Tuesday, June 25, 2013

5 More Things Everyone (You, I mean) Should Know How to Make

So I couldn't stop at just five essentials to make. Here are five more dishes I think can get you through ...life.
Perfectly Scrambled. I could eat this every day.

1. Omelett and scrambled eggs. This is a two-fer. I happen to think a perfectly scrambled is pretty..sublime. No, really. Soft, not dry. Pretty (yellow AND white, not overly scrambled. A touch of butter...Here. Have at it with this post. Perfect Scrambled Eggs. As for omelets, try Alton's recipe. What is better than a cheese omelet? (Alton's is a chive omelet. Pretty awesome..)

2. Pancakes. Okay, please. Pancakes don't come from a box. They don't come from a bottle that you just have to squeeze into a hot skillet. They are simple to make. So learn. I lean on Cook's Illustrated for their best recipe pancake. (For the record, CI is one of very few websites I pay for. Technique, ingredients..what a jumping off point...and pretty spot-on recipes.) If you can't find it there, google CI pancakes..You'll learn what you need to know.. Ps. You can make buttermilk by adding white vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk. "Clabbered" milk, but perfect substitution.

3. Chile. Okay, look. Party=Chile=Hit of the crowd. You can feed a crowd with chile. (a.k.a. chili)...I spent more than a decade in Louisville, KY, where I learned to love chili over spaghetti (Cincinnati Chili)...Lot's of cinnamon, plenty of GOOD. Here's a Food Network recipe for Cincinnati Chili.

4. Chicken Salad. Okay, here's the go-to: chicken. mayo. sour cream. Mango chutney. golden raisins. onion. celery. curry powder. garlic or garlic powder. S and P to taste. Cilantro. And if you love crunch (I do) toasted almonds. Not up for curried chicken salad? Leave out the curry powder and mix it up...

5. One Awesome Dessert--Pick your favorite and then go to town and be THE expert at it. My son once made a creme caramel that I remember to this day. I think should make that HIS go to recipe. Another friend turns out a fruit crisp without a second thought (can you say easy AND delicious?)...do you love pie? Memorize Dorie Greenspan's perfect pie crust and then work on the filling. Me? I like simple desserts, so I can make a killer brown butter shortbread and this awesome AWESOME Lemon Ginger and White Pepper Pound Cake from Maida Heatter. Or wait, how about Martha's Upside Down Cranberry Cake...I can't pick just one..What do you make?

Today I am working on perfecting my own Japanese pizza with a friend. I'll take photos and let you know how we do.



3 comments:

Van Waffle said...

Good list, Barb. I'm the usual dinner cook around here, but Danny is the pancake specialist. He took my basic, good gluten-free pancake recipe and rolled with it, tweaking it. I'm not completely sure what sweet spices he adds, but they're heavenly on a Sunday morning.

I've always added a little milk to scrambled eggs, but think I'll try your way next time.

Babette said...

Thanks for the comment, Van--I used to do milk, then I did a splash of water...but then I became an egg purist!

V@ said...

Nice list! I am gluten sensitive so I make my pancakes with eggs, pumpkin, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla. Thanks for the ideas. Best Regards, Wendy http://wendybottrell.com 2013 Blogathon