The Food Lab: A Better Way to Caramelize Onions (Plus, French Onion Dip!) [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] Disclaimer: Although we do talk about French onion dip here, this article is really more about the general application of caramelizing onions. Like the He-Man Christmas Special, French onion dip is one of those things that's difficult to admit that you secretly really love. Wouldn't it be great if there were a French onion dip that we didn't have to be mildly ashamed to consume in public? There are certainly no shortage of recipes out there, and the general method, unsurprisingly, begins with the same basic technique: cook down finely chopped onions over low, low heat to get their natural sugars to slowly and evenly caramelize. it's a major pain in the cul It's a simple process, and the results are infinitely better than any jarred versions, but my quibble with it is the same one that I have with French onion soup: it's a major pain in the cul. It took me a week of cooking and over 20 pounds of onions to figure it out how. Allium Options Seeking Sweetness
The Recipe Blog Today is Bengali New Year. A new beginning. Wishing everyone a wonderful year ahead, filled with happiness, calm and peace. Continue reading Shubho Noboborsho! April brings showers, but in my heart, April also brings in sweet nostalgia of Poila Boishak or Bengali New Year. Continue reading Ranga Aloo-r Pantua: Sweet Potato Dumplings in Syrup and a Giveaway… Asparagus are at their best at this moment. Continue reading Fried Egg with Asparagus and Feta Hash… I am riding the Harissa wave again. Continue reading Harissa Marinated Minced Meat Kebab… Lemon tarts are something I have always had a special kind of fondness for. Continue reading Lemon Tofu Squares…
The Baker's Daughter: Polka dot cheesecake I saw someone wearing the greatest polka dot rain coat today and it inspired me to make this cheesecake. It needs to be refrigerated overnight so make sure you make it the day before you want to serve it. I find that popping it into the freezer for about 1/2 hour makes it a lot easier to cut. Crust 1 cup Graham crumbs 2 tbsp sugar ¼ cup melted butter Filling 16 oz softened cream cheese ½ cup sugar 2 eggs 2 oz dark chocolate, melted 1 tsp vanilla 2/3 cup sour cream Directions Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a 7 X 7 inch square pan and line it with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the graham crumbs, sugar, cocoa, and melted butter and press into the pan. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Melt the 2 oz of dark chocolate in a bain marie (a bowl placed over a pot of barely simmering water), or in a microwave on low temperature. Pour the plain batter into the pan, smoothing out to the edges. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
Scandi Foodie Pig Cake I’m in sort of a potluck mood lately. I can’t explain it. I don’t know whether it’s that we haven’t had a potluck meal at our church for awhile…or that I miss all the weird and wonderful and warm foods on a potluck table…or that I’m just ready for things to get back to normal after all the Christmas and New Year rush…or that my fifth grade teacher blamed me for the weekly readers being out of order when it was really Andrew Hill that messed them all up—I don’t know. But I do know this: I have some serious issues and I’m glad I’m a churchgoing woman. Andrew Hill? I feel cleansed. I also know this: I love this cake. Oh, and I also know one more thing: The Cast of Characters is back! And what an intimidating and high-gourmet cast it is. Seriously—I don’t even know if you’ll be able to find all of this stuff. First, throw the cake mix into the bowl of an electric mixer… Throw in a stick of softened margarine. Not butter…margarine. Crack in four eggs and add some vanilla extract. Lovely!
Juls' Kitchen - a Tuscan girl savouring the world one bite at a time Three Lily Soup A very long time ago, I worked next door to a gourmet food shop in Darien, CT, called the Good Food Store. Those of you from these parts will remember it, as it was quite popular. They had the best soups & I often bought my lunch from them. I remember one day seeing "three lily soup" on the menu & wondering what on earth it was. The salesperson explained to me that it was an onion soup, made with shallots & garlic...all vegetables from the lily family. To begin, you'll need 1/2 of a red onion, 1 {large} sweet onion, 10 ounces of shallots & 5 cloves of garlic. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Along with the garlic {peeled & left whole}. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bowl. Meanwhile, peel & coarsely chop 1 large Yukon Gold potato & chop 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a medium stockpot. or until all the vegetables are tender. Pour back into the stockpot, stir in a 1/4 cup of half and half & check for seasoning. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
La Tavola Marche