September 27, 2012
A fruit compote, or fruit “soup” is more common in the mediterranean than here in North America. What is it? It’s an assortment of summer stone fruits cooked in a sugar syrup (I add sweet wine and orange juice) on medium heat until the fruits break down slightly but still retain some texture. You can also make a winter fruit compote using dried fruits, but the recipe I am offering today is definitely a summer... View Article
September 25, 2012
Pizza is one of the signature dishes in my kitchen. I love to make it, eat it and serve it. On weekends I always have pizza dough in the fridge, ready to be stretched, rolled and made into an impromptu snack or main course. Sometimes I buy fresh pizza dough from Mercato or Lina’s and keep it in the fridge for a quick pizza but mostly I like to make my own dough. I cook... View Article
September 24, 2012
Fried green tomatoes are traditional in southern cooking. They got their moment in the spotlight when a movie by that name was released to critical acclaim. The 1991 movie was based on a novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. After the release of the film a wave of fried green tomatoes recipes flooded the market and that’s when I first got acquainted with the dish . Green tomatoes are... View Article
September 22, 2012
Spun sugar looks so impressive and is really quite simple to make. Granted, it’s a bit messy but I have organized a system that works for me so I don’t hesitate to make it regularly for garnishing desserts. Spun sugar is made from sugar, water and corn syrup that are allowed to boil to a caramel. The caramel reaches a certain stage in which long thin strand of “angel hair” drop when you dip a... View Article
September 22, 2012
I love baking cakes but find that I don’t do it very often, saving it for when we have company. The problem is that a regular size 9-10 inch cake is just too much for a couple of servings and I end up wasting a lot. But I like to bake cakes, so, I decided to make a small recipe, enough for 4 individual little cakes that I can play with, fill, decorate, garnish and... View Article
September 20, 2012
I am not entertaining too much lately but still, have been in the mood for making all kinds of little appetizers. Why do we have to make these just for guests? When my kids say not to fuss, it’s “just” them, I always tell them that they are the most important audience I have. Whatever you do, it has to start at home first. So I have made a few things to be posted in... View Article
September 19, 2012
Mediterranean cuisine has a dish called Mujadarah where lentils and rice are cooked together and then topped with slow cooked caramelized onion. It’s delicious and I make it often. This is a spin on that recipe but I cook everything separately and then combine “stuff” together. This way I can experiment and create different dishes from the basic rice and lentils. So today I am making the rice and lentils with cauliflower and carrots. Tomorrow... View Article
September 18, 2012
On a recent trip to the Mayan Riviera I had a fried avocado salad at one of the large hotels on the beach. It was quite special and I made it a few times since I got home. Today I had a couple of beautiful, ripe yet firm avocados and I thought I’d make these lovely fritters and serve them as tacos in corn tortillas for a quick lunch. I have also stuffed them into... View Article
September 17, 2012
In spite of being a summer person, I do like the change of seasons. Right now, as summer turns into fall, the leaves on the trees outside my kitchen are turning yellow and I am pulling out my signature long shawls to wrap around myself when going out at night. Same thing is happening in the kitchen and I find myself returning to the warm and comforting foods of cooler weather. A soup is simmering... View Article
September 15, 2012
Appetizers (Hors d’Oeuvre in French, Antipasto in Italian) are some of the most fun things to make in the kitchen.This is where you can show your creative side, both in the preparation and presentation. When having company for dinner I tend to offer a selection of them, usually set out on a counter in the kitchen not far from the wine and let the guests help themselves to both while I put the finishing touches... View Article
September 14, 2012
Melt-in-your-mouth four ingredients cookies that everyone who likes to cook should have in their repertoire. They are quick to make and so sweetly delicious. I believe these cookies hail from the mediterranean and you see versions of them in many middle east cuisines. The dough has to be chilled first and then baked at low temperature (I use convection mode at 320℉. ) You can roll the dough into a log, refrigerate until cold and... View Article
September 13, 2012
Call them French fries, pommes frites, freedom fries, chips, patatas fritas or oven fries, who doesn’t like them one way or another. Granted, whether long or short, some like them matchstick-thin and crispy, other like them thick cut, crispy on the outside and soft inside. I like them any way they come and tend to make them at home every now and then. Today I was in the mood so I made some oven fries... View Article
