Preperations (73)
Vinegar has been used for centuries to preserve food and provide a zesty flavor. Pickled vegetables are easy to make. They can be a nice addition to Stir Fry, Korean Bibimbap, or even as a Pizza topping.
Baba Ganoush is a traditional Mid-Eastern made with Roasted Eggplant. This flavorful sauce can provide a a dip for Pita Bread, as a Marinara replacement, or as a topping for Roasted Chicken. This recipe calls for Tahini, a paste made from roasted Sesame Seeds.
The term "BBQ" can mean a lot of different things, depending on the region. There is Carolina BBQ, Memphis BBQ, St Louis BBQ, Kansas City BBQ, Kentucky BBQ, and about 4 or 5 variations called Texas BBQ. Variations can include a Dry Rub or a Wet Sauce, various cuts of Beef or Pork, the type of wood used to smoke the meat, the presence of vinegar in a Wet Sauce, the use of Tomato sauce or Mustard as the base for a Wet Sauce, the inclusion of Hot Peppers... the variations seem unlimited. This recipe is for a sweet Tomato-based Wet Sauce with a mild vinegar taste.
A traditional Bechamel sauce is thickened with a roux, using butter and flour. This keto friendly sabayon utilizes egg yolk as the thickening agent, providing a smooth, silky texture that provides a tasty finish to your dish. This Bechamel Sabayon is easy to make, but requires your undivided attention. Boiling will curdle the egg and break the sauce. For best results, stir the mix constantly while cooking over medium-low heat. This will help ensure that all the ingredients melt together, without coming to a boil. To add the yolk, temper it first by adding it to a small bowl, then mixing with a few scoops of the sauce before integrating it back into the saute pan. This basic sauce can be modified in countless ways to finish your meal; Add 2 cups of shredded cheese; Add 1 finely chopped roasted pimento; Add shredded parmesan cheese for an alfredo sauce.
Brown Butter or "Beurre Noisette" (meaning: "Hazelnut Butter") does not actually contain hazelnuts. This single ingredient sauce can add complexity and a "nutty" flavor to any sweet or savory dish that calls for butter. Brown butter is made by heating the butter to brown the milk solids and reduce the water. Brown Butter can replace the butter in any recipe, tablespoon for tablespoon.
Contrary to popular opinion, the Caesar Salad was not named for Julius Caesar. Instead, it is named after the Chef from Mexico City who first concocted this savory lemon-flavored egg yolk emulsion. A Caesar Salad is traditionally made with romaine lettuce, croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese, and occasionally diced tomatoes, all coated with a serving the famous dressing. Caesar Salad is a great companion to any meal.
This handy recipe will take less time to mix than it would take to run to your corner grocer and grab a box of cake mix. Additionally, you can skip all the dyes and preservatives that are usually included in your box.
This reduction was inspired by Cheerwine Soda, a super sweet soft drink that is commonly found in North Carolina. Like Cheerwine, this homemade cherry reduction can be used in a wide range of recipes, such as BBQ sauce, cherry topping for deserts, a replacement for grenadine, or as a flavoring for soda water. In addition to the frozen cherries, this recipe also calls for bottled cherry juice. For best results, ensure that the juice has no additional sugar added and contains 100% cherry juice. Do not settle for a cheaper mix that includes other filler juices, such as pear juice or grape juice. In order to make into Cherry Syrup, dissolve an additional 1.5 Cups of Sugar.
Chimichurri is the quintessential Argentine Flavor. Chimichurri can be used as a marinade to flavor roasts and steaks before cooking and it can be used as a finishing sauce for meats at the dining table.
Chimichurri is the quintessential Argentine Flavor. Chimichurri can be used to flavor roasts and steaks before cooking or it can be used as a sauce for meats at the dining table. Red Chimichurri adds roasted pimento for a fuller, smokey flavor.
Roast Lamb can be easy to make. This light and zesty marinade will enhance your Lamb Roast with a sweet orange-lemon flavor. The Vinegar will help the flavor to work into the meat. Marinate for 12 to 24 hours. This recipe will yield enough marinade for a Lamb Roast up to 8 pounds.
This creamy cheese sauce is a great addition to a medium rare London Broil or as a filling for stuffed hamburgers patties. Adding the horseradish paste will provide additional flavor and complexity. The amount of Horseradish can be adjusted to provide a stronger or weaker flavor, as desired.
Crème Fraîche is a traditional creamy French sauce, made by mixing cultured Buttermilk and Heavy Cream and then incubating the culture to thicken the cream. Crème Fraîche can be a tasty addition to fresh fruit, a thickener for sauces, or even added as a creamy thickener for soups. Because of the high percentage of milk fat, Crème Fraîche can survive high heat, even boiling, without breaking down. This recipe can be easily scaled to produce a larger yield by maintaining a buttermilk/cream ratio of 1:8. Note: Buttermilk that does not have an active culture will fail to incubate properly. The Borden brand "Country Store Bulgarian Cultured Whole Buttermilk" seems to be available most places across the US.
This flavorful dipping sauce is easy to make and is perfect for Honey Balsamic Soy Chicken Wings, Cauliflower Crowns, or Grilled Chicken Breasts.
This spicy dipping sauce is easy to make and is perfect for Peruvian Roast Chicken, Peruvian Chicken Wings, Cauliflower Crowns, or Baked Cheese Balls. Although this Dipping Sauce would traditionally include Mayonnaise instead of Greek Yogurt, the Yogurt is healthier, and in my opinion, will provide a better flavor. Traditionally, this dipping sauce would include a pepper called Aji Amarillo that may prove challenging to find in the US. As a replacement, I am using Srirachi Garlic sauce instead. Like most yogurt sauces, this sauce will taste better if it is refrigerated overnight so that the flavors can mix together.
This is a sweet tasting dipping sauce that is great with chicken (or pork) nuggets, or a finishing sauce for Roast Chicken, Roast Pork, or Honey Ginger Chicken.
This Cheesy Sauce can be a versatile addition to any meal. Use it as a sauce on Chicken, on White Fish, Baked Potatoes, or over Steamed Vegetables. Adding a variety of different seasoning options to this basic Cheesy Sauce can produce very different flavor profiles.
Although eggplant is not an overly nutritious fruit, eggplant can be useful in a variety of cuisines.
Here is basic information for selecting and using eggplant.
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese is surprisingly easy to make, once you learn a few tricks. In less than an hour, you can go from a Gallon of Whole Milk to Mozzarella. And as an added bonus, Ricotta Cheese is also a natural byproduct of the Mozzarella making process.
Ricotta "Cheese" is not technically a cheese, but actually a cheese byproduct. Fresh Ricotta is surprisingly easy to make, once you learn a few tricks. In less than an hour, you can go from a Gallon of Whole Milk to fresh Ricotta.
Ricotta "Cheese" is not technically a cheese, but actually a cheese byproduct. Fresh Ricotta is surprisingly easy to make, once you learn a few tricks. In less than an hour, you can go from Whole Milk to fresh Ricotta. And using a Sous Vide, makes this process even easier. Use only Whole Milk in this recipe. Milk containing less fat will result in a lower ricotta yield.
This simple recipe provides a tangy yogurt that is great for tzatziki or to eat plain. You can use any fat content, from Skim to Whole Milk. I prefer a lower fat yogurt, with Skim Milk. This recipe yields about 4 Cups of Greek Yogurt.
Green Harissa paste is much milder than the traditional Tunisian red cousin. Green Harissa is similar to Chimichurri, but with a little added heat. This versatile flavorful paste can be used to flavor white meat and fish, or as a flavor enhancer for vegetables.
You can save effort by preparing a few pounds of Ground Beef in a Slow Cooker. The meat can be refrigerated for about a week or frozen for up to 6 months. Store in a freezer grade zip-top bag or an air-tight refrigerator dish.
Harissa is a traditional Middle-eastern marinade that works well with Beef or Chicken. Cut the meat into thin slices and marinate for a few hours to several days.
Harissa is a traditional pepper paste, originating from North Africa. While the heat level of Harissa can vary, based on the type (and the amount) of chiles that are used. For best results, you can use ancho chiles, or for a little more heat, guajillos chiles. Even more heat can be added by using chipotle peppers. Ancho chiles are dried/smoked poblano peppers. Guajillo peppers are dried/smoked mirasol peppers. Chipotle chiles are dried/smoked jalapeno peppers. Additional smokiness can be added with the inclusion of smoked paprika. Similarly, you can add more complex overtones with the inclusion of orange juice and a small handful of dried cranberries.
Herbed compound butter is an easy method for introducing a complex flavor to your meal. Use compound butter to saute vegetables, or for finishing a high quality steak.
Achiote Paste is a traditional Mexican rub that can be used to flavor meat. Achiote (also called annatto) is a redish-orange powder that is ground from the seeds of the achiote plant. Achiote has a mild, nutty, sweet flavor, with a slight taste of pepper. Achiote paste can be made by mixing achiote powder with other ingredients. Achiote paste can be used to season chicken, pork, beef, or fish.
The Holidays just aren't the same without a glass of Egg Nog. It is surprisingly easy to make at home, with ingredients that you probably already have. From-scratch G'Nog tastes better than the stuff you buy in the store, and it doesn't have all the high-fructose corn syrup and added thickening agents. Eating raw, unpasteurized eggs can pose a potential health risk of salmonella contamination, but you can easily pasteurize eggs using your Sous Vide.
This flavored Simple Syrup is easy to make and can be used to flavor home-made sodas. Additionally, you can add a splash to Ginger Ale, Lemon-Lime soda, or Coke.
Pesto is a tasty replacement for Marinara sauce when you are want some variation from the standard tomato-based sauce. However, Pesto can be expensive to make. This Pesto recipe is a tasty, cheaper option, that can be made easily in less than half an hour. Leaving out the Parmasan Cheese will significantly lower the cost. Using a small amount of Marmite will replace the Umami falvor that typically came from the Parmasan, and the reduced price makes this Pesto fit better in your budget. The cost can be further reduced by replacing Pine Nuts with raw, chopped Almonds. Pesto can be a great addition to any pasta dish, a tasty relish for an italian sandwhich, or a Pizza sauce. The Olive Oil should be integrated by hand, since using a blender to mix in the Olive Oil can cause the Oil to break down and result in a bitter flavor.
This spicy/sweet nectar is the perfect finishing sauce. Use a silicone basting brush to paint liberally around the edge of your Pizza, across the top of your bread loaf, or on chicken before putting it in the oven. If you are unable to find Aleppo Pepper, any other Ground Hot Peppers or Hot Pepper Flakes can be substituted in a pinch. Optionally, you could also replace the Pepper with 1 Tablespoon Tabasco Sauce or 1 Tablespoon Franks Hot Sauce, and reduce the Vinegar by half.
When I cook for others, I typically can't add my preferred level of heat. This Instant Heat Hot Sauce is a homemade Tabasco replacement. The heat level on this Sauce can be intensified by adding Serrano Peppers or even an Habanero Pepper in addition to the Jalapeños. Conversely, you can mellow the heat by Oven-Roasting the Jalapeños before adding them to the blender. This recipe will yield about 12 Ounces of "Instant Heat" Homemade Smoked Jalapeño Hot Sauce.
Making cheeses or yogurts requires sterile tools. Your Instant Pot can be easily sterilized to limit the "bad" bacteria so that the "good" bacteria, which produces the desired flavors, can flourish and grow and will not be overrun by colonies of "bad" bacteria.
Always use unspoiled milk products when making yogurts and cheeses.
Jalapeño Peach Preserves provide a spicy and sweet/savory meat sauce to add complexity to a wide range of meals. Use this as a finishing sauce for roasted beef or roasted chicken. Use it as a topping for Shawarma, for an Omelet, eat it on Vanilla Ice Cream, use it as a dip for Soft Pretzels, drop some on your waffles, or spread it on a piece of toast.
This flavored Simple Syrup is easy to make and can be used to flavor home-made sodas.
This is a great dip to eat with vegetables or with a pita. Similar to Baba Ghanoush, however, Mama Ghanoush replaces the Eggplant and Tahini with tomatoes and Grilled Zucchini for a fuller and more hearty dip.
This Marinara Sauce is a long, slow cook, taking about 3 and a half hours, but the complexity of the flavor makes it well worth the wait. Long and slow heat applied to the tomatoes helps to caramelize the sugars and provide a savory sweetness that cannot be produced any other way. This Marinara is a great addition to pasta. Serve with meatballs and grilled pimentos to finish out the plate.
This slightly bitter concoction will provide a garlic super-kick for any soup or noddle dish. It can also be added to salads, sauces, dips, glazes, you name it.
Mire Poix - (pronounced /mir pwaw/) is a classic base for soups and stews in French Cuisine. In the traditional form, this is a vegetarian base, however, you can add a few slices of fatback (also called salted pork) for a more complex flavor.
Aleppo Peppers are originally from the Mid-East, named after a city in Syria. Aleppo is also known regionally as the Halaby pepper, pul biber, or Turkish red pepper flakes. Most Aleppo available in the U.S. is imported from Turkey or grown in the United States.The Aleppo Pepper is typically smoked and dried and then ground into flakes. It is similar to Hot Paprika, but with a slightly higher heat level.
Generally, Pizza Dough is best cooked at high temperatures, like 800° to 1500° F. However, most in-home ovens can only reach temperatures of 500° or 550° F. Although a Pizza Stone or a Cast Iron Pan does not increase the heat levels in your oven, it will hold the heat within your oven longer, allowing the dough to cook into a perfect crust. Add sauce to this dough, some meat and vegetable toppings, and a freshly shredded Mozzarella. 10 minutes later, it is Pizza time! Sugar is a commonly used to help yeast growth. Diastatic Malt Powder (NOT malted milk powder) is modified flour that can replace the sugar (3:1) and produce more active yeast with a higher rise and a finer crumb.
This marinade is a great for chicken, whitefish, or grilled vegetables. Marinade before cooking, then Apply more, liberally, for the final cooking phase and even more, as soon as it is removed from the oven.
This sweet and savory sauce is easy to make. This tasty reduction goes well with any white meat. It is a versatile base that can be mixed with a wide range of flavors, including Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Greek Yogurt, Creme Fraiche, and other flavors.
Roasting the tomatoes brings out a sweetness and a maturity of flavor that will build on the flavor of any recipe that calls for tomatoes.
Pimentos are Bell Peppers that are ripened to a Red color. Pimentos are sweeter than the unripened green bell peppers. Pimentos (especially when roasted) can be used as a base for sauces, flavoring for mashed potatoes, added to rice dishes, stews, or other applications.
Any pepper can be roasted using this same method. Roasting a pepper will mellow the heat (for hot peppers) and caramelize the sugar to sweeten the flavor. Roasting a pepper will also give a slightly "smokey" flavor.
This salsa is made from scratch. The fresh ingredients add a sweet spice and the oven roasted ingredients provide a smokey spice. The heat level of this recipe is non-existent, but this salsa can be "heated" with anything from Poblano peppers, for a very mild heat, to Ghost Chilis that will knock your socks off.
Tomatillos may look like green tomatoes, but they are more closely related to peppers than tomatoes. Tomatillos have a slightly sour but very smooth flavor, Oven roasting them will produce a smoky counterpoint to the sour. A tasty addition to sauces, soups, stews, and chilis.
Mayonnaise is an emulsification; egg yolk and flavorings are emulsified in oil, creating a thick, creamy, flavorful condiment. In Latin American, mayo is used for much more than an occasional condiment on your deli sandwich. But to be fair, mayonesa (Spanish for Mayonnaise) has a very different flavor than the Mayonnaise that can be commercially purchased in the United States. Mayonesa can be used to hold together a Tuna Fish Sandwich, as a dipping sauce for Fried Yucca (Cassava), or even as a finishing sauce for Roast Chicken. Pasteurizing the eggs will kill any potentially dangerous bacteria, making the mayonnaise safe to eat without cooking. I would strongly discourage using unpasteurized, uncooked eggs in any recipe.
This easy relish provides a spicy and flavorful addition to spice up your meal. Use it on sandwiches, burgers, or eggs.
Pickled Onions are a versitile condiment that can go on your Hot Dog or your Tacos. Use them on Burgers, Nachos, you name it.
I initially discovered Pitot at a Jewish Vegetarian restaurant in Lower Manhattan. It is the perfect companion for Shakshouka, Hummus, or as a wrap for a tasty Gyro.. After a bit of trial and error, I have reverse engineered the recipe so that you can create these in your own kitchen.
This red sauce will provide a nice change when you want something other than the standard marinara sauce.
Poached Chicken is similar to boiling chicken, but produces a much better result. Boiling involves cooking the chicken in rapidly boiling water. This will result in a dry and tough final product. Poaching chicken involves reaching a high initial temperature, then cooking at a lower temperature until the meat is cooked. Poaching chicken results in moist, flavorful meat.
Pomegranate Molasses is a traditional Middle-Eastern cooking and finishing sauce for lamb and other meats. Most recipes add sugar (and then lemon juice, to offset the super sweetness) in order to thicken the molasses more easily. This recipe is the traditional method for Pomegranate Molasses, containing only a single ingredient: Pomegranate Juice. A few drops of Pomegranate Molasses can be added to Ginger Ale to make a sweet-sour Shirley Temple or it can be drizzled over vanilla ice cream for a fruity treat.
Potstickers or Chinese dumplings are typically available in the freezer section at your local grocer, or you can easily make them, from scratch, in your own kitchen. Potstickers can include any meat, or only vegetables. This recipe used ground pork to provide a tasty dish that can accompany any bowl of noodles, or stand on its own as a main dish. This recipe will yeild enough filling for about 50 Potstickers.
Whether it is spelled "quark", "quarg", or "kvarg", the German word for "curd" is a common soft cheese in Slavik, German, and other Northern European countries.
Quark is a creamy, soft cheese, with an extremely mild flavor. It can be made from any milk, from whole to skim, although a whole milk will provide a slightly larger yield. Quark works well as a rich and creamy butter replacement, as a base for cheesecake, or for a variety of other savory uses. This recipe uses the "Yogurt" setting on an "Instant Pot" to incubate the culture into Quark Cheese. The yield for this recipe (using 2% Milkfat) is about 4 ounces (1/4 Cup) of Quark.
Traditional Bolognese Sauce uses Italian Pork Sausage (both Hot and Sweet) with the sausage casings removed and milk to tenderize the meat.
After creating this recipe a few times, I realized that the ingredient list is a lot like Bolognese, however, this Red Sauce is made with Ground Beef and does not include milk.
Confit (pronounced /kon-'fi/) is an ancient food preservation method that involves cooking food at a low temperature, usually in oil or grease. Garlic Confit can be refrigerated for a few weeks and used as a spread on French Bread or as garlic seasoning. The oil carries a delicious roasted garlic/rosemary flavor and can be used as a replacement for any savory dish that calls for Olive Oil. WARNING: Due to the risk of botulism growth, the finished Confit should be stored in the refrigerator and should be kept no more than 3 weeks.
This salsa can be used as a dip with chips at the dining table, while watching the game, or as a sauce for tacos or enchiladas before cooking.
Roux (pronounced: /roo/ like in "Kangaroo" in English, or in French: /rahoe/ where "ra" is like the vowel sound in "rough" and "ho" sounds like "hoe". The emphasis is on the first syllable) is a standard sauce of French Cuisine and is a base for 3 of the 5 French Mother Sauces. It is made with butter and flour, allowing the gluten to thicken your dish.
This marinade provides a full flavor for Shawarma meat, steak, chicken, or turkey. The flavors in this marinade will permeate about 1/4 inch every 12 hours. However, due to inclusion of lemon juice and vinegar, do not marinate for more than 24 hours or the meat will take on a mealy texture or dissolve completely.
This sauce originally comes from Spain with local versions found in nearly every Latin country. There are likely as many variations to Sofrito, as there are people who make it. The core ingredients are Onions, Greeen Bell Peppers, and Garlic. Sofrito can be prepared beforehand in large quantities, then refrigerated or frozen until needed.
Using the Sous Vide to prepare Corn can save time. The Corn can be prepared before-hand, then easily re-heated when it is time to serve.
Spatch-cocked Chicken is a preparation method for whole Chicken. Spatch-cocked chicken can then be baked, grilled, poached or cooked any number of cooking methods. Spatch-cocking a chicken will help it to cook at a more uniform rate as it flattens the bird.
This simple dry rub can provide a nice smoky, sweet replacement for marinade. Simply rub it on the meat, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
This recipe will produce enough Rub mix to treat 2 pounds of meat.
I have eaten this sauce for years in various Thai Food restaurants. I am not sure what the sauce is actually called, but the various Waiters usually refer to it as "Little Bit Sweet, Little Bit Spicy" Sauce. Start by making a rich simple syrup (with a sugar:water ratio of 2:1). Allow the syrup to cool, then add Apple Cider Vinegar and Chili Garlic Sauce.
This traditional Japanese stock is used for Tonkotsu Ramen Noodles. The name comes from "Ton" meaning "Pork" and "Kotsu" meaning "Bone". Traditionally, this recipe has a long preparation time (12 - 20 hours), however, the maturity of the flavor is well worth it. Alternatively, you can use an Instant Pot and get the same results in only about 6 hours.
Tzatziki (pronounced /zat-ziki/) is a traditional Greek Yogurt Sauce. Cacik (pronounced /jah-'jik/) is the same sauce, but from Turkey. Tzatziki can be used with meat dishes or as a dip for Crudites.
This flavorful stock can be used as a vegetable base for any soup or stew. The Mushrooms, Tomato Paste and Steak Sauce provides a rich Umami flavor that is not commonly found in a Vegetable Stock. Surprisingly, this Vegetable Stock is NOT Vegetarian. In order to make this as a Vegetarian Stock, leave out the Steak Sauce and the Worcestershire Sauce.
Verde sauce is a Cilantro/Tomatillo sauce that provides the perfect finish to Mexican Chicken or Pork dishes. The addition of an avocado provides a creamy consistency that makes this the perfect finishing sauce.
This cool refreshing drink is perfect for a hot Summer Day
A Slow Cooker is useful is preparing meats and stews. Slow Cooker Chicken is a great preparation that can simplify and reduce the preparation time for any meal.
