will be a Celeb Sous Chef, assisting one of the chefs at the 12th Annual “A Second Helping of Life” tasting at Chelsea Piers, Pier Sixty in NYC. The event, featuring New York’s top women chefs, will support the mission of SHARE and raise funds to provide…
Sautéed Falafel
Falafel are a favorite of connoisseurs of street food from Jerusalem to New York City. Made with ground dried chickpeas or fava beans, they’re hot, peppery, meaty, inexpensive, and satisfying – a handy little meal in a pita pocket. Given that we’re starting with canned beans instead of dried beans…
Grilled Shiitake, Sweet Potato, and Eggplant Kebobs
Shiitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and eggplant are all very “meaty” vegetables. Similarly there’s a creaminess to Sesame Miso Sauce, although it contains no cream. Put them together and you’ve got a very filling dish. Tasty too, of course. Grilling these vegetables as kabobs brings out their natural sugars. (You can…
Asian Green Beans and Pork
I have always loved the original version of this Chinese dish when I was served it. The only trouble is that the green beans are usually wok-fried in lots of oil. I wanted to lighten it up a bit so I figured out a way to crisp the beans without…
Rice Vinegar: What is the difference between rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar?
Angelia recently e-mailed the Kitchenshrink to ask, “What is the difference, if any, between rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar?” There really isn’t much difference between rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar and they can certainly be used interchangeably in a recipe. To make rice vinegar, rice is fermented until it…
My Craftsy Cooking Class is live! Here is a sneak peak.
My Craftsy cooking class has gone live! It is all about getting dinner on the table during the work week and learning some techniques along the way. For a sneak peak go to Sara’s Class. Click here to sign up for the class.
Barbecued Kielbasa
In my research for Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals I found a recipe for my grandmother Ruth’s “Barbecued Frankforts” on a three- by five-inch index card in an old metal box, handwritten in her own beautiful curly script. Granny was a superb ye olde New England cook, so I gave…