Something like a custardy baked pancake, clafouti is a French dessert that showcases fruit that is covered with a thick flan-like batter. Often dusted with powdered sugar, it’s served lukewarm or within 6 hours at room temperature. In this version, raspberries are the stars. Butter a 9-inch gratin dish. If you prefer, use a 9-inch cake pan. In a medium…
Hummus for Breakfast? Scrumptious!
Celebrity Interviews, Chefs, Cookbooks, Cooking, Melissa's, Produce, Recipes, VideosAfter our interview, I tried cookbook author Mark Bittman’s recipe for Turkish Breakfast, a cinch-to-make hummus paired with sliced tomatoes, cucumber, olives and whole-wheat toast. I added a slab of watermelon and served it for a luscious eat-every-bite dinner. Better yet, I tried it for breakfast. Delicious. Much – so much – more flavor-packed than my lonely egg. Turkish BreakfastYield:…
Green Bean Shangri-La, Asian Sauce Gives Sweet-Sour-Spicy Personality
Cookbooks, Cooking, Melissa's, Produce, Recipes, VideosGreen beans cooked to perfection, somewhere between hard and soft, are delicious tossed with a sauce made with Asian-style ingredients. Oyster-flavored sauce, that bottled oh-so-tangy condiment, adds umami to the mix. Mirin, rice vinegar and sugar balance out the flavors with sweetness. Toasted sesame seeds add a gentle crunch and welcome nuttiness. In Chinese restaurants, a version of this dish often…
Yes, it’s strawberry season! Perfectly ripe, brimming with perky sweetness, they are delicious eaten out of hand. But I love to use them in a wide variety of desserts, including these alluring pillows dubbed “clouds.” For the absolute best results, start with strawberries that are ripe and flavorful. For never-fail berries, I love to use Harry’s Berries. Founded in Oxnard…
Roasted Pepper Salad Royale with Burrata – Appetizer or First Course Yum-Oh-Lah
Cooking, Melissa's, Produce, Recipes, VideosRoasting bell peppers adds a sweet, slightly smoky flavor. You can buy roasted peppers in a jar, but it’s so easy to do and the flavor is so much better. More delicious. I love them napped with vinaigrette and served with burrata and toast/ On small plates it’s a first course, on a platter it’s a scoop-it-up appetizer. To roast,…
This low-calorie Cream of Mushroom Soup with Green Onions is quick to make. Each serving is only 60 calories. The dark brown caps of cremini mushrooms add a delightful earthiness to the pureed soup. The concoction is frothy like a steamy cappuccino, especially if you use a handheld immersion blender to puree it. CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP WITH GREEN ONIONS…
Shaker Salad with just-right salty-sweet elements to make it irresistible I love Giada’s Shaker Salad. Limp greens and soggy veggies are often the fate of a made-ahead salad destined for the lunchbox. In Giada De Laurentiis’ newest cookbook, “Happy Cooking,” she provides a shaker jar strategy. Chill. Shake. Enjoy. Start with a wide-mouth quart-size jar. Giada’s Shaker SaladYield: 1 serving1 tablespoon store-bought…
Who doesn’t love apple pie? It’s an all American favorite, right? This one adds some surprises. There’s sour cream in the mix and a crunchy-sweet topping. I’ve been making it since I was 20. And trust me, that was decades and decades ago. Now my grown daughters bake it and claim it as their own. Let’s start with the crust…