If you only eat tacos at restaurants, you’re missing out on an easy-to-make lunch or dinner item that can expand far past its Mexican roots. Today, anything rolled in a tortilla becomes a taco—from octopus to leftovers of almost any type.
Dating back thousands of years, corn tortillas were the bread of Mesoamericans. In addition to providing sustenance, tortillas were also torn into pieces and used in the absence of utensils to scoop up other foods. The word “taco” derives from a Spanish word meaning “light snack.”
Each region in Mexico has its own cuisine, which extends to taco fillings. Mexican fillings vary widely from the typical selection at an American Tex-Mex restaurant.
One of the lesser-known joys of tacos is how they turn everyday leftovers into a special meal.
Take a look at our “taco template” and start using your leftovers to create delicious tacos.
Three new flavors of yummy gluten-free Lucy’s Cookies. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.
When we write about a product that is gluten-free, sugar-free or otherwise targeted to restricted diets, we apply the same standards as we do to everything else we sample:
It has to taste really good to a general audience. We never write about anything unless we would continue to buy it and eat it after the first batch is gone.
So it is with Lucy’s Gluten Free Cookies, a 2010 Top Pick Of The Week. Crisp and airy, these cookies are a pleasant repast even if you don’t have any food allergies.
But if you do: The cookies are not only certified gluten-free, but they’re also certified vegan and kosher (by Star-K). They’re nut-free, cholesterol-free, non-GMO, all-natural and baked in a dedicated facility.
Just in time for the holidays, Lucy presents three new seasonal flavors: Ginger Snap, Maple Bliss and the anytime favorite, Chocolate.
Quince are pear-green when unripe. When ripe, they turn gold. Photo courtesy Wikimedia.
The tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden may have been quince, not apple. The book of Genesis does not name the specific type of fruit that Eve picked and shared with Adam. Cultivation of quince may have preceded apple cultivation, and many early references that have been translated as “apple” may in fact have been quince.
Native to the Caucasus, the mountain range that separates Europe and Asia, quince is related to both the apple and the pear. It looks like a combination of the two, or a large, lumpy pear. The fruit can easily grow to six inches in length. The plural form of the word is the same as the singular—quince, not quinces.
Most varieties of quince are too hard and astringent to be eaten raw. Instead, they are used to make jam, jelly, quince pudding, pies and tarts. Adding a dice of quince to applesauce and apple pies enhances the flavor and texture. The white flesh turns red after a long cooking time.
Cooked, quince become flavorful and aromatic. They can be baked, braised, poached or stewed and served as a dessert or a side with meat and poultry.
The word “marmalade,” which originally meant quince jam, derives from “marmelo,” the Portuguese word for quince. The form of quince we personally eat most often—membrillo—is a quince paste (crema de membrillo) enjoyed with Spanish cheeses. (If you see it, buy it—it couldn’t be more delicious.)
Buying & Storing Quince
Choose quince that are hard and firm. Although the fruit may have bruise marks, they usually do not affect the quality.
Store quince in a plastic bag in the refrigerator; they’ll keep for several weeks. Once ripe, the skin will turn from green to yellow, but the fruit will still be firm (and in need of cooking).
Quince should be peeled before cooking.
Celebrate fall by making this Quince Tart Tatin, a recipe from one of our favorite chefs, Charlie Palmer.
As much as we’re fans of casual entertaining—stop by after work for some wine, or at 4:30 p.m. for tea time—we love to plan special entertainments.
If the planning is effortless, so much the better.
That’s why we were so pleased to discover Cookies & Corks—a young business founded by two young moms who met via their kids’ activities.
Cookies & Corks is a new twist on wine pairing: dry wines with sweet foods. The company sells cookies and recommends which types of wines to pair with them.
Then, instead of popping the cork and serving a plate of cheese, you serve a plate of cookies.
These are not just any cookies, but sweet-and-savory cookies crafted specifically to pair with the wines. Your own recipe for chocolate peanut butter cookies, for example, would need to be tweaked a bit to work as well as the Cookies & Corks version does.
Open the box, pop the cork and enjoy. Photo courtesy Cookies & Corks.
Here’s what’s in store for your get-together:
Red Wine Cookie Pairing: White Cheddar Rosemary, Shortbread and Espresso Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies.
Sparkling Wine Pairing: Parmesan Thyme, Sea Salt Chocolate Oatmeal and Zesty Lemon cookies.
Each box offers two tasting opportunities. The simple approach is to get one bottle of wine per box of cookies. The more interesting approach is to get a bottle of each of the three wine options recommended:
The red wine group: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz/Syrah.
The sparkling wine group: Brut Champagne, Rosé Champagne, Demi-Sec Champagne and Prosecco.
The white wine group: Chardonnay, Gewürtztraminer, Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc.
Each box contains 15 all-natural cookies—five each of three flavors. Wine pairing suggestions are included, and the wines are easy to find.
If the concept of cookies and wine sounds quirky to you, there’s only one thing to do: Get a box of Cookies & Corks and see for yourself. Sophisticated and novice wine drinkers alike will have a fun time, enjoying the tasty cookies and marveling about how well the pairings work.
You don’t need to throw a party: Cookies & Corks for a quiet movie evening is also a special event.
And the next time you give a bottle of wine, including the matching box of Cookies & Corks will make it memorable.
Here’s our first baking tip of the 2011 “baking season”: cookies.
With a lot of holiday baking to do, it’s tempting to put two cookie sheets into the oven at once. But unless you have a convection oven, you need to place just one sheet dead center for even baking.
Rotate. If you’ve got to bake two at a time, you’ll need to rotate the sheets halfway through. Not only switch racks, but also turn the baking sheets front-to-back.
Cool. The sheets need to be cool before you add more dough. Otherwise, the dough will start to melt when it hits the hot metal. We have two large cookie sheets and rotate them.
Underbake. Don’t bake the cookies until they’re golden brown, as most recipes indicate, unless you like hard cookies. Once removed from the oven, the hot cookies will continue to set. Try taking them out of the oven when they’re a bit underdone and the tops are still moist. The texture will be just fine when they harden. (The same is true with brownies, by the way. If you wait until the toothpick comes out clean, the edges will be overdone.)
Finally, if you need to buy cookie sheets, spend for the best, commercial-weight ones. You’ll have them for a lifetime. Even if they’re double the cost, they’ll pay you back by not warping over time.
The best cookie sheets tend to be stainless steel rather than nonstick, but use parchment paper and cleaning is easy.
And buy the largest size that will fit into your oven. It’s better to have extra space on the sheet than not enough.
For great baking tips, check out The Baking Answer Book, a wonderful compilation of tips by Lauren Chattman.
