Sauces, Salsas, Drinks & Condiments
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Hot sauce - 8 Aug 2011
Even some gourmet diners are prepared to wreck their taste buds with lashings of hot sauce. It's addictive. read more...
Chilled Jumbo Asparagus and Shallot Remoulade made with Homemade Mayonnaise - 1 Jun 2011
Jamie Stachowski was the owner-chef of now closed Restaurant Kolumbia, and much missed. His tremendous sausages are available at the Keilbasa Factory. This recipe offers a great technique for cooking asparagus as well as a sauce that would go well with grilled beef or dolloped on a roast beef sandwich. read more...
Asian Marinade Hickory Grilled New York Strip - 26 Jan 2011
Here's a quick-cooked dish that gives an Asian twist to a marinade for grilled beef. The recipe came from Phet Schwader when he was chef de cuisine at BLT Steak and brings a fresh zing to taste buds that can feel a bit flat at this time of year. read more...
Adobo-Spiced Duck Breast - 11 Nov 2010
When Howsoon Cham' was the owner-chef of Red Ginger and Café Tropé he used a chile spice rub packed with a Mexican-Mayan punch to give a new twist to duck breast that goes down well at this time of year. You can use it just as successfully with chicken, meat or fish and left-overs will keep in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. read more...
Pesto - 17 Jun 2010
One taste of pesto is an instant ticket to Italy. And it isn't hard to make, with no really precise amounts. It's worth making yourself because pre-packed pesto too often tastes like damp lawn clippings. read more...
Gin - which Mother's Ruin is it to be? - 20 May 2010
The best gin-and-tonic I ever had was at Jose Andres' house last spring. The ebullient chef behind Jaleo, Café Atlantico, Oyamel, Zaytinya and more made it with Hendricks, a gin from Scotland with a slight hint of cucumber in its flavor. Some bartenders see this as a pointer to add slices of cucumber peel. This is a mistake. Do as José. He crushed two mint leaves against the mound below his thumb and dropped them in, along with several lightly crushed juniper berries and some paper-thin slices of lemon. His tonic was Fever Tree.
But in a co-starring role were the ice cubes. Each glass could only take one, since it was a cube of around three inches. You can see one in the glass in my photo. The joy of this, aside from its beauty, was that it melted so slowly that the gin-and-tonic wasn't diluted. I haven't yet been able to extract from José the source of these gems but have had not a bad substitute using plastic yogurt pots cut down to size. Since you have to break them to extract the ice, my yogurt consumption has been forced to rise. read more...
Dumpling sauce - 30 Dec 2009
Hisao Abe, owner-chef of Kotobuki's recipe is for a dipping sauce that goes well with dumplings. read more...
Soy sauces explained - 30 Dec 2009
Soy sauce, made from fermented and distilled soybeans, wheat and water, comes in more variations than contained in that squat bottle on the restaurant table next to the paper napkins. What's the difference between them? read more...
Quince - 4 Nov 2009
Quince season is short, so run out to a Middle Eastern market like Yekta or an Asian market like H Mart or Le Market, and pick out some of these yellow, pear-like and scented fruits to chop into a rough-on-the-tongue stewed puree or to make membrillo, the Spanish paste to eat with Manchego or Cheddar cheese, or for an exquisite translucent coral pink jelly to go with cold meats. read more...
Watch those Grande calories - 16 Sep 2009
I once calculated how much money I was spending each week popping into a Starbucks for a coffee to take to work. When I realised it was adding up to around $20 a week, I began making my own at home to bring in.
More impressive figures emerge - if you're a fan of those coffees that would not be recognizable to an Ethiopian or Nicaraguan grower of coffee beans - counting the calories in those drinks in which coffee plays a minor role. They can clock in at around 470 a Grande cup. read more...
Verjus - make your own - 2 Sep 2009
I get emailed surprisingly often about where to find Verjus, an acid French liquid used in deglazing pans that makes a great sauce to go with chicken and game. I've seen it in Wegmans, Dean & DeLuca as well as the Georgetown Whole Foods. But not regularly. Since all the word means is 'green juice', you can make a passable substitute with other ingredients than early picked green grapes. read more...
Tzadziki - 1 Jul 2009
In Greece, luscious thick yogurt is drained, flavored with garlic and sometimes mint, and turned into tzadziki to be served on fingers of toasted pita or cubes of bread, along with glasses of ouzo. Loosened a little with its own whey, tzadziki makes a wonderful dip for fresh vegetables or crackers and a great sauce for grilled meats. read more...
Belgian beer explained - 24 Jun 2009
There are around 125 beweries in Belgium, producing over 500 different beers. Among them are European pils, lambic, white, dubbel, tripel, blonde, brune, amber and Flemish red. And each is allocated its own special glass... read more...
Clotted cream - home-made - 3 Jun 2009
Real clotted cream is good to dollop on summer's fresh berries. It's a far cry from the ultra heat-treated stiff paste you get in those glass jars in the supermarket. So have a go at making it yourself. read more...
Bubble tea - 27 May 2009
Bubble tea is one of South east Asia's most popular drinks. It's less like tea than a liquid tapioca pudding. read more...
Fish: Shrimp Fritters with Comeback Sauce - 27 May 2009
The Comeback Sauce that goes with the Shrimp Fritters in this recipe from Dennis Marron of Jackson20 is so good, he says, that people always come back for more. read more...
Raspberry Mint Sapphire Collins your new cocktail? - 26 May 2009
Looking for a refreshing new cocktail for summer? When the weather's grim, the color of this shot of spirits will lift yours. Spirits, that is. read more...
How to make crème fraiche - 7 Apr 2009
Crème fraiche bought in France is much more unctuous than the product you find in general US supermarkets. If you can't get hold of the richer stuff found in Washington area farmers' markets, make your own. It's not difficult. read more...
Marmite madness - 4 Mar 2009
Marmite is a shiny tar-like spread made out of the residues that come from brewing beer. Brits love it. read more...
Extras: Make your own mustard - 18 Feb 2009
If you've bought a bratwurst or other sausage from The German Gourmet, my favorite market this week, try making this grain mustard to go with it. I don't know about you, but I had sacks of kalonji black mustard seed festering in my store cupboard. Now I don't - I have jars of home-made mustard instead. read more...
The lunch shift is over and chef Peter Smith, owner of PS 7’s restaurant is surrounded by gin. No, he’s not relaxing over a drink. The gin is in bowls in an pre-formed state. It’s the mash, a mix of herbs and berries and peels and roots that Smith has worked out how to use in his food as flavorings.
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Yasaman Persian Bakery - one of my favorites
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A festive 'Special': Foie Gras Creme Caramel
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The perfect Yorkshire pudding
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The Queen Mum's favorite cake
West Indian Black Cake
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