Tag Archives: Recipe

Poached Pear Tart with Mascarpone

I ♥ pastry dough. Yes, it’s a little intimidating at first, but once you master the basics it will become one of the most versatile things in your culinary repertoire. Butter, flour, salt, and ice-cold water are all you need to make an irresistible flaky crust for sweet and savory dishes.

Inspiration for this tart came from my one of my favorite summer desserts: berry tart with mascarpone filling. I wanted to make a cold weather version that could (a) satisfy a mean craving for mascarpone (a sweet Italian cheese that is similar to cream cheese) and (b) satisfy an even greater craving for pastry dough. Have I mentioned that I adore the stuff?

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Bouillabaisse

I made this classic French stew back in December. My parents and grandmother were coming into town and I wanted to make a special dinner to celebrate the occasion. I also had to work the day that they were coming for dinner and as such, didn’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

Bouillabaisse fit the bill. I spent a little over an hour on the fish stock and broth the day before and on Saturday night, while everyone sipped cocktails, chunks of fish, jumbo scallops, tiny clams, juicy shrimp, and lobster went into the pot to cook. A memorable and delicious dinner was ready in minutes.

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The Cheesiest Macaroni & Cheese

 

You won’t find chunks of lobster, cheeses with French names, or even bits of bacon in this macaroni & cheese.  It’s certainly not virtuous (whole milk, butter and cheese are used with abandon) and it’s far from elegant.  Yet this recipe is one of my favorites.  It’s fun to make as it takes a little finesse, it makes your home smell wonderful as it bakes, and one spoonful will bring back lots of memories.  In short, this recipe for macaroni and cheese yields good food.

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Cream of Broccoli Soup

After a week of overcast days and dismal weather, today blue skies and a warm sun are making me want to put on shorts and eat ice cream.  A steaming bowl of belly warming, cream of broccoli soup couldn’t be further from my mind.  Unfortunately, that bowl of soup is exactly what I whipped up this morning for a segment on WCNC’s Charlotte Today show.   Let it be known that I’ve never claimed to have good timing.

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Bacon, Kale, and Onion Quiche

What a shame that quiche is usually reserved for bridal showers and ladies lunches.  After all, it’s an economical entrée of endless variations that is equally at home on the table for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Consider that you can prepare it ahead of time and serve it hot, cold or at room temperature and your probably kicking yourself that you don’t have a quiche in the fridge now.

Before you run off to the grocery store to buy the ingredients to make this quiche, stop for just a minute.  Peek inside your fridge.  I’m willing to bet that you have some milk or cream and a couple of eggs.  How about some flour and butter?   Yes?  Congratulations.  You can make a quiche.

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Vietnamese Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches with Sriracha Mayo

Every time I make this sandwich, my husband starts talking business plans. He wants to know how much the food costs for such a sandwich would run and how many he thinks I could make on a Sunday morning.  Talk then gets into whether a food truck or a food cart would be a better long-term investment.

Minced LemongrassGreen Onions, Garlic, and Minced Jalapeno

“We need to think about these things,” he tells me.  ”After all, we wouldn’t do this full-time.  Nope, we would just have our little banh mi cart (or truck) on Sundays for Panthers home games.  But” and he pauses here for emphasis, “we would make a killing.  How could people resist this sandwich? They’d have to buy it.”

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Halibut a la Provencal

Earlier this summer, I was excited to be featured in an article about Davidson College alumni making careers in the food industry for my school’s alumni magazine: the Davidson Journal.   As part of the article, titled “Main Courses,” they asked me to share a recipe that I thought alumni might enjoy.

I wanted to pick a recipe that was approachable, but also taught a technique that could easily be applied to other meals.  My two most frequent requests from clients seeking private cooking lessons is that they want to learn how  to cook fish and that they want to cook healthy, yet still delicious, food.  This recipe for Halibut a la Provencal is perfect on both counts.

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Grilled Flank Steak with Watermelon Salsa

When it’s this hot, easy and refreshing are my two qualifications when it comes to preparing dinner. This recipe qualifies on both counts.  It also uses one of my favorite cuts of meat: the flank steak.  Lean and flavorful flank steak is an economical alternative to the prime cuts yet still a step up from the humble skirt steak.  Yes, some might say that flank steak has a reputation for being tough, but I promise that cooking it to medium-rare and slicing it against the grain will eliminate any gnashing of the teeth around your dinner table.

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Cooking with Kids: Back to School Breakfast Parfaits


Where have I been?  It’s August and my last post was back at the beginning of June.  Since I last posted, I’ve taught over 30 cooking classes.  The bulk of these classes were Kids Classes that I taught at Cooking Uptown here in Charlotte.  In June, we offered four week-long courses for 9-13 year olds and then in July, we offered three week-long courses for 14-17 year olds.  The courses were a great success  (check out the press on WSOC-TV,  WCNC, and in Southpark Magazine) and I have a new-found respect for parents everywhere.  I have a better understanding of how you do it, but I still am in awe over how you do anything else!

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ON TV: Shrimp Ceviche

I posted my recipe for shrimp ceviche over a year ago, but I couldn’t resist pulling it out one more time for a demonstration on WCNC’s Charlotte Today Show yesterday.  After all it’s the perfect hot weather recipe and in Charlotte we have plenty of “hot.”  Refreshing, colorful, and easily made ahead, this is the appetizer that you’ll want to serve to friends at your next BBQ.

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