Tomato Water Martini

INGREDIENTS Tomato Water: Drink: Garnish: DIRECTIONS Tomato Water: Purée tomatoes and salt in a robot coupe. Wrap purée in a triple layer of cheesecloth and place in a chinois with a bowl underneath. Let sit overnight. Chill reserved liquid before using. Drink: Put gin and tomato water in a shaker with ice. Shake. Spritz glass with vermouth, pour in mixture, … Read more

Garlic Basil Mayo

I used this as a lobster tail dipping sauce, but it is perfect for this time of year. Ingredients: Directions: Add all ingredients except for olive oil to food processor.  Blend for about a minute and slowly add the olive oil. I just pour it in to the little spout on top and let it … Read more

Scones

I started out trying to recreate the sourdough scones from SQIRL after a recent trip to LA, but ended up adapting this far simpler recipe from Nigella Lawson. I add 2 tablespoons of sourdough starter plus half a cup of currants and some lemon zest, then brush the tops with buttermilk, but that’s all that … Read more

Updated ribs

DESCRIPTION These are instructions for cooking pork ribs on my Big Green Egg. I use lump charcoal, wood chunks, and a plate setter. The updates are all “leave it alone” lessons learned from reading and watching Aaron Franklin. INGREDIENTS 2 racks of fresh pork spare ribs (figure 3 servings per rack) 8 tablespoons yellow mustard (about 2 … Read more

Pumpkin Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS Graham Cracker Crust for 2 cheesecakes (from box) Filling (for two cheesecakes) 2 1/2 lbs. packaged cream cheese softened 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 3 tablespoons flour 3/4 teaspoons allspice 3/4 teaspoons ginger 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon 1 lb. canned pumpkin (1 15 oz can is fine) 2 egg yolks 5 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup heavy cream DIRECTIONS Grease two … Read more

Paul’s Crawfish Étouffée

Servings: 4  Source: Paul Harsha (adapted from “Cooking with Entergy”) INGREDIENTS 1 stick butter 1 cup celery chopped 1 cup bell pepper chopped 1 cup yellow onion chopped 1/2 cup green onion chopped 1/4 cup parsley chopped 1 clove garlic minced 1 teaspoon flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or to taste 14.5oz can diced tomatoes 1 pound crawfish … Read more

Carrot Hummus

My 3rd attempt to recreate Noir Bar’s amazing carrot hummus. Getting closer… Carrot Hummus Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4 Source: Paul Harsha (from Ivy Larson)  INGREDIENTS 3 large carrots (cut into bite-sized pieces) 1/4 cup tahini 1/4 cup lemon juice 3 cloves garlic 1/4 teaspoon turmeric pinch cumin pinch smoked paprika sea salt & white pepper (to taste) sumac (optional) … Read more

Sorrel

Every summer we try a few new herbs in the container garden. This summer’s picks were chervil and red sorrel. The chervil was delicious, but dried up when it got hot. The sorrel is still going strong. Sorrel Pesto Difficulty: Easy Servings: about 1 cup Source: Two Small Farms  INGREDIENTS 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh sorrel ribs removed  1/3 cup packed fresh … Read more

Japanese Eggplant

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Difficulty: Easy  Servings: 2  INGREDIENTS For Eggplant: 1 Japanese Eggplant Shichimi Togarashi  4 tablespoons Peanut Oil Sesame Oil For Dressing: 4 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar 2 tablespoons Mirin 1 tablespoon ponzu or soy 1 teaspoon Red Miso 1/2 teaspoon Sesame Oil DIRECTIONS Eggplant:Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch roundsLightly coat a sheet pan with oilPlace eggplant on sheet, drizzle … Read more

Pickled Peppers

Prep Time: 35 min Cook Time: 25 min Difficulty: Easy Servings: About 8 pints  Source: tasteofhome.com  INGREDIENTS 4 quarts long red, green or yellow peppers (Hungarian, Banana, etc.) 1-1/2 cups canning salt 4 quarts plus 2 cups water, divided 10 cups white vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 2 garlic cloves, peeled DESCRIPTION Making your own pickled peppers is so easy and you will never have to buy store-bought peppers ever … Read more