Cooking

The condiment world is feeling extra-spicy these days, and the added heat has nothing to do with Scoville units.

When my husband told me the other day that he loves me more than peanut butter, I knew that after 26 years, our marriage remained on solid footing.

Kate Otterstrom and Julia Child have a few things in common: They both love the book, “My Life in France” (written by Child, adored by Otterstrom); they both love food; and they both took several years to get their first cookbooks published (Julia Child: nine, Kate Otterstrom: 12.)

Whenever there are random bits of crisped cheese lingering on a baking dish or sheet pan, chances are you’ll find me hovering over it, picking it clean of the irresistibly crunchy pieces. I can never seem to get enough of them, which is why I find this recipe – which provides an entire pan full – so enticing. In it, mounds of grated Parmesan cheese are baked to form crunchy golden disks beneath tender, lightly smashed broccoli florets. The cheese acts as a savory platform for each piece of broccoli, staying a bit pliable where it touches the vegetable, and forming a deep brown, crunchy matrix around it.

I half-joke that my Russian upbringing made me part Husky. I get so giddy when I see fresh snow, I want to stop doing everything – sorry to my work colleagues – and just revel in the magic and serenity of a world blanketed in white. And I want to do it with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in hand.

We already know that what we eat affects our bodies. Now a growing body of research suggests our food choices can also affect our minds.

One of my husband’s favorite dishes when we dine out is Baked Stuffed Shrimp. I decided to bring the restaurant experience home and created a simple version that is tender, with a moist flavorful stuffing.

People from all walks of life – food writers, chefs and maybe your mom – warn of freezer burn, the boogeyman lurking in our kitchens waiting to take hold of our precious frozen foods. But what is freezer burn, and how do we stop it? And if it does latch on to a bag of chicken breasts or a loaf of bread, is all lost?

The original recipe for Caesar Salad is on the South Hill courtesy of a nonagenarian.

She grew up in a leprosy colony in Thailand, moved to the U.S. and became a wife, mother, food blogger and photographer, but Suwanee Lennon never forgets where she came from.

If you’re trying to get on a healthier track as we start the new year, you might be tempted to heed the unrelenting call to cut certain foods out of your life. Sure, most of us could pull back on added sugars, refined grains and processed meats, for example, but instead of focusing on saying “no” to those, why not take a more affirmative path and turn your attention to the foods to say “yes” to?

You don’t have to start a radical new diet to see big changes in your health. You can lose weight, improve your life expectancy, nourish your gut microbiome and boost your overall well-being by making small but powerful changes to what and how you eat.

If I’m home for New Year’s Eve – where I prefer to be – chances are I’m making fondue. Sometimes I make two: a cheese one for dinner and a chocolate one for dessert. The fun, informal nature of the dish sets just the right tone. There’s an ease about fondue, from the stress-free way it’s served to the freedom each person has to choose what they want to dip in it.

I consider caramel as evidence that cooking is a form of magic. With just heat, you can turn simple, sweet sugar into something deliciously complex with a range of textures (depending on the addition of other ingredients). This is thanks to chemical reactions that create new flavor compounds. But as with any potion, making caramel can be hard to master and even dangerous if not handled properly.

Holiday gifts don't have to be big or expensive to be appreciated. In fact, it's often the smaller, practical items intended for everyday use that end up having the most impact in the long run. 

Since Hanukkah is approaching, I wanted a one-pot dish that was festive enough for a holiday meal, yet easy enough to leave time to make latkes. Tsimmes recipes vary greatly, but the version I grew up with included honey and orange juice to nudge the natural sweetness of the root vegetables and dried fruit.

For many customers, walking into Karar Market feels like home.