Everyday Dorie: Candied Cocktail Nuts

December 23, 2022 at 5:44 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 2 Comments
Tags: , ,

candied cocktail nuts

I’m late to the party in posting these Candied Cocktail Nuts because I wanted to have them around for Christmas Day snacks. I knew that if I roasted them two weeks ago, they would not have made it that long!

These are simple: toss lightly toasted nuts in a sweet and salty melted butter mix and roast for about ten more minutes. I raided the nut drawer for this and used macadamias, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts and pistachios. While Dorie flavors hers with thyme in the recipe, she does suggest playing around with spices. I took her suggestion to use garam masala, and since I was going down that route, I replaced the maple syrup and brown sugar in the butter mixture with jaggery for sweetness and the red pepper flakes with Kashmiri pepper for heat. I also added in some fresh curry leaves, which roasted up crispy. As anticipated, these nuts are totally addictive (and since they were a snap to put together, I could easily have made another round…)

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here), and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Everyday Dorie: Marinated and Pan-Seared Chicken Cutlets

October 14, 2022 at 10:21 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 5 Comments
Tags: , ,

marinated and pan-seared chicken cutlets

The title of this recipe is actually, “Marinated and Pan-Seared Hanger, Skirt, Flank or Take-Your-Pick Steak.” I don’t eat red meat, so my pick was going to be taking a pass on this recipe. Then I noticed Dorie made a little note about the marinade also being good for chicken cutlets, and I felt like I couldn’t take the week off after all. The marinade is Asian-inspired with curry paste, soy, ginger, lime, garlic and cilantro (it would probably be good with pork or shrimp, too…maybe she should rename it, “Marinated Take-Your-Pick Meat”). I used thin-sliced chicken breasts and marinated them for a few hours. They cooked super quickly in my cast iron pan, so this actually wound up being an easy, fast and flavorful weekday dinner that I’m glad I didn’t skip out on.

The night I made these cutlets, we had them over rice with some green beans. There were a couple of cutlets left over, so I saved them to turn into chicken sandwiches for work-at-home lunch day (on the excellent Daily Bread from Baking with Dorie).

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Everyday Dorie: Shrimp-Mousse Squash Blossoms

August 12, 2022 at 10:05 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks, veggies | 6 Comments
Tags:

shrimp-mousse squash blossoms

This time of year, zucchini abounds at my farmers’ market, and thankfully, a couple of farm stalls sell the blossoms, too. I buy them frequently in the summer; usually for Mexican recipes, like soups or quesadillas with flor de calabaza. I also do love me an Italian-style cheese-stuffed squash blossom, although I usually only order them out because I don’t love me a pot filled with fryer oil. That said, I have, a few times, made those cheesy ones myself so I was game to try these Shrimp-Mousse Squash Blossoms.

These zucchini flowers are stuffed with a chunky “mousse” of chopped shrimp and herbs and spices bound with egg white. The stuffed blossoms get dunked in a tempura batter and fried up. I only made six and didn’t use nearly the amount of oil Dorie calls for, but instead did a true shallow fry…one side and then the other. They did wind up super crisp and the filling reminded me of what’s probably my favorite fried shrimpy treat– shrimp toast. I’ll have to give that a try next!

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Everyday Dorie: Portuguese-Style Fish and Beans en Papillote

June 10, 2022 at 7:59 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 3 Comments
Tags: , ,

Portuguese-style fish and beans en papillote

It’s been a minute since I’ve cooked something en papillote, but gosh, what a good technique to be reminded of with this Portuguese-Style Fish and Beans en Papillote. I don’t really cook fish that often, and usually save it for eating out, but this was an easy and excellent dinner. No stuck-to-the-pan skin or disappointingly shredded up flesh or accidental overcooking happening here. Not even any fishy splatters to clean off the stovetop. Everything– layers of sliced lemon and tomatoes sandwiching garlic-and-paprika-marinated cannellini beans and a similarly-seasoned fish fillet–steams nicely in contained bundle in the oven.

Dorie uses cod in her recipe, but I went with some striped bass from Long Island, because that’s what my fish guy had today and recommended. She also uses thyme and scallions in her bundles, but I swapped those for parsley and garlic scapes. A drizzle of olive oil and white wine helps kickstart the formation of a flavorful broth, which turned out brick red for me, as I used a heavy hand with the paprika in my seasoning….I regret nothing. Tied up in a parchment pouch, it all comes out of the oven perfectly cooked in just 15 minutes, including the jammy and delicious lemon slices, which I’m glad I didn’t just push aside. Technically, this is a complete meal in pouch, but I roasted some broccolini while the oven was on and warmed up a piece of bread, too, to mop up all that yummy broth.

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Macarons

May 31, 2022 at 11:46 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, savory things, snacks, tuesdays with dorie | 4 Comments
Tags: , ,

macarons with choco-pb ganache

I did make Dorie’s Parisian-style Macarons a couple of years ago when we went through Baking Chez Moi, and here they are again…the same, but different. The recipe in both books is the same, but there was something I wanted to tweak after making them that other time. I rarely bake macarons anymore, but after piping out tray after tray in restaurants for many years, I was annoyed that my last batch didn’t have nicer feet. Mardi, who has also made macs by the zillions, and I noticed the baking temperature of 350F is hotter than we are used to. This time I used about 300F, and while they took an extra couple of minutes, they came out pretty spot-on. They baked up in nice, even rounds, and I think I may have a foot fetish because I can’t stop admiring them. I filled these babys with a chocolate-peanut butter ganache that I already had in the fridge (I actually made it to use as ice cream sauce).

For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!

Everyday Dorie: Soy-Sauce Eggs and Sticky Rice

May 27, 2022 at 6:20 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 3 Comments
Tags: , ,

soy-sauce eggs and sticky rice

I think the Soy-Sauce Eggs and Sticky Rice recipe has been nominated for CTBF a few times, but it didn’t survive the final group vote until now. I can understand that a cured egg yolk may not be everyone’s bag, but I thought it sounded like a pretty intriguing technique. I made a special egg-gathering trip to the big greenmarket in Union Square, just to get the freshest I could. The yolks then pickle (I went overnight) in a bath of soy and mirin. Each yolk turns out perfectly seasoned and jammy inside (that color!!), and when stirred through hot sushi rice, coats the grains in a most luxurious way.

Before even reading Dorie’s headnote description of the dish, I looked at the photo and thought, “That’s drinking food,” and cooked up some maitake mushrooms and greens to go with. Turns out, while it’s great with a cold beer for lunch or late-night, I can see it being a good breakfast, too, and apparently even kids love it!

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Everyday Dorie: Black Bean-Chipotle Dip

May 12, 2022 at 7:36 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 2 Comments
Tags: , ,

black bean-chipotle dip

Guac is my usual tortilla chip dip, but I’m game to switch up taco night botanas with something as tasty as this Black Bean-Chipotle Dip. This couldn’t be easier…just whiz up a can of black beans with some seasonings and there you have it. I wouldn’t skip the lime and cilantro, but I used taco seasoning in place of cumin, scallion instead of red onion and red Fresno pepper in lieu of green jalapeño.  I did use the ground chipotle, but why not sub in a canned chipotle in adobo or another type of ground chile powder instead? You can play around with what you have and what you like. You can also use leftovers as a spread for burritos or breakfast tacos, or even leave this chunkier and more salsa-like than I did…lots of possibilities, so you bet I’ll make this more often.

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Chocolate-Olive Cookies

May 3, 2022 at 12:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, savory things, snacks, tuesdays with dorie | 4 Comments
Tags: , , ,

chocolate-olive cookies
Chocolate-Olive Cookies…I know what you’re thinking. Sounds strange, right? I think so, too, and having made them, I can confirm that is indeed the case. A barely sweet cocoa shortbread-style cookie with chopped cured black olive bits mixed through, this is the last “cocktail cookie” recipe we had left to tick off the list. You get the bitterness from the cocoa and a salty funkiness from the olives, and while they weren’t bad alongside the red wine Dorie recommends to go with, I don’t think I’ll make them again.

For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!

Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Cottage Cheese Biscuits

April 26, 2022 at 1:04 pm | Posted in biscuits/scones, breakfast things, BWD, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks, tuesdays with dorie | 6 Comments
Tags: ,

cottage cheese biscuits

I’m not the most competent biscuit maker, but thankfully these Cottage Cheese Biscuits were easy to get together and baked off pretty nicely. Would I have really known the dough had cottage cheese in it if I hadn’t been the one to squish it in there? Probably not, but the biscuits had a nice tender crumb, so I think it did something behind the scenes. I made half a recipe and cut four square biscuits so I wouldn’t have any re-roll to deal with. I actually froze the unbaked biscuits for a few days before baking them off, since I picked up my cottage cheese container in the fridge one day and noticed it was getting to the use it or lose it point (i.e., a couple days past the date)!

When I did bake off the biscuits, I turned two of them into egg and bacon sandwiches, a suggestion Dorie threw out there and I grabbed (and tucked into little paper sleeves). The other two are still unbaked and in the freezer, but I have a feeling they’ll get the same treatment.

If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!

Everyday Dorie: Double-Stuffed Deviled Eggs with Crab

April 8, 2022 at 5:04 pm | Posted in cook the book fridays, everyday dorie, groups, other savory, savory things, snacks | 4 Comments
Tags: , ,

double-stuffed deviled eggs with crab

Double-Stuffed Deviled Eggs with Crab…oh, how fancy! I’m a fan of deviled eggs and sometimes get them as bar-type snacks out, but rarely do I make them myself. This is a luxe version, with a crab salad filling hiding under a more traditional seasoned mayo-whipped yolk mix.

The dude here and I could probably take down a whole dozen of these, but that doesn’t sound so health-conscious, so I just made one whole egg for each of us. To tell the truth, I measured nothing in either filling mixture. I mean, for two eggs’ worth, it seemed easy enough to eyeball it. Dorie says to adjust for taste anyway, so I just did it to taste to begin with. (I added a squirt of lemon juice to the yolk mix, btw.)

The crab salad has a surprise addition of apple bits. I was going to skip that, but I did have a green goldrush apple in the fridge, so I went all-in and even added some slices to garnish my egg-shaped plate. Tail feathers, if you will. These are delightful. Crab, to me, is the superior crustacean– tastier than lobster– and I did pay dearly for a small pot of picked lump meat. It’s fine, and I used just a bit of it here, so I can probably make two other crabby recipes out of what’s left, but if I were having people over for champagne, oysters, potato chips and deviled eggs (my dream party), I’d probably try to show off the crab salad as the top layer.

For the recipe, see Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan, and head over to Cook the Book Fridays to see what we all thought.

Next Page »

Blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.