TIP OF THE DAY: Tips For Baking Cakes

You need “technique” to bake a great cake. Photo courtesy ValerieConfections.com.   Want to make a cake as good as this one? Today’s tips for successful baking come from Pat Sinclair, a food consultant and author of Baking Basics and Beyond: Learn These Simple Techniques and Bake Like a Pro, and co-author of Scandinavian Classic…
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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: The Best Granola & Muesli

Our intrepid reviewer tasted her way through 49 granola and nine muesli brands to find the best—including gluten-free, kosher, organic and raw varieties. Wow, that’s a lot of fiber! The good news: Seven granolas and four mueslis were selected as “favorites.” In this review, you’ll discover: The difference between granola and muesli If granola is…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Make Hazelnut Butter

Compound butter is delicious atop a steak; just don’t tell your cardiologist. Above, herb, gorgonzola and hazelnut butters. Photo courtesy AllenBrothers.com.   Here’s a treat from Chef Johnny Gnall: hazelnut butter—the compound butter, not the peanut butter spread alternative. He learned it a while back while working at Aziza restaurant in San Francisco, and is…
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CHINESE NEW YEAR: Ginger Fried Rice Recipe From Jean-Georges Vongerichten

The Year of the Dragon is considered the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac. And it began yesterday, when millions of Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese and other Asians rang in the New Year with fireworks, feasts and family gatherings. We considered ourselves lucky with a seat at a delicious dinner at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market restaurant…
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TIP OF THE DAY: How To Make A Purée or Coulis

A slice of blueberry cheesecake with blueberry purée. Photo © Rohit Seth | Fotolia.   We asked Chef Johnny Gnall to discourse on purées—an easy way to add elegance to sweet or savory dishes. A purée is a terrific way to showcase a fruit or vegetable in a different way. This versatile sauce allows you…
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