Author: Ben Starr
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On Brining…
It’s turkey season, and that means all the TV shows are full of tips and tricks for the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. Baste it every 10 minutes. Bake it in a bag. Deep fry it. Rub butter under the skin. The turkey, like all meats that have both light and dark on the same carcass, presents…
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How to Cook a Pumpkin and Turn it into Puree
In the fall, we’ve got pumpkins coming out our ears, and it just pains me to think that 95% of the pumpkins grown in this country are simply carved for Halloween and then tossed into the trash. Sometimes people buy 4 or 5, carve only one, and let the rest sit on their front porch…
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Pumpkin Cardamom Souffle
Souffles are one of those things you see on cooking shows and MAYBE you’ll make one or two throughout the course of your life. I’m not sure why this is the case. Perhaps it’s because there is an old myth in the kitchen that souffles are temperamental and impossible to get right. This is malarkey! …
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Smoked Mozzarrella, Eggplant, and Mushroom Fritters
The inspiration for this recipe came from the book Artisan Cheesemaking at Home, which is a FABULOUS way to get hooked on a new hobby. Before I even started making my own cheese, though, I had to try this recipe. The only problem was that I didn’t have most of the ingredients it called for,…
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Scotch Eggs
I had never heard of a Scotch Egg until I watched MasterChef season 1 and Ramsay was bemoaning the lack of a Scotch Egg appearing in an egg challenge. When I heard what it was…a boiled egg wrapped in sausage, breaded, and deep fried…I was bound and determined to offer up a Scotch Egg to…
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Candied Ginger
Every tried to buy candied or crystallized ginger in the spice rack at the grocery store? It is ridiculously overpriced…a single small bottle can cost upwards of $10, which is silly because you can make your own for about $10 a POUND. To get started, you’ll need: 1 pound of fresh ginger root To make…
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“Pumpkin”nickel Bread
You all know how obsessed I am with pumpkin. This recipe was birthed years ago for one of my legendary Fall Dinner Parties where I wanted to marry the dark autumn flavors of pumpernickel bread with my favorite ingredient: pumpkin. The first incarnation was not a success, I have to say. Recently, for our all-pumpkin…
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The Tale of the Little Bird and the Silent Statue
I wrote this little story many years ago, after being captivated by the children’s stories of Oscar Wilde. Just like his allegories, this not really a story for kids. It’s a story for the adults who read them aloud to kids. I decided to share it with you today in honor of my neighbor, Sharon. …
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Mind-Boggling Life-Altering Earth-Shattering Mac and Cheese
It’s everyone’s favorite food. And I confess, I even get excited about eating a fake-orange bowl of the artificial stuff from the box or at a restaurant. Who doesn’t like macaroni and cheese? The problem is that we get accustomed to this impossibly-creamy texture that we get served at chain restaurants, which contain processed cheese…