There are certain foods that are so delicious that one can’t help but want seconds.
We feel that way about risotto. Chocolate pudding. Macaroni and cheese.
One way to avoid taking a second slice or scoop is to serve the food in ramekins for portion control. There’s no large dish brought to the table to tempt: just one ramekin per person and that’s it.
Ramekins are available in a range of sizes, from four ounces to eight ounces. For the smallest portion, use four-ounce ramekins.
Ramekins are a good investment. They’re very versatile, and can be used to bake soufflés, custards and other foods. We use them to serve:
Garnishes like olives and pickles (they’re also great for holding discarded olive pits)
Rich and creamy lobster risotto from
Hancock lobster arrives portion-controlled.
Photo courtesy Hancock Gourmet Lobster.
Sides like apple sauce, sour cream, dipping sauces and salad dressings
Snacks and nibbles like nuts and dips
Toppings for ice cream, pancakes, yogurt, etc.
While most ramekins are white, you can find them in different colors. Le Creuset has handsome 7-ounce ramekins in 6 colors.
Einkorn is nutty, chewy, flavorful and
healthier pasta. Photo courtesy Jovial Foods.
Twelve thousand years ago, man domesticated one of the first crops: wheat. This ancient wheat is very different from the wheat grown today. It is single grain, which means single kernels instead of double kernels on the spikes of the seed heads, the crowns at the top of the wheat stalk. Einkorn means “single grain” in German.
Over time, hybridization created the more prolific double-kernel wheat varieties, and einkorn ceased to be cultivated except in a few remote regions. But when the preserved remains of a Bronze Age man were found in Italy in 1991, scientists became interested in the einkorn he had eaten.
Following research, some farmers began growing this relict crop. Einkorn berries (kernels), einkorn flour and einkorn pasta are now available to consumers.
Why should you boil up a batch of einkorn pasta? Read the full review.
Don’t know rigatoni from radiatore? The difference between linguine and spaghetti? See our Pasta Glossary.
How many times a year do you have a turkey dinner with stuffing and cranberry sauce?
If you’re like most Americans, the answer is: once, on Thanksgiving.
But now, you can enjoy that turkey dinner any day via a Turkey Dinner Burger and Pumpkin Pie milkshake!
It’s currently being served all month at Jake’s Wayback Burgers, through the end of the month. If there’s no Jake’s Wayback near you, you can easily make the Turkey Dinner Burger and Pumpkin Milkshake at home:
Turkey Dinner Burger: On a toasted burger bun, layer a turkey burger, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Put mayo on the top half of the bun. A garnish of chopped fresh sage and parsley adds real Thanksgiving flavor.
All the flavors of Thanksgiving in a burger.
Photo courtesy Jack’s Wayback Burgers.
Pumpkin Milkshake:
Combine in blender 3 scoops pumpkin ice cream, 1-1/2 cups milk and 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Blend until smooth.
Anything else that adds to the fun (M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces)
Treat your guests to a waffle bar.
Photo courtesy Screme Gelato.
You can make the dessert healthier by serving whole-grain waffles and replacing the sugary toppings with healthier ones—for example, strawberry purée instead of heavily sugared dessert sauces.
Another better-for-you dessert sauce is low-glycemic agave nectar, available at natural food stores. Flavored agave dessert syrups are available from OrganicNectars.com.
Bite-size cookies in a keepsake tin.
Photo courtesy Byron Bay.
This week’s sweet prize from Byron Bay Cookie Company comes in a festive keepsake tin, perfect for holiday entertaining. The tin is filled with Shortbread, Triple Chocolate Fudge and White Chocolate Chunk & Macadamia Nut cookies.
Three lucky winners will enjoy a box.
Made in Australia, Byron Bay’s bite-sized treats are all-natural. The company uses locally sourced ingredients and employs environmental sensitive practices wherever possible.
To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Gourmet Cookie Section and click to enter your email address for the prize drawing.
