You Dig?

See, that’s pudding cake’s scene, man. All squared off and establishment up top, just like a cake. Upright and everything. Start hanging out a while, though, and you find a softer, freeform pudding too, playing merrily within. Like a chick wearing a wedding dress with flowers in her hair. You dig? All right, enough of…

What the Heck is Labneh?

Confusing, for one thing. When Shape provided a recipe for Double-Lemon Labneh Cheesecake with Pistachio Crust in April 2020, the game was on. Cheesecake? Yes. Double-Lemon? How about Double-Yes? Pistachios? Nothing else compares. But what to make of this “Labneh” thing? Just what is that supposed to be? The internet provided answers, though unsurprisingly, many…

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…

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…

Master of Disguise

Before you is risotto.  Looks about right, especially with the shrimp.  Smells good too, as there’s a faint trace of lemony freshness.  Risotto is made with rice, right?  Maybe it is, usually, but in this case, the grain of choice is a pasta, orzo.  The pasta even looks like rice, it’s cooked al dente, just…

They’re So…Yellow!

Lemons will add that to what they adorn, particularly if it’s the Lemony Salsa Verde crowning the lightly-grilled scallops in today’s entry.  Even more so when they are coarsely chopped with the skins intact.  As you may guess, this gives the salsa a fresh, beautifully vibrant character.  Then there’s that gorgeous, bright color. Of course,…

Unpacking the Bundle

Just one raft of three lemongrass sections is sufficient to flavor a whole potful of soup, earning Khmer Lemony Fish Soup its name.  The fish glides through a simple broth accompanied only by rice and flavored with only a few herbs, in addition to the aforementioned lemongrass.  The lemongrass provides an herbal, citrusy melody that…

A Meal for the Ages

After Rome fell in the fifth century, the empire’s eastern half thrived along the Mediterranean for nearly a millennium longer.  As Byzantium, it brandished civilization’s torch, which kept the Dark Ages at bay until the Renaissance got its footing. Though the Byzantines faded into our collective past centuries ago, they left a record of what…

Eternal Sunshine

Even now, in early February, when brightness is deeply hidden in winter’s snowy depths, kitchens keep the sun shining.  One taste of today’s effort, Lemon Bars, is enough to reignite memories of a time when light sparkled and warmed all.  Better yet, it anticipates a return to solar benevolence in a couple months. This is…

Mmmm, Lemony

As we begin counting the months and, soon enough, the weeks until next summer, local produce is but a happy memory.  For now.  Just as time’s steady progress has moved freshly harvested fruit to the past, so too will it return eventually.  However, as one of you has observed, we still have options, even now…