TIP OF THE DAY: Labne or Labneh

Labné or labneh (pronounced LOB-nay or LOB-neh) is the Lebanese version of cream cheese: yogurt cream cheese. It isn’t made with vegetable gum and shaped into a brick like American cream cheese. Rather, it’s thicker than yogurt and comes in a container the size of a large yogurt. Labné is packed with live cultures (beneficial…
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TIP OF THE DAY: How To Ripen Bananas

Ripe bananas. If you have more than youcan use, freeze them. Photo by Sanja Gjenero | SXC.   Some people like their bananas on the green side, before the skin becomes flecked with brown. We don’t. Our perfect banana looks like the ones in the photo (which shows the visual standard of ripeness). The flesh…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Passionfruit For Easter

Australian passionfruit is small and purple-skinned. Photo by Brybs | SXC.   You may have assumed, like many people, that passionfruit was named for the passion it inspires in those who consume it. But the name actually comes from a religious source, rather than any aphrodisiac properties. The fruit is named for the plant’s flower,…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Mustard In Your Vinaigrette

Dijon mustard atop mustard seeds. Photo by Saidi Granados | THE NIBBLE.   You may have seen mustard listed as an ingredient in vinagrette. It adds delicious flavor, but it also serves as an emulsifier, so the dressing doesn’t break back into separate oil and vinegar layers. You can use prepared Dijon mustard, or–if you…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Keep Fruit From Browning

Even though our pears ended up baked toa brown color, we didn’t want them tooxidize before baking. Photo by LouisHiemstra | IST.   When we received a generous gift of juicy Royal Riviera Pears from Harry & David, we were excited to explore all kinds of pear recipes: pear tarts, pickled pears, pear sorbet, and…
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