That glistening, dark river of sauce on the ice cream is made with balsamic vinegar. Not just any balsamic, of course, but a Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar from Benessere, an oil and vinegar store in downtown Portland. Coffee and chocolate are an excellent pairing, so I also used some Espresso Sugar from The Spice and [...]

Categories: chocolate, condiments, dairy-free, dessert, gluten-free, pantry, sauce
Tagged: chocolate, condiments, dairy-free, dessert, gluten-free, pantry, sauce

I want to make meatloaf, and for me a meatloaf has a bacon wrapping and a ketchup glaze. I could buy the bacon and ketchup, I suppose, but really, where’s the fun in that? Chipotle Ketchup 1 onion, chopped 1½ tablespoons oil from garlic confit or extra-virgin olive oil Put the onion and oil into [...]

Categories: condiments, dairy-free, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: condiments, dairy-free, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, vegan, vegetarian

Sitting under all that cheese is a simple marinara sauce. By itself it’s an excellent sauce for pasta, polenta, and that Italian-American standby Chicken Parmigiana (or it’s vegetarian/vegan version, Eggplant Parmigiana). It makes a great pizza sauce. I even used some as part of a seafood stew whipped up in just a few minutes. As [...]

Categories: gluten-free, mother recipe, pantry, preserving, sauce, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: dairy-free, gluten-free, mother recipe, pantry, preserving, sauce, vegan, vegetarian

Whether you’re serving a nice pâté or are putting together a charcuterie platter, want some crunch in your sandwich or just need a quick burst of flavor, a sweet pickle chip is just right! Michael Ruhlman published a recipe for a delightfully simple, wonderfully flavored sweet pickle chip in Charcuterie, a book I highly recommend [...]

Categories: charcuterie, condiments, dairy-free, entertaining, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, side dish, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: charcuterie, condiments, dairy-free, entertaining, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, side dish, vegan, vegetarian

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have an abundance of cherries, particularly Rainier and Bing cherries. When I saw Rainier cherries for $1.49 per pound, I knew it was time to try making a liqueur. I started with two pounds of Rainier cherries, unpitted, and added 1½ cups of sugar and a fifth of grain [...]

Categories: beverage, dairy-free, pantry
Tagged: beverage, dairy-free, pantry

In the garden, the beets are beginning to look like they’re ready to eat. If I have a large crop, I’ll want to pickle some of them. There are three steps required for good pickled beets, and all three take some time. First you need to make a good picking vinegar, then the beets need [...]

Categories: dairy-free, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: pantry, preserving

It was a very hot day for Portland, and I didn’t really want to add to the heat by warming up my kitchen. With fresh blueberries, herbs in the garden, plenty of greens on hand, and a full pantry, I didn’t need any heat. The key component in this vinaigrette is blueberry syrup. I made [...]

Categories: gluten-free, ingredients, pantry, salad, vegan, vegetarian, vinaigrette
Tagged: dairy-free, gluten-free, ingredients, pantry, salad, vegan, vegetarian

Garlic confit is magical stuff. I keep some around to use in everything. I even warm up a clove or two and smear it on bread when I want garlic bread. It’s so easy to make that you should never be without some.

Categories: condiments, gluten-free, ingredients, pantry, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: condiments, gluten-free, ingredients, pantry, vegan, vegetarian

The oil you use to cook with will be the foundation flavor upon which you’ll build. Even though heat destroys some of the oil’s character, it will still play an important role in the final flavor profile of what you’re cooking.

Categories: condiments, ingredients, pantry
Tagged: condiments, pantry, vegan, vegetarian

I had just finished breaking down a chicken for a photo session when I realized that it was time to eat. Fortunately, I had some chicken on the cutting board. A quick trip to the pantry for inspiration yielded sweet Marsala wine and veal demiglace.

Categories: Lunch, chicken, entrée, mother recipe, mushroom, pantry, skillet, supper
Tagged: chicken, Lunch, main course, mother recipe, mushroom, pantry, supper