These are the world’s easiest brownies, bar none. You only need 3 ingredients—a jar of Nutella, 5 eggs and 1 cup of flour. Plus, after you’ve finished combining the ingredients, you have only one dirty bowl and a mixer to wash (I use my electric hand mixer.)
No one will ever guess that one of the main ingredients in this cake is a yellow cake mix. That’s because it is completely overshadowed by the earthy sweet taste of pumpkin, accented with warm cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. As you can see in the photo, the cream cheese, powdered sugar topping glistens after it’s baked.
This is not just another burger. This one is layers of fabulous textures and flavors—soft brioche buns, Parmesan crisps, creamy mayo, charred burgers, red wine-glazed onions, tender lettuce, another Parmesan crisp and soft bun.
One of my favorite pastry chefs just wrote a cookie book that if you like to bake, you’ll want to get. It is called Craving Cookies by Helen S. Fletcher. Her website is pastrieslikeapro.com. Her book has more how-to tips and photos than any cook book I’ve seen in a long time. That is because Helen and her husband, a retired photographer, wrote, styled and photographed everything.
The recipe is from Charles Phan of Slanted Door fame in San Francisco. It had garnered one of Food & Wine’s top best recipes and after one bite your taste buds will tell you why this is Vietnamese cooking at it’s best. The dish is intensely sweet, hot and totally tantalizing.
Let's get one thing out of the way. This is NOT another Kale Caesar. It has some similarities, but this salad is so much more exciting. One bite and you'll understand why I call it baby kale's newest BFF.
Melon wrapped in prosciutto has been around for centuries. In Medieval times melon was considered such a highly dangerous fruit due its cold and juicy nature that cooks would counterbalance it by wrapping it in something dry and warm. I’ve gussied up my version to make it au courant.
When you hear guacamole, you think avocados. But surprisingly, peas add a delicious sweetness and offer other advantages: They don't turn brown when mashed ahead and you can always find them ripe.
One night out of longing for the sweet taste of hoisin, I mixed it with plum sauce and brushed it on chicken before and after I grilled it. This has very little to do with authentic peking duck, but it is pretty fabulous on its own.
This recipe comes from Robin Miller who calls it, Absolute Best Banana Cake. I hesitate to give my recipes such effusive titles. After all, I like to think that I would only be sending you a recipe if it is superb, outstanding, terrific… (you get the point
You most likely won’t be able to guess the ingredients in this extremely flavorful dip/spread. The cilantro is almost indiscernible, as is the dill. The only ingredient you will probably taste is the feta and maybe the pistachios. Let’s just say it is a marvelous blend of flavors.
Summer calls for burgers and instead of making the same old beef ones, make these fun and more exciting ones.
These Greek turkey burgers, gyros, (pronounced yee-ros) are moist and juicy because of the addition of mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is one of my favorite go-to ingredients to add moisture to lean ground meats and meat loaf. Oregano and cumin give these burgers a distinctly Grecian flavor.
To carry out the Greek theme, the buns are spread with a tangy yogurt dressing accented with chopped kalamata olives. If sliced red onions are too strong for your liking, soak them in a little ice water for a few minutes to reduce their bite.
Instead of adding sliced tomatoes to the burgers, a feta tomato salad on the side is the perfect complement. Simply cut up tomatoes, add some fresh mint , radishes and feta, toss with lemon juice and olive oil, and you’re good to go. Happy summer everyone. Stay cool,.
Burgers
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey (this will give you the juiciest burgers)
1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon +1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
2 cups arugula (about 1 oz.)
1/2 cup sliced cucumber (about 3 1/4 oz.)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
Yogurt Sauce
1/3 cup plain whole or low-fat milk-Greek yogurt
1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1.To make burgers: In a bowl, mix together turkey, mayonnaise, oregano, cumin, salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. (I find it easiest to do this with my hands.) Shape into 4 equal patties.
2.To cook burgers: Heat a large heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, or your charcoal grill over high heat. Lightly coat skillet or grill rack with cooking spray. Add turkey patties. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165 degrees F, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
3.To make sauce: In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, olives, lemon juice and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
4. To assemble burgers: Spread yogurt mixture evenly on cut sides of top and bottom buns. Divide arugula evenly among bottom halves of buns; top with cooked patties, cucumber and red onion. Cover with top halves of buns and serve.
Makes 4 burgers
This take on a Roman salad bursts with zesty flavors and textures. I love that the tender zucchini plays against the chewy cherries and the crunchy pistachios and it is all topped off with the salty Parmesan.
If you don’t have a mandolin, this salad is a reason to purchase one. On my website under Marlene’s Favorites I have one that is very simple to use, easy to store and costs around $20. It is great if you don’t slice too often. You do need to be careful of your fingers though, so I suggest when the vegetables or fruit get down toward the slicer that you stop and cut the rest by hand. Mandolins can be dangerous little things.
I have made many substitutions when making this salad, all with great success. I like to think of it as a canvas and you can design the picture. Dried cranberries are a simple swap for the cherries, toasted pine nuts for the pistachios and crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese for the Parmesan. When I have mint, it makes a fabulous addition.
So go ahead and enjoy creating. Happy Summer, everyone.
Zucchini Carpaccio with Pistachios, Dried Cherries and a Lemony Vinaigrette
4 small zucchini (1 lb. total)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, such as Fluer de Sel
1/4 cup pistachios
2 tablespoons dried cherries
1 (6-oz) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano
1. Slice zucchini diagonally into paper-thin slices with slicer. Arrange slices on 4 plates.
2. Whisk together oil and lemon juice in a small bowl, then drizzle over zucchini. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper to taste, and pistachios. Let stand 10 minutes to soften zucchini and allow flavors to develop.
3. Just before serving, use a vegetable peeler to shave cheese over zucchini.
Makes 4 first-course servings.
This is the best asparagus stir fry I’ve ever made—or eaten, for that matter. It is meant to be on the spicy side with a hint of orange zest to add sweetness and balance the spicy chilies.
If recipes could be a ball game, these are a home run. I hadn’t made them in years when I decided to make them for a brunch class I was teaching for high schoolers in LA.
What do you do when you have half of a pound of shrimp in your freezer? Cook them, of course. I was debating what to season them with when I spied the jar of pesto hidden behind the package in the freezer.
This fabulous recipe comes from baker and cook extraordinaire, Rosemary Mark. Rosemary admits that she is a bit obsessed with Shaker Lemon Pie and has experimented with it dozens of ways before concluding this the best. .
This recipe is from my new children’s cookbook, The Fall of General Custard Cookbook. It is a companion to the wonderful, Indie nominated, children’s book, The Fall of General Custard.
In order to promote my new book, I offered a free kid’s cooking class to anyone who bought the book. In the class I taught 2 recipes from the book; one The Bold Blueberry Cobbler Cake and the other, Taco Bake Pie.
My assistant chef, Kelly, and I were ecstatic when we tasted the recipes and found them awesome. I never know when I go back to revisit a recipe if it will stand up to my high standards. I am glad to say, they did. The recipes may have been written for kid’s but you don’t need to be a kid to love them.
I begin each recipe in the book with a poem, because the original book is written in poetry. Here’s the poem accompanying this recipe:
It’s not quite a cake, ‘cause it’s lower and flatter,
It’s served in a casserole dish not on a platter.
it’s sort of a cobbler without globs of batter,
Oh well, it’s so awesome that name shouldn’t matter!
I think that says it all.
If you want to purchase the book along with the accompanying story book or just the cookbook, please click on my website, www.cookingwclass.com and then click on the General Custard tab on the top,.
The Bold Blueberry Cobbler Cake
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole or 2% low fat milk
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cups fresh or frozen (not defrosted) blueberries
1. Arrange the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 9 x13-inch baking dish with non-stick coating.
2. In a small bowl, stir the sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, flour, baking powder, salt, milk and melted butter until blended and smooth.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
5. Sprinkle the berries over the top. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over the top.
6. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Remove to rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 servings.
In France they serve these cakes with wine as an aperitif. That works for me. I uncorked a bottle or rosé, took small bites of these cakes and decided to pass them on to you.
