I like baking because of the science and the precision. Cooking you have a little more leeway to freelance but if you do that in baking chances are you’re going to end up with something that doesn’t resemble the picture in the cookbook. So, check your pantry right now. Do you have natural or Dutch cocoa powder? Can you substitute one for the other?
Tofu is inexpensive, filling, nutritious, and … often tastes terrible. It doesn’t have to. I promise. Time and temperature are two simple tricks that can turn your tofu frown upside down.
One of our staple meals for busy weeknights is a tofu and veggie stir fry over brown rice. We cook and eat a lot of tofu and we’ve cooked and eaten a lot of bad tofu but over the years we eventually found a simple way to make it taste great in three simple steps.
The main summer season CSA is winding down to its final weeks and while we made it through the dense thicket of zucchini, we now find ourselves awash in many different varieties of squash. We’ve roasted most of that squash into submission but it still persists.
What to do? How to get the kids to eat it?
This is my favorite beach house or summer vacation recipe. It’s inexpensive, quick to make, yet feels indulgent and fancy. You can customize the broth to your liking or whatever you find in the pantry.
It’s even relatively healthy (mussels are really high in selenium). You can make a big pot, warm up some bread, and throw together a green salad in less than 30 minutes. Perfect after a long day in the sun.
If you’ve heard of Wisconsin Brick cheese and live outside of the Midwest, you’ve probably heard of it in relation to Detroit-style pizza. It’s a high-fat aged cheese with a uniquely tangy, salty, buttery flavor that lends the deep-pan Detroit pizza its buttery taste and more important its crispy, lacy, blackened edges. The edges will look black and burned beyond edible but don’t be fooled that’s black gold.
It sounds French and fancy but there might not be anything simpler or more versatile to make than chocolate ganache. It should be a staple in every baker’s kitchen. You can use it for dipping, drizzling, icing, frosting, glazing, even making truffles. Chocolate ganache is simply chocolate and cream blended together. It’s almost foolproof and with just those two ingredients you can have it mostly made in the time it takes to hard boil an egg. If it is so easy and foolproof than why do so many people struggle with making this delectable treat?
With just a little effort, the home cook can really up their pizza game. Ten years ago, I moved to the suburbs and immediately realized all the pizza was mediocre at best and if I wanted to once again have pizza anywhere near as good as a place in the city (even a city like Boston with an Ok but not stellar pizza rep) I was going to have to make it myself.
Since then, I’ve tried many different flours, recipes, toppings, and dough. Top it with whatever you want, what will really elevate a pizza is a great dough.
Here’s my list of my favorite pizza types and pizza dough for any occasion.
