We call it ‘squeaky cheese” because it squeaks in your mouth when you eat it. But Halloumi did not need to squeak to become one of my family’s favorite summer dishes. The bright colors of the herbs and vegetables, the fragrant smell of the marinade and the fun (and novelty) of cooking cheese on a grill might have had something to do with it. Add a flavor that is touched with salt from the cheese, acid from the lime, umani from the grilled peppers and onions, serve it over pasta and, well, there you are. It starts with handfuls of fresh herbs: mint, cilantro, basil, thyme, and oregano are ...
LET’S GET GRILLING: BARBECUED LEG OF LAMB
How to explain this dish? A whole leg of lamb is boned and butterflied, marinated in a spicy sweet sauce then grilled over charcoal before being finished in the oven. The meat is succulent and tender with a char-grilled crust that adds the perfect undertone of flavor to the almost beef-like cook of the meat. It’s lamb for those who think they don’t like lamb: barbecued leg of lamb. This recipe is a family go-to for feeding a crowd, impressing friends and creating the best leftovers ever for a sandwich. It came from my mother, who clipped it from a newspaper sometime in the 1960’s. It is ...
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE DISCOVERY
My sister is five years older than I am. I have been eating pie with her my whole life. So it absolutely floored me when she told me that Strawberry Rhubarb was her favorite type of pie. My mother never made a strawberry rhubarb pie. I don’t think we ever had rhubarb in any form in my childhood. It wasn’t until I was married and in my late 20’s that I even tasted rhubarb, occasioned by early food memories of my then-husband and the loving desire to make him a dish he liked. So, I never saw my sister eat a strawberry rhubarb pie. I never heard her mention it was one of her ...
BAR HOPPING OR HOW TO EAT AT FOUR OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN ASHEVILLE ON A SATURDAY NIGHT WITHOUT A RESERVATION
It was Friday night and I had one eye on my TV and the other on my phone as I was flipping through my Instagram feed when I something interesting. I quickly sent my daughter a text. That was a good question. Which did I want more? Well I wanted them both but they were at two different restaurants and to complicate things it was the weekend in Asheville and the only time you can get a reservation in this town on a weekend is in the dead of winter when it's snowing! But Sarah and I had another trick up our sleeve. We decided to see if we could eat at the bar and have a course at ...
LET’S GET ROUGH! (ROUGH PUFF PASTRY)
If there is a theme to my blog, or a driving force behind my cooking, it is this: Does it taste better if you make it from scratch and, if so, is the time invested in making it worth the difference? For example: butter can be made at home but it’s not going to be appreciably different from a good quality store-bought butter. Homemade bread, on the other hand, gives a pleasure measurably greater than that derived from commercial bread. However, if you live near a good bakery, where they bake the bread onsite, the pleasure gained from one of their loaves may be as great or better than the ...
EASTER BRUNCH: EASY DANISH PASTRIES
Yes, you read that right. Today we are making Danish Pastries. And it’s NOT hard. I've been looking at the blogs and magazines for April and they are all about Easter Cakes and sweets. That's all well and good but in our house Easter Brunch is what counts and for brunch you need pastries. If you have been following my blog, you know I have been working on making rough puff pastry. “Rough Puff”, as it is known, is a simplified process for making puff pastry. It’s pretty easy but it does take some time to make as it includes multiple rests in the refrigerator for the ...
SPRING RADISHES AND SMOKED SALMON TART
I love the changing seasons! There is something wonderful about moving from hot to cold and back again. The colors of the world change along with the temperature and the foods we eat change with them. Spring puts me in the mood for colors and lighter food. It also makes me feel like baking fruit tarts and pastries. Maybe it’s an Easter thing, I don’t know! This Spring I have been working on making my own puff pastry. Or actually, Rough Puff Pastry which is one step below traditional puff pastry in labor. Don’t worry, I’m not throwing that at you yet. I need to make it a few more ...
PORK LARB: AN ASIAN MEAT SALAD
You didn’t think I only made one dish with my Red Wattle Pork from Sugar Creek Meats, did you? Pork Larb, which can be made with almost any protein is, at its heart, a ground meat salad. The two most well known versions come from Laos and Northern Thailand. As an interesting aside, the Laotian version includes fish sauce and lime juice which is what I would have expected to find in the Thai larb. My recipe includes elements from both cuisines. You can serve your larb over rice or noodles, in lettuce cups, or pretty much anyway you want. It can be a light meal or a full dinner. Make ...
BEST PORK SANDWICH EVER
“Hello” The message popped up on my Instagram account. “Have you ever worked with red wattle pork before?” “No. I can’t say that I have.” I replied. Red Wattle Pork, for the uninitiated, is considered by many chefs to be the finest pork meat available. I was intrigued. And so, one dark and rainy day not long after, I found myself driving up a small dirt road in Big Sandy Mush Valley on a visit to the home of Sugar Creek Meats. Tyler De Francisco, a Sicilian transplant from New Jersey, is passionate about his pigs and his meat. Actually, Tyler is passionate about food in ...
GOING THERE: GLUTEN-FREE WHITE CHOCOLATE AND BUTTERSCOTCH CHIP COOKIES
I never thought I would be baking gluten-free cookies. But here it is, a plate full of White Chocolate and Butterscotch Chip Cookies, gluten-free. How did this come about? At the Carolina Bed & Breakfast it was not uncommon for people to specify a gluten-free diet when they came to visit. We were happy to accommodate them with some of the amazing gluten-free baked goods made by specialty bakers here in Asheville. I could have made them myself, and I did look at some gluten-free recipes, but the range of ingredients needed to make a decent substitute for wheat flour was daunting ...
