Author: Claire

  • Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

    bacon cheddar biscuits

    I have an embarrassing habit to admit: I try to put bacon in as many things I cook as possible. I’m lucky enough to have access to some amazing bacon from Truck Patch Farms at the weekly farmers’ market a block from me, but sometimes a slice of bacon doesn’t quite fit in a dish – that’s when I use my saved bacon drippings. I’ve heard bacon fat referred to as “white gold,” and I can’t help but think of the term every time I open my personal stores. It actually has less saturated fat and less cholesterol than butter, and it’s a great way to add some salty smoky flavor when sauteing veggies. In these biscuits, bacon fat not only adds delicious flavor, but also helps to achieve a great flaky texture. The flavors here are completed with some cheddar (the sharper, the better, in my opinion) and freshly-ground black pepper brushed on top. If you’re like me and love savory-sweet combinations, these biscuits are fabulous with pretty much any sort of preserves or jam.

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  • Chickpea and Red Lentil Soup

    chickpea and red lentil soup

    When it starts to get cold outside, I really crave simple and filling meals, and this soup perfectly fits the bill. Red lentils are used here because they start to fall apart when cooked which works wonders on thickening the soup, and pureeing half the soup at the end helps even more in lending it a hearty thick consistency. Smoked paprika is one of my favorite spices, so I’ve made it the star of the show here (if you want, you can add some sweet paprika as well). This soup tastes equally well served plain or with a tangy dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt and can work as a full meal or a hearty appetizer.

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  • Bagna Cauda

    bagna cauda

    Although I often go over the top when cooking, sometimes I rein myself in and appreciate the simplicity of combining a few high quality ingredients. Bagna cauda, a traditional Italian dip, is an excellent example of when something simple can yield impressive results. With only four ingredients (and please, use the best quality of these ingredients that you can find), this dip manages to keep you coming back for more. It’s incredibly versatile, going well with bread, fresh vegetables, or even tossed with pasta.

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  • Banana Date Milkshake

    banana date milkshake

    I’ve been known to turn up my nose at traditionally healthy ingredients – I can’t stand when taste is sacrificed for health (my love is, above all, delicious food). But I feel like that’s been turned on its head over the past couple years as I’ve slowly discovered that healthy food often tastes better than its junky counterparts. As I’ve weaned myself off of processed food, I’ve found that desserts, in particular, despite being so often seen as the epitome of indulgence, are better off with minimal sugar and good quality ingredients.

    For the past few years, one of my favorite desserts has been what I call a banana milkshake. Frozen banana slices blended with milk result in a creamy delicious drink that I prefer to most traditional milkshakes made with ice cream. In the past, I’ve used honey to sweeten my milkshakes, but here I fall back on my experience studying in Lebanon where I tasted all kinds of delicious fresh juice blends and especially loved the ones where dates played a crucial role. This recipe is easily adapted – feel free to toss in some different fruits, add some spices, or change the proportions to your liking.

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  • Lotus Root Curry

    lotus root curry

    I love cooking with new ingredients and have been looking for a recipe using lotus root since I first noticed it at the grocery store. Lotus root has a very subtle, slightly sweet taste and a crunch similar to water chestnuts, even when cooked, and I found that this curry using Sri Lankan curry powder is a great complement for it. If you can’t find fresh lotus root, you may be able to find packaged sliced lotus root.

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  • Sri Lankan Curry Powder

    sri lankan curry powder

    In honor of Halloween, let me regale you with a tale of cooking horror: It was a (dark and stormy) Wednesday night, and after a long and stressful day at work, I was determined to make a Sri Lankan curry that night for dinner. I stopped by an Indian grocery store to pick up some curry leaves (an ingredient for which there is really no substitute – if you buy fresh leaves, any leftover leaves will freeze quite well), and by the time I made it back to my empty house (none of my roommates were home – and have I mentioned that my house is over 100 years old?), my stomach was already rumbling. The first step to a flavorful curry is fresh and flavorful curry powder, so I immediately set to roasting spices. I was finding grinding the spices in my mortar and pestle to be very therapeutic when I leaned down to get a good look at how close I was to being done – and was treated to a hefty portion of curry powder flying straight into my right eye (don’t try this at home, folks)!

    After lots of cursing, running water, and wild thoughts of going blind, my eye slowly recovered as I set to finishing my curry. Despite the setback (after which I decided the curry powder was done, fully ground or not), this curry powder turned out to be the perfect start to a delicious lotus root curry (recipe coming Wednesday). The spices here are very similar to many Indian curries, but the curry leaves bring their own blend of sweet warmth to the picture, and the spices are roasted just a bit more than usual, flirting with the line between golden brown and burnt.

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  • Maple Apple Crisp

    Maple Apple Crisp

    Lately, I’ve been embracing the fall weather, and one of my favorite fall activities is apple picking. When I came home with a bushel of apples, I knew I had to find some great recipes for them, and this was one of the stand-outs. The combination of apples and maple syrup in this crisp is fantastic, and I loved eating it warm with some yogurt on top (I’ve been enjoying the tartness of yogurt to complement the sweetness of baked goods – but I won’t judge if you use ice cream) and a drizzle of maple syrup. The walnuts help add an extra crunch to the topping and are highly recommended even if you’re not typically a fan of nuts in baked goods. This recipe is especially handy because you can really use any variety of apples (or a mixture of varieties) which is a godsend when you went apple picking and completely forgot which apples were which.

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  • Chinese Sticky Rice

    Chinese Sticky Rice

    Another dim sum favorite of mine, Chinese sticky rice provides a great combination of sweet and savory. This recipe is a perfect recreation of the dish, studded with little bits of tasty mix-ins, including sweet Chinese sausage (with a taste reminiscent of raisins), dried mushrooms, and dried shrimp, which are all essential to the rice’s success. The technique involves sauteeing all the ingredients, including the rice, and then transferring the mix to a steamer – something I was initially skeptical about that ultimately yielded amazing results. Together with some scallion pancakes (which you undoubtedly have waiting in your freezer, right?), you can be well on your way to your own dim sum feast.

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  • Lentil and Sweet Potato Salad

    lentil sweet potato salad

    Up to the last minute, I was debating what to call this salad. The simple “Lentil and Sweet Potato Salad,” the slightly more intriguing “Warm Lentil and Sweet Potato Salad,” or the fully informative “Warm Lentil and Sweet Potato Salad with Maple Vinaigrette.” I ultimately went with simplicity, but I want to make sure to give due credit to all the components that make this salad so very tasty. Served warm (or at room temperature), the flavors here feel very seasonally appropriate for autumn. The maple syrup and mustard harmonize seamlessly in the vinaigrette, playing nicely on top of the lentils’ and sweet potatoes’ earthiness. Something I love about lentils is that they leaving me feeling full but not lethargic which makes this salad work perfectly as a lunch. This would also be a great side along a cut of steak (for the meat-inclined) or some grilled portabella mushrooms.

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  • Pineapple Cardamom Jam

    Pineapple Cardamom Jam

    When I’m at the grocery store, I often can’t resist buying whatever produce is on sale. I find this forces me to be a little more creative, using ingredients I might not normally use and trying to combine what I already have around (to avoid another grocery store run). When I picked up a whole pineapple on sale, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do something savory or sweet with it – so I decided to cook a jam that could go either way. This jam is sweet, but not too sweet, and has an extra exotic flavor from the use of cardamom. My first use of the jam was as a topping on an Italian sausage (along with cheddar cheese and some hot sauce), and it was an amazing mix of flavors; as I’d hoped, the sweetness of the jam plays very nicely with savory foods. I’ve since put this jam on pizza, mixed it into black beans, and swirled it into yogurt – all delicious applications!

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