Appetizers

Showing 44 Result(s)
Honey, saffron and vanilla
Appetizers Breads & Baked Goods Desserts Sauces & Condiments

Saffron & Vanilla Infused Honey

Honey, that most natural of sweeteners, holds an important place in every culture of the world. Honeybees, so crucial to the development of flowering plants, thrive in temperate regions around the globe, busily spreading pollen and concentrating the sweet, energy-rich nectar of the flowers that they visit into that prized substance, honey. The flavor of honey varies tremendously, depending on the type of flowers visited by the bees who store the precious honey in the waxy combs of their hive. It seems only …

Pig Fingers in ramekins
Appetizers Meat Sauces & Condiments

“Pig Fingers” with Two Sweet & Spicy Glazes

“Pig Fingers” is a deliciously old-fashioned dish that has been around in some form since forever, apparently. While you may find various other versions online, this one is an original, an old farmhouse classic, dating back to that long ago time before the internet was invented. The following recipe was faithfully copied from a yellowed, handwritten index card that has been carefully kept in an decoupaged wooden recipe box for over 30 years. It was given to us back in the 1970s by the daughter …

Spicy Tuna Tartare with Mango-Chili Sauce
Appetizers Asian Seafood

Spicy Tuna Tartare with Mango-Chili Sauce

If you like seafood – and you like it a little spicy – this is one fun, quick and easy dish that you shouldn’t miss. Spicy Tuna Tartare with Mango-Chili Sauce is elegant enough for a sit-down dinner, but it’s just as appropriate at a casual sushi party – or simply scooped up with crispy rice crackers for an easy-does-it appetizer. This dish gets its fiery & flavorful kick compliments of Yuzu Kosho, a spicy Japanese condiment that leaves a distinctly sour/salty/spicy flavor lingering on the palate. A specialty of the cuisine of Kyushu, a region …

Appetizers Potatoes Seafood

Bite-sized Potato-Apple Pancake Canapés

From Ireland to Sweden to the far reaches of Eastern Europe, potato pancakes of one sort or another are practically universal in traditional European cuisines.  Whether they’re called boxty, latke, placki, rösti or rårakor, potato pancakes are a special dish, proudly brought out for holidays and other festive occasions. Potatoes, apples and onions are frequent companions in many hearty mid-European dishes and they don’t fail to please in this delightful version of the traditional potato pancake. While apples are not …

Black Garlic Cloves and Whole Heads
Appetizers Asian Sauces & Condiments

Black Garlic Tapenade: A New Classic

Black garlic. First things first – what is this mysterious stuff? Perhaps it’s easiest to begin by describing what black garlic is NOT. Black garlic is not a new strain of garlic; it’s not genetically modified, nor is it a recent invention by practitioners of modernist cuisine. Black garlic starts out as regular white garlic (some say that hardneck garlic varieties make the best black garlic), but ends up with a delicately sweet flavor, soft, jam-like texture and striking jet-black color. …

Sausage-stuffed Tofu
Appetizers Asian

Sausage-Stuffed Tofu with Smoked Soy Sauce

To fans of authentic Asian cuisine, the flavors & textures of this dish will feel as comfortable and familiar as an old friend. A steamed dish might not seem like summer food, but the preparation is quite easy and cooking time is only about 20 minutes. It won’t heat up the kitchen and can be enjoyed immediately while hot, or later, at room temperature. Our version of stuffed tofu, a venerable classic of many Asian cuisines, uses sausage made from ground …

Appetizers Asian Mushrooms Poultry Sauces & Condiments

Black Garlic Shu Mai with Smoked Soy Dipping Sauce

If you’ve ever been to a dim sum restaurant, you’ve probably eaten shu mai. Shu mai are little open-topped filled dumplings that usually come to your table in little steamer baskets. Shu mai rank among our favorite dumplings, and are both fun to make and eat. They don’t take a lot of effort and are very forgiving for the uninitiated – much easier than wontons or potstickers. Think of them as delicious little meatballs held in a tender, noodle-like wrapper. …

Mustard-marmalade chicken wings
Appetizers Poultry Rubs and Marinades Sauces & Condiments

Grilled Mustard-Marmalade Glazed Chicken Wings

Some people are fanatical about fine wines.  Some venerate truffles, still others worship the morel mushroom. Today, we salute a food that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best -the chicken wing.  It’s said that chicken wings are so delicious because of the high skin to meat ratio.  Whatever the reason, when prepared properly, chicken wings are the most flavorful, tender and succulent of meats.  In short, chicken wings are GOOD. We’ve cooked a lot of chicken wings and we’ve tried a lot of …

All Recipes Appetizers Mushrooms Salads Seafood Vegetables Wild Foods

Crayfish with Asparagus and Morels

The flavors of spring are delicate. The first tender emerging shoots and mushrooms usually don’t have the robust flavors of summer’s produce and need careful handling to bring out their best qualities. There are exceptions, of course. The first ramps of the year are thought by many to be the most potent and pungent of the season. But many other wild spring foods – morel mushrooms, fiddlehead ferns, wild asparagus and the like – are best appreciated when lightly cooked …

Ramp Risotto with Blue Cheese II
Appetizers Cheese Rice Dishes Wild Foods

Ramp Risotto with Blue Cheese

Making risotto is a contemplative process. It’s not difficult; it just takes a certain amount of planning and time. Assemble your ingredients, heat the stock – then just stand at the stove and stir. The basic ingredients for risotto are simple. Rice and hot stock are essential; wine, butter and cheese are usually included too.  Other ingredients – seafood, vegetables, spices and so on – will vary according to the recipe. Of all these, the most critically important element is the rice. The …