Ben Starr

The Ultimate Food Geek

Tag: fried

  • Calas (Creole sweet rice fritters)

    At our last FRANK, we wanted to serve a few Creole and Cajun classics that would be unfamiliar to the majority of our diners.  After all, everyone knows beignets, etouffee, gumbo, jambalaya, and boudin.  Calas (pronounced cah-LAHS)  turned out to be a perfect option.  These lovely little yeast-risen rice fritters were typically eaten at breakfast…

  • Crispy Fish Tacos

    I’ve had quite a number of requests for the recipe for fish tacos that I served as my “signature dish” on MasterChef.  It’s certainly not my signature dish, but it’s one of the only things I make that could be made in an hour, so that’s what I made!  Fish tacos are one of the…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • MasterChef: Rancheros and Huevos

    Today’s blog is brought to you by WalMart, which can figure out how to sell a dozen organic eggs for $3, but not how to make a commercial with decent actors. (That’s a joke, my blog is not endorsed by Walmart, though the link above will lead you to a fascinating article that talks about…