Tisane is a tea like drink made by steeping a single herb or a mixture of several herbs in boiling water. Flowers and spices can be added. Tisane is the French term for a restorative herbal tea. Popular tisanes include chamomile, scented geranium, linden, jasmine, lemon verbena, hibiscus, and rose hip. The peppermint you use […] More
Here is a very tasty sunflower brittle recipe that Julia, a San Francisco garden designer, recently cooked up using a recipe adapted from The Joy of Cooking. This brittle is light and sunflower nutty and a perfect snack for an afternoon in the garden. Julia advises that you might want to have ready a pair […] More
Look around and you will find a dozen or so ways to make “authentic” succotash. The bottom line on succotash is that this cooked dish always includes lima beans and corn kernels—unless it doesn’t. You see, sometimes “real” succotash doesn’t include lima beans but green shell beans instead (just ask Fannie Farmer). So, at least […] More
Sautéing will keep the crispness and flavor of fresh vegetables intact. Sautéing is a technique very similar to Chinese stir-frying. Fresh vegetables that lend themselves to sautéing include mushrooms, thinly slice carrots, zucchini, onions, green peppers, and corn kernels. Print Sautéed Corn Author Steve Albert Yield 1 serving Ingredients Fresh corn kernels: 1 cup […] More
The Gravenstein apple is simply one of the best baking and cooking apples. A tart is a pastry crust with shallow sides, a filling, and no top crust. This tart calls for the apples to be cooked before they are placed in the crust. Once baked, this Gravenstein apple tart will be light and crispy […] More
Basil with tomato, basil with garlic, basil with onion, and basil with olives. The sweet, clove-like aroma and warm and peppery yet minty flavor of basil can liven up mixed green salads, vegetables and vegetable soups, pasta and pizza, eggs dishes and eggplant salad, fish and seafood, veal, lamb, pork, and chicken. Basil—which is native […] More
Young and tender chayote can be served finely sliced raw in salads, or it can be served puréed, or diced in soups or stews, or sautéed, steamed, boiled, stir-fried, deep-fried, and baked. Chayote has a mild cucumber- to apple-like flavor and crunch and can be prepared just as you would a summer squash. The mild […] More
Bok choy can be eaten raw in salads, stir-fried, cooked as a vegetable, or marinated. Bok choy has crunchy stalks that are mild and juicy-sweet. Its leaves are tender and crisp with a subtle peppery flavor. Bok choy is sometimes called Chinese cabbage. The Cantonese variation of bok choy is pak choy. There are several […] More
Béchamel Sauce is a basic white sauce made by stirring milk into a butter-flour roux. Roux is a flour and butter mixture slowly cooked over a low heat. When a roux is cooked to a beige color it is called white roux. When it is cooked to a golden color it is called blond roux. […] More
Here are three dipping sauces for freshly steamed artichokes. You can make these dipping sauces in minutes. Each is an alternative to simply digging artichokes in warm melted butter. • Creamy lemon sauce: mix 1 cup ranch dressing, 1 crushed garlic clove, and the juice of 1 lemon. • Mint-yogurt sauce: mix ½ cup plain […] More
Hollandaise sauce is a smooth rich creamy sauce thickened by the use of egg yolks. Use hollandaise sauce as a topping for asparagus, broccoli and other vegetables. Hollandaise and mayonnaise are very similar—the fats are the difference: hollandaise uses butter; mayonnaise uses vegetable oil. One of the earliest recipes for hollandaise appeared in a French […] More
Avocado has a sweet grassy flavor and the texture of butter. Match avocado with mild and subtly flavored partners. Avocado will add richness to a dish. Match avocado with bacon, scallions, tomatoes, basil, red onions, chiles. The recipe here matches avocado with shellfish–lobster and crab. PrintAvocados with SeafoodAuthor Steve AlbertYield 4 servings Adapted from Henri-Paul […] More
Stephen Albert