Hand Cakes

Really, that’s what these are, whole coffee cakes in convenient, eminently approachable handheld form.  They even come complete with a creamy toffee topping, and a crunchy-sweet ribbon of toffee, almonds and butter crumb lacing throughout.  As coffee cake, they’re perfect for an uplifting breakfast, a sweet way to start the day.  As muffins, they’re ideal…

Hike an Alp or Two

When Austrians want to journey up one side of a mountain and down the other, or to fortify those who will, they prepare an encouraging one-skillet meal replete with what’s necessary for the day’s exertions.   Thus, they invented Tiroler Gröstl, a stamina-building combination of diced potatoes, onion and bacon, traditionally topped with a lightly…

Really, Just Like Chicken?

Saying something is “just like chicken” has become something of a culinary joke by now, a sure sign the speaker lacks imagination or descriptive ability.  Maybe so, but what if something is surprisingly similar to chicken?  Especially when it’s not even meat?  Cauliflower achieves such a feat when it’s prepared after the Lebanese fashion and…

Toast’s Higher Calling

Why settle for “mere” toast when greatness waits to join you at the next stop?  After the toaster pops, for a little more time than it would take to butter the bread, a preparation beckons that’s creamy, tangy, spicy, savory and a little sweet too.  Yes, it’s all that – every application that would supplement…

Get Hopping, Spring!

Any day now, season.  It’s Easter, and that should bring to mind rabbits jumping and fleetness of foot.  Here’s a bribe, too, in the form of a Raspberry and Lemon Cheesecake made specifically for Easter.  Just look at those bright colors, and think of the tangy, creamy sweetness.  That should motivate you. The advertisement for…

Big Chop, Big Flavor

When making salmon cakes, particularly when using only a few key ingredients, the secret is to dice the fish in a variety of sizes.   A relatively fine chop will bind the cake and will ensure the patty shape survives cooking and flipping, while broader cubes, pictured below, delight the palate with pure salmon richness:…

Works for Peanuts

Truth is, the chicken even would’ve done this for free.  So flavorful and vibrant are the Thai spices that enrobe it, the bird rises to perfection when the grill’s flames seal in all those juices and caramelize the curry paste.  The peanut dipping sauce tempts, but really, the chicken has all it needs. Fine, but…

Ojibwa Spring

At last, life returns to the North Woods.  Throughout northern Minnesota people gather surging maple syrup and the first carrots coaxed from the thawed soil, and combine them with the last of the supplies laid in for the winter, including wild rice, collected locally in the fall, and dried fruit.  Taken together, all this makes…

Good Noodles Take Time

All the more so when they’re prepared in a dining car galley gently swaying along at seventy miles an hour, as was the inspiration for today’s entry.  Dinner was selected not long after crossing the Virginia state line, within view of sunlight glistening across the Potomac.  Although the meal was prepared promptly and efficiently, it…

Paella’s Long-Lost Cousin

So to speak. When the Spanish Empire was in full swing, the mother country influenced much more than just political affairs. She kept matters culinary within her orbit too. Local ingredients and techniques offered countless varieties, but they all flowered from a common inspiration. Such is the case with Caracas-Style Rice with Shrimp. Sure, it…