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Portobello Burgers with Red Pepper and Gorgonzola
I enjoy cooking and serving vegetable main dishes all year long. I love to let the vegetables shine in the center of the plate. You’ll find a whole chapter of meatless recipes in all three of my cookbooks. My Portobello Burgers are absolutely wonderful meatless sandwiches. In the center is…
Sweetener: What is Simple Syrup and How Do You Make It?
Terri recently e-mailed me to ask “What is Simple Syrup and how do you use it?” My favorite recipe for lemonade immediately came to mind (You’ll find it in Sara Moulton Cooks at Home.) and here is my answer. Simple syrup is an old-fashioned secret for sweetening things such as…
The Orange County Fair
Two weekends ago I went to my first ever county fair. I really did not know that this kind of old fashioned America still existed (I’m too much of a city kid!) and I have to say I was delighted. There was a big ferris wheel towering over the whole…
Herbs and Spices: What are the basic herbs and spices I should have on hand?
This week I got an e-mail from Rich saying, “My brother inherited Grandpa and Grandma’s house. He cooks, but they had no spices in the house. What are the basics he should have in his kitchen for simple, but exciting meals? I would greatly appreciate your comments!” I have often…
Taste of Dallas
I did two food demos at the Taste of Dallas a couple of weeks ago and found the crowd quite lively despite the humid hot weather. It appeared that everyone in the crowd came from Texas and at least half from Dallas itself (unlike my audience in Atlanta where not…
Salad Dressing: Can you give me an easy all-purpose salad dressing?
The Kitchen Shrink has gotten several requests for a good homemade salad dressing recently, so it seems like a good time to remind you of my favorite vinaigrette. My refrigerator is never without it. It is good on any basic savory salad and can be varied by changing the oil…
My New Super Blender
My Vitamix Blender: For years I have wondered about the vitamix blender and whether it was really as fantastic as advertised. It appeared from the all the hype that the machine was so tough, so virile, you could throw a moose in there with a few ice cubes and make…
Japanese Beef Fondue
This recipe is based on a Japanese dish called shabu-shabu, but I left out the kombu (dried kelp) and the tofu, then poked it here and pinched it there, so I can’t pretend that my version is even remotely authentic. But both recipes are built around poached beef. I’d almost…
Burgers: How can I keep burgers from plumping in the center?
Whenever I demonstrate one of my burger recipes, someone asks if there is a way to keep burgers from plumping in the center and becoming smaller in diameter as they cook. My favorite trick to solve this problem is to create an indentation in the center when I shape the…
Buttermilk: What is buttermilk?
Rachel e-mailed the Kitchen Shrink to ask, “What is in buttermilk?” She said she had purchased some for a recipe and was surprised to find that, despite its name, buttermilk is low in fat. These days, most buttermilk is pasteurized low-fat milk to which lactic acid bacteria have been added…