These are a real treat with a cold beer. Photo
courtesy Cooking Planit.

Alas, as with so many artisan products, your only access to them may to be to order them online. But if you like to fry, you can make your own.
Here’s a recipe created by Emily Wilson for Cooking Planit. Crisp, hot and spicy, you’ll want to make a double or triple batch if you’re having guests—they’ll disappear quickly.

Buy the largest jalapeños you can find for bigger chips.
RECIPE: JALAPEÑO CHIPS

Ingredients

Preparation

1. CUT the stem ends off the jalapeños. Avoid touching your face when handling peppers; you may wish to wear protective latex gloves. For the hottest jalapeños, leave the seeds and white ribs inside. To reduce the heat, use a paring knife to gently cut inside each jalapeño and remove the seeds and ribs. A thin object such as a skewer or a chopstick can also help to scrape out the seeds.

2. SLICE each jalapeño crosswise into 1/8 inch thick rounds. Wash hands thoroughly—or remove and wash gloves—immediately after handling chiles. This removes the chemical capsaicin, which will cause unpleasant stinging should your fingers connect with your eyes.

3. POUR flour into a shallow, wide bowl. Pour panko bread crumbs into another shallow, wide bowl.

4. CRACK the eggs into a third shallow, wide bowl and whisk to combine well. Line up the 3 bowls: flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs. Set a clean plate at the end near the panko.

5. DREDGE a few of the jalapeño slices in the flour, coating both sides. Shake off excess, then dip in the egg mixture. Coat both sides again, shake off excess, then dredge in the panko. Coat both sides, shake off excess, then transfer to the clean plate. Repeat with remaining slices.

6. PREPARE a plate with layers of paper towels. Set plate near the stove for the cooked jalapeños.

7. POUR the canola oil into a large pot, about 2 inches deep (about 3 cups of oil, depending on the size of your pot). Heat the oil over medium heat to 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat the oil until it looks shiny, about 5-8 minutes.

8. USE one jalapeño slice as a tester. Gently place it in the oil. If bubbles form quickly and it floats to the surface, the oil is ready. Add more pieces but do not crowd them in the oil—work in batches as necessary. If the tester sinks to the bottom and bubbles don’t form, the oil is not ready. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tester and wait a few more minutes.

9. FRY the jalapeños until golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to flip them so they fry evenly and turn golden on both sides. Transfer them to the plate lined with paper towels. Season with salt as soon as they come out of the oil.

10. As the jalapeños cook, the oil temperature rises. So remove the oil from the heat for at least 3 minutes to cool it down between batches. Repeat the tester drill before each new batch.

11. TRANSFER the jalapeño chips to a serving dish. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Extras will keep in an airtight container for a few days.
 
OPTIONAL DIPS

As with any chips, no dip is needed; but you can serve the jalapeño chips with:

But a culinary torch has numerous other uses in the kitchen, for preparing both sweet and savory dishes. Here are 14 ways to use your torch, with thanks to Williams-Sonoma for some of these ideas.

BREAKFAST

1. Breakfast or dessert grapefruit brûlée. Cut a grapefruit in half and pat the cut surface dry. Sprinkle a thin layer of brown or white sugar and some optional cinnamon and/or nutmeg. Heat with the torch until the sugar bubbles.

2. Brûlée your oatmeal. Sprinkle cooked oatmeal or other porridge with a thin layer of brown or white sugar; heat with a torch until it gets crisp.
 
LUNCH/DINNER

3. Caramelize beef and other meat.

Meat that’s served rare, like roast beef, is best cooked at a lower temperature. But this technique doesn’t produce a caramelized crust. Chef Thomas Keller shares his technique for prime rib: Before popping the roast into the oven, char the outside with a blowtorch. You can also do this with lamb. And, it makes any bacon wrap (like bacon-wrapped shrimp) crisper: just torch the bacon before putting the appetizers in the oven.

4. Char bell peppers. Instead of holding them over the stove, use your torch. You can also use the torch to roast small chiles (jalapeños, e.g.).

5. Cook a pizza, no oven required! Your torch will brown a ready-to-eat crust, melt the cheese, even roast the veggies.

6. Glaze a ham or a pork roast. Brush with chutney, honey mustard, preserves etc. If you’re adding fruit, lay the pineapple slices or other fruit over the ham. (If you need to use toothpicks, first soak them in water.) Sprinkle with brown sugar. Heat with the torch until the sugar caramelizes.

7. Melt cheese. Add a finishing touch to the cheese atop onion soup gratinée, chili or any hot dish with grated cheese, including mac and cheese.

8. Peel tomatoes. When making sauces, chili, etc., you can blanch the whole tomatoes in boiling water, or use your torch to sear and easily peel the skin. When skin starts to crack, set the tomato aside to cool, then peel.

9. Sear fish. You may have seen a sushi chef use a torch to sear the outside of a raw piece of tuna or other fish. Try it at home for an appetizer, atop a bed of frisée, mesclun or seaweed salad; replace some of the olive oil in your vinaigrette with sesame oil, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds. For a more cooked alternative, use the torch to crisp the skin and of the fish that hasn’t gotten it crisp enough in the pan (how to crisp fish skin).

10. Singe the pin feathers off poultry. Easy peasy!

DESSERT

12. Brown meringue. Use the torch to brown the meringue atop Baked Alaska, fruit tarts, meringue pies and other desserts.

13. Create burnt sugar garnishes. Place a greased cookie cutter on a Silpat liner and sprinkle a thin layer of sugar inside the cutter. Heat with a torch until crisp, then lift off the cutter. Use the burnt sugar decoration to garnish desserts such as frosted cakes, ice cream or pudding.

14. Make s’mores. Do this in the kitchen; or if your guests are handy adults, place graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows on a platter and invite them to spear marshmallows with fondue forks and toast and assemble their own.

15. Flambé your food. Make delicious, festive desserts: Bananas Foster, Cherries Jubilee, dessert crêpes, fruit compote, etc. Pour Grand Marnier or other liqueur into a metal measuring cup and heat with the torch. Pour the warmed liqueur over the dessert and then use the torch or a long match to ignite. How to flambé.

16. Unmold frozen desserts. If they resist popping out of metal molds, the torch is neater and quicker than hot water.

17. And of course, crème brûlée.
 
Have other suggestions? Let us know!

But how about kale salad?

Here are three recipes from Laura Pensiero, executive chef of Just Salad and a Certified Dietician. For salads, young, tender leaves are best. Remove the stem and rib and tear the leaf into pieces.

Chef Pensiero also provides her recipe for Kale Pesto Dressing, which can be used on these or any salad.

RECIPE: WINTER VEGGIE SUPERFOOD SALAD

Ingredients

Dressing: Lowfat horseradish chive dressing is used at Just Salad. You can stir a bit of horseradish and some minced chives into a vinaigrette, to taste.
 
RECIPE: NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION SALAS

Ingredients

 
Dressing: Balsamic vinaigrette

Ingredients

 
Dressing: Lemon vinaigrette (substitute lemon juice for half or all of the vinegar in your vinaigrette)

RECIPE: KALE PESTO DRESSING

Ingredients For 2 Cups

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the blanched and raw kale, garlic, mustard, lemon juice and stock in a food processor; pulse until chopped.

2. ADD the cheese and nuts. Pulse again to combine. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil.
3. TASTE the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Add a touch more stock or water if necessary to thin to desired dressing consistency.

 
*Blanching kale reduces bitterness and softens thick greens. Stir the leaves into boiling salted water for a minute or two, drain, then immediately run under cold water.

**To toast nuts: Heat a nonstick skillet to medium, add nuts and cook over medium heat. Toss nuts/shake the pan often, until nuts are lightly browned and fragrant.

 
KALE NUTRITION

Kale and its close relative, collards, are winter crops and among the earliest vegetables cultivated by man. Native to the Mediterranean region, they were popular in ancient Egypt and Rome. The Romans and Greeks introduced them throughout Europe.

Early British settlers brought kale and collards to America, probably in the late 1600s. But although they’re delicious, nutritious and low in calories, both vegetables became unfashionable over the past century, finally experiencing a renaissance in recent years.

If you have a home garden they’re easy to grow.

As far as nutrition goes, kale is known as “the queen of greens.” As members of the cruciferous group of vegetables, it has potent anti-carcinogens. One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and 684% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

Here’s more about kale nutrition and health benefits.

How to chiffonade. Photo courtesy Marichelle | Lifeflix | Flickr.

We so often recommend a chiffonade (shif-oh-NOD) garnish that we’re devoting an article to it.

Chiffonade is a chopping technique in which leafy herbs or greens (basil, sage and spinach, for example) are cut into long, thin strips. Large, stackable leaves are needed—the technique doesn’t work with small leaves such as parsley or thyme.

The word comes from the French chiffon, “little rag,” and refers to the shreds that this technique produces. It is also used to slice other foods (such as crêpes or thin omelets) into strips.

The technique, shown in the photo, is easy:

1. STACK the leaves.

2. ROLL them tightly.

3. SLICE perpendicular to the roll.

Use the chiffonade as a garnish or stir into eggs, salads, soups, stews, etc.

Looking for “gourmet” Super Bowl fare? Try this recipe from Dietz & Watson. Just a bit of fresh basil elevates bacon-wrapped shrimp to new flavor heights.

Serve the shrimp on a platter for game-watching, with cocktails or as an appetizer or first course for dinner.

RECIPE: BACON-WRAPPED SHRIMP WITH BASIL

Ingredients For 4 Servings

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 375°F and butterfly the shrimp: Make a deep slit along the back of each, but not all the way through.

2. RINSE the shrimp and pat dry. Place one basil leaf inside the slit in each shrimp. Wrap each shrimp in a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

3. HEAT the oil over high heat to 350°F in a medium stockpot or saucepan. When hot, carefully add the shrimp, a few at a time. Deep-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the oil and place on a tray lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

4. COMBINE the barbeque sauce, horseradish and hot pepper sauce in a skillet. Add the shrimp to the sauce and heat, basting the shrimp for 5 minutes, until they are heated through. Serve on a platter garnished with lemon wedges and sprinkle with a chiffonade of basil.
 
HOW TO MAKE A CHIFFONADE

A chiffonade is a cut that creates long, thin strips. Stack the leaves, roll them tightly and slice perpendicular to the roll. See the photo above.