A couple months ago I had the privilege of hosting Chef Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon for a cooking demonstration at Williams-Sonoma. He prepared a wonderful truffled spinach that inspired this variation. You’ll need one bunch of spinach for every two portions; no need for expensive baby spinach in this dish. Begin by gently sautéing [...]

Categories: entertaining, gluten-free, mushroom, side dish, Thanksgiving, vegetarian
Tagged: creme fraiche, entertaining, gluten-free, mushroom, side dish, Thanksgiving, vegetarian

The most popular side dish in all my classes this year has been whipped sweet potatoes, with Chipotle Whipped Sweet Potatoes being slightly more popular. I got the idea for these from Bobby Flay. Start by baking some sweet potatoes until they’re soft. You’ll probably want to use a sheet pan rather than just putting [...]

Categories: entertaining, gluten-free, mother recipe, side dish, Thanksgiving, vegetarian
Tagged: entertaining, gluten-free, side dish, Thanksgiving, vegetarian

Recently I taught a class on hors d’oeuvres at Williams-Sonoma. The Rosemary-Parmesan Icebox Crackers featured in the class were so good and yet so easy that I decided I should share them here. Rosemary-Parmesan Icebox Crackers 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon sel gris or kosher salt 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1 teaspoon [...]

Categories: baking, cheese, entertaining
Tagged: baking, cheese, entertaining

Cranberry-Pear Salsa 12 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen, roughly chopped 2 pears, diced 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced 1 serrano chile, seeded and diced zest of 1 orange 1 tablespoon blue agave syrup or honey 1 tablespoon canola oil salt to taste Mix ingredients together and adjust the seasoning. If you want more [...]

Categories: condiments, dairy-free, entertaining, gluten-free, Thanksgiving, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: condiments, dairy-free, entertaining, gluten-free, Thanksgiving, vegan, vegetarian

Now that I have nearly 2 liters of cherry liqueur sitting around, I have to come up with excuses to use it. Yes, it makes a great Cherry Coke, but I can only drink so many of those. As it happens, I’m teaching a series of classes based on classic French cooking, so instead of [...]

Categories: dessert, entertaining, mother recipe
Tagged: dessert, entertaining, fruit, mother recipe

I love mushrooms of all sorts, and I enjoy using them in all sorts of ways, even in dessert. But I’d never thought about making a savoury strudel until I decided I needed a new side dish for Fall. It’s much easier than it sounds: make duxelles, wrap in phyllo, then bake until done. To [...]

Categories: baking, entertaining, mushroom, pastry, side dish, vegetarian
Tagged: baking, entertaining, mushroom, side dish, vegetarian

Country style pork ribs have great flavor, but they can be difficult to cook well. Hot smoking is an excellent way to prepare country style ribs or any other protein. Start the ribs by brining them for better flavor and to retain moisture. I used enough apple juice to cover the ribs in a bowl, [...]

Categories: dairy-free, entertaining, glazing, gluten-free, smoking, technique
Tagged: dairy-free, entertaining, glazing, gluten-free, pork, smoking, technique

Cooking en papillote is an easy do-ahead preparation that is virtually foolproof, and it’s a fabulous way to impress guests! Children also enjoy being able to rip open the little present you’ve left on their plates. Start by removing the pin bones from the fish if it has any. Lay out a sheet of parchment [...]

Categories: entertaining, entrée, fish, seafood, technique
Tagged: entertaining, entrée, fish, main course, one-pot meals, seafood, technique

Grenadine is used in many drinks, but the grenadine you can buy in grocery and liquor stores is, well, nasty. And it might not even have any pomegranate in it, but it may contain some “tasty” corn syrup and bright red dye. Unfortunately, pomegranate juice really isn’t bright red, and grenadine shouldn’t set your teeth on edge with sweetness.

Categories: beverage, condiments, dairy-free, dessert, entertaining, gluten-free, ingredients, pantry, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: condiments, dairy-free, dessert, entertaining, gluten-free, ingredients, pantry, vegan, vegetarian

Red potato canapés are very popular, and generally pretty easy, but they do require that you own a nice melon baller and have the time to first cut a large quantity of creamers in half, and then scoop out the insides after baking.

Categories: entertaining, gluten-free, vegetarian
Tagged: entertaining, gluten-free, vegetarian