• Last updated 2/29/12 by Nicko

How to Make Green Tea Frozen Custard The second in a series on ice creams, custards and sorbets Jim Berman CCI       Frozen custard is not ice cream. While the terms are often used interchangeably, they are not the same dish. Custard has to have eggs by definition and I am not the one writing the book. The book also says that ice cream, however, is egg-less. The end result is that custard produces a different mouth feel and a richer dessert. There is a bit more time invested in custard, but is well worth the extra umph. Also, custard works well to... read more

• Last updated 1/7/12 by Nicko

  Everyone has their favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner; some look forward to the turkey, others can’t wait to dig into the pumpkin pie and other various desserts, while others yet look forward to Grandma’s Sweet Potato casserole, or Aunt Sue’s famous pickles and relishes.  While I love it all, I most look forward to the dressing, aka, stuffing.  It’s my favorite part of the meal, even more so than my Mom’s buttery, rich mashed potatoes, for which I have a great fondness.  There’s something about stuffing though, that for me, makes it rise above all else, to be... read more

• Last updated 5/11/12 by Jim

Sorbet The fourth in a series on ice creams, custards and sorbets Jim Berman CCI       Sorbet is little more than sweet water and fruit purée or juice. Therein the simplicity holds vast complexity; just a few ingredients work harmoniously to unfold into clean flavors. No dairy and little air worked into the base bears a sweet invention that is bright, often subtle and bracing.   Using the Lello Musso Pola 5030 Dessert Maker, the sorbet goes from raw ingredients to finished product in less than half of an hour. The following is a classic sorbet,... read more

• Last updated 4/7/12 by Jim

How to Make Gnocchi James Berman CCI   Gnocchi (naw’kee, if you are from the city; nyo’kee if you are from Italy; yawn’kee if you are Italo-American) are dumplings most commonly of potato construct, served much like pasta and dubious, at best, to make without practice. The technique to create fool-proof gnocchi is not terribly thorny; rather these little puffs are just a trying bunch. Once the formula is refined, the light shines through and gnocchi success can be had.               I have made a lot of really bad gnocchi; from gummy, sticky,... read more

• Last updated 1/7/12 by Nicko

I have been working on making homemade yogurt for the past year and wanted to post some step by step photos of the process I have been using. This is an open article/wiki so please feel free to add comments or make changes as you feel will improve the content of the article.   Ingredients 1/2 gallon of whole milk 2 packages of yogurt start (5 grams each) or 2-4 tablespoons of yogurt from a previous batch.   Tools Thermometer Non-reactive pot. preferable enameled cast iron such as le cruset.     Many people use store bought yogurt but I... read more

• Last updated 8/20/12 by Tracy Brown

Making your own pizza at home has tons of advantages: the kids can help, it's easy and fun to make, and you can use all the leftovers that just lay around in the fridge - everything from yesterday's anti-pasti to the last piece of pepperoni that you know no one is going to eat.  Enjoy! Ingredients    Dough: 3.5 cups (500 grams) flour (preferably bread flour) 8 g dry yeast Quarter cup (300 mL) warm water 1 tablespoon honey Half teaspoon salt Sauce: 4 tablespoons olive oil Leaves from three branches of fresh oregano 2 garlic... read more

• Last updated 1/7/12 by Nicko

    By: Ruben Urias     Enough with the twenty ingredient roast turkey recipes!  It happens every year as the holidays approach.  Magazines, television programs, and even celebrity chefs, push and prod the cooking public into spending far too much time and money on recipes and ingredients that only marginally improve their turkeys.  This year, take a stand and focus on the basics done right.  Instead of adding one-eighth of a teaspoon of this herb, and one-half teaspoon of nineteen other spices, just know that you can roast a juicy, very flavorful turkey... read more

• Last updated 1/7/12 by Nicko

Safety First When Deep Frying A Turkey A few words on safety: 1.)  The cooking equipment must be set up in a clear level area away from buildings and things that can catch fire.  Nothing puts a damper on the holiday season liking burning your place to the ground.  And it has far reaching effects in ruining the holiday for others: an insurance adjuster is now going to be called away from their family, a few firefighters are going to have to miss their holiday meal thanks to the inferno that was your home.  So please, follow the safety advice: set up in a flat... read more

• Last updated 1/7/12 by Nicko

  A Lobster Treatise A few nights ago I killed a lobster...a lot of lobsters, actually. Ten dozen to be exact. I didn't carry out this gruesome task alone. Steve, a friend and fellow culinarian helped me. I'm not bragging about this; it had to be done. It's part of my work. It's not that I enjoyed doing it either, but I have to admit that I've become somewhat desensitized. There is something very primitive in killing in order to feed people. It's easy to forget that, unless you're vegetarian, something must die for you to eat. Professional cooks are less... read more

• Last updated 8/20/12 by kaneohegirlinaz

When we travel, I like to bring back very different things as souvenirs. On our recent trip to Hawaii, I brought back a mold for Maki Sushi and powdered Sushi Seasoning mix.  I had seen these the last time that we were back home, but passed them by at the time. This morning I was clearing out the refrigerator and I was going to put a half of a pot of cooked white rice into the freezer.  We eat steamed Calrose or sticky rice (I think it’s a medium grain) with many of our meals. DING!  Why not try out my new toy?   I heated the rice back up in the microwave... read more