Make the dough one day and bake it the next (refrigerate it and punch it down every 8 hours), or make one round and freeze the other piece of dough in an oiled plastic zipper bag. You can also freeze the rest of the sauce.
Who can resist bringing home an entire flat of ruby-colored strawberries fresh from the fields? Once cereal has been garnished, jams have been made, and the whole family has nibbled a few out of the bowl, you need a plan for the rest. Baking with strawberries is a great way to use up imperfect fruit. Fan sliced berries artistically in the bottom of a 9-inch layer cake pan. They’ll be the showpiece when the dessert is turned upside down after baking. Cool the cake before you do this. If it’s too hot, the juicy topping will slide off; too cold and it might stick.
Sake lends sweetness to the cream, plus a subtle nutty top note that complements the brittle. For a more colorful dessert, prepare the brittle with half regular sesame seeds and half black sesame seeds. The brittle can be made up to two days in advance and stored in an airtight container.
This is one of my most requested recipes. Using equal amounts of rice vinegar and sugar, you can make a simple, quick carrot, cucumber, or daikon radish pickle. Or try this same method with zucchini or summer squash. Make it spicy by adding 1 teaspoon of crushed, dried chili peppers. The cool, tart vegetables nicely complement hot or room temperature grilled foods.
You'd be surprised how many famous American chefs were raised around very simple food prepared by mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. ''In Mother's Kitchen: Celebrated Women Chefs Share Beloved Family Recipes" by Ann Cooper and Lisa Holmes (Rizzoli), the authors tell lots of stories about women in the food world and capture some of these basic meals. We learn about Washington restaurateur Nora Pouillon's Hungarian goulash, the French Culinary Institute's founder Dorothy Hamilton's Czechoslovakian strudel, and other dishes from Europe, Asia, and the Far East.
Diced eggplant turns tender and tasty sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Toss with fresh plum tomatoes, green olives and capers and you have a simple light summer sauce. We like it over angel hair pasta, but any type of pasta will work. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a mixed green salad.
With pickles, oven fries and a tall glass of minty iced tea, even the most devoted bacon fan won't remember what's missing in this smoky, spicy renovation of the sandwich favorite.
Inspired by that famous New Orleans sandwich, the muffaletta, this jazzy vegetarian version is actually good for you.
Cheese steaks are a Philadelphia tradition: thin slices from a rich and very fatty slab of beef, fried up and topped with a heavy cheese sauce. We’ve cut down on the fat considerably - but not on the taste. All it needs is a cold beer or a glass of pinot noir on the side. Make this vegetarian by using vegetable broth in place of chicken stock.
Creamy Thai curry sauce gives tofu a spicy, satisfying kick. You can adjust the amount of curry paste depending on your spice preference. Serve with brown basmati rice and lime wedges.