30 Oct 2020
From Hershey's to Guittard and Ghirardelli, here are the brands of cocoa and chocolate that we buy and use in our baking!
Continue reading "What We Cook With: Our Favorite Cocoa, Baking Chocolate, and Chocolate Chips" »
30 Oct 2020 2:30pm GMT
A chocolatey riff on the classic Adonis cocktail, this drink is made with crème de cacao, sherry, and vermouth. This low-proof cocktail feels so special you won't know what you're missing. It's equally perfect for a holiday cocktail party or Friday movie night!
Continue reading "Chocolate Lark Cocktail (Low-Proof)" »
30 Oct 2020 2:00pm GMT
29 Oct 2020
Peanut butter lovers, this one's for you! It's the most decadent and indulgent peanut butter pie EVER, made with extra peanut butter in the filling, peanut butter cups on top, and a drizzle of melted peanut butter and chocolate. We warned you!
Continue reading "Peanut Butter Pie" »
29 Oct 2020 9:00pm GMT
19 Aug 2020
I don't have to tell you that restaurants are suffering. In the beginning of the pandemic many launched GoFundMe style campaigns to try and stay afloat. Restaurants also keep pivoting from offering pantry staples to meal kits, cooking classes, take out, delivery and more to make up for the loss of their normal business.
Independent restaurants numbered 500,000 before the pandemic and employed over 11 million people according to the Independent Restaurant Coalition and some industry analysts believe 2/3 of restaurants will not survive the crisis in the US. Yelp data shows 26,160 restaurants have closed as of the end of July. Restaurants are pushing for a $120B Independent Restaurant Revitalization Fund. You can ask your representatives to support this initiative.
Since 2104 Lay's has offered limited edition "flavor icon" potato chips that honor classic dishes. In past years there's been Everything Bagel and Cream Cheese, Fried Green Tomato, and even Crispy Taco. This year they honor four restaurants and dishes, and in light of the pandemic, they are giving a $25,000 Gratitude Fund to each of the Flavor Icons restaurants to put towards the various relief efforts that will help them recover from the impact of the pandemic. The potato chips contain no artificial flavors.
I got a chance to try four flavors:
Wavy Carnitas Street Taco flavored inspired by El Torito
Notes of bacon, onion and corn, which is interesting in a potato chip. Good for dipping.
My favorite of all the flavors.
Kettle Cooked New York Style Pizza flavored inspired by Grimaldi's
I get a combination of tomato sauce and cheese.
They would go great with a grilled cheese sandwich.
Philly Cheesesteak flavored inspired by Geno's Steaks
Very beefy, umami notes not as much cheese flavor as I expected.
I would actually like to try these with or in a roast beef sandwich.
Nashville Hot Chicken flavored inspired by Partry Fowl
Spicy! Not very chicken-y though.
These will be popular with barbecue potato chip lovers.
So what's iconic where you live? If you can, support the restaurants you love, for many of them, it's now or never.
Disclaimer: My thanks to Lay's for providing samples for me to try.
©2020 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
19 Aug 2020 10:28pm GMT
28 May 2020
Shopping for groceries has changed and it may be permanent. Restaurant suppliers have had to pivot to stay afloat. The good news is that they are now selling more to consumers than ever before and most say they plan to continue to do so. I wrote about this development over at Martha Stewart, but I thought I'd also share a few of the places where I've personally been shopping and that have been recommended to me. The benefits include better social distancing but also fresher food and support for farmers, fishers and ranchers.
I've also been buying dumplings, ramen, baked goods and taking cook-along classes at home, I'll share the details on those soon along with a list of where to find great takeout and delivery options.
Fresh produce
I often shop at the farmers market, but right now I am really enjoying the produce boxes from Tomatero Farm. They are only $20 and are delivered weekly around the San Francisco Bay Area. They include a wide variety of produce and sometimes a basket or two of their fantastic strawberries. I find one box is good for almost 2 weeks for my household of two. The box varies from week to week. This week the box had fennel, zucchini, curly kale, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, a small cauliflower and savoy cabbage and 2 baskets of strawberries. I've also purchased the strawberries by the flat ($30). The boxes often sell out, so get on their mailing list and order promptly!
Seafood & meat
I've ordered from both Four Star Seafood and Water2Table. They both offer a lot of incredibly fresh seafood, some of it local, and great prices and service. I've enjoyed fresh local salmon and black cod as well as excellent shrimp, mussels and monkfish. Water2Table is located on Pier 45 where a massive fire recently took place, but they hope to reopen soon. Four Star Seafood also offers meal kits, pantry items, meat and even foraged ingredients. They each have different minimums, and offer delivery or pick up and shipping for the rest of California, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Arizona. I have also heard good things about ABS Seafood, a top choice for sushi grade seafood. They are also located on Pier 45 so stay tuned for their reopening. One more seafood purveyor I haven't used but was recommended is TwoXSea.
Duck
I just got my first order from Liberty Ducks, a local company based in Sonoma who is now selling directly to consumers. I believe the minimum order is $50 and they deliver fairly widely. The frozen product is particularly economical. You may want to consider sharing an order with family, friends or neighbors. They also ship nationwide.
Grocery
There are lots of options for grocery delivery from restaurant suppliers, but the one that intrigues me the most is Cheetah. They have an app for ordering and have turned their trucks into mobile delivery locations around the Bay Area. You order, pay and then head to a convenient spot for pick up and there is no minimum purchase requirement so you don't have to order more than you need. Some items are fairly large, but others are not. Again, I'd recommend you consider ordering with others if the quantities don't work for you. If you're looking for other restaurant suppliers with broader distribution, take a look at my article at Martha Stewart for tips.
©2020 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
28 May 2020 3:08pm GMT
12 May 2020
I know a lot of people are intimidated by the idea of cooking fish. A fillet of fish can sometimes fall apart when you cook it and because it's expensive you don't want to ruin it by undercooking or overcooking. Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, it's hard to mess up black cod. This recipe is actually a sheet pan supper, which makes both the cooking and clean up particularly easy.
Black cod also known as gindara, sablefish or butterfish, is incredibly rich. The names are a bit confusing since it's not actually butterfish or a member of the cod family. Butterfish is the name used for a popular misoyaki style of cooking it, popularized by Chef Nobu. It's also popular smoked like salmon and is sometimes just referred to as sable. It is sustainable and caught along the Pacific coast from Baja up to Alaska.
Recently I discovered several recipes for black cod using Dijon mustard. When I think about Dijon mustard my mind goes to sausages, and the combination of cabbage, onions, apples and potatoes. If there was ever a fish as rich as a sausage, it's black cod. The key to the recipe is layering most of the ingredients in thin slices so they cook quickly and evenly.
Note: You can easily scale the recipe up or down but do not substitute cod for black cod. That would be a big mistake. They are not the same species and cannot be cooked the same way. Black cod has 30 grams of fat in a 151 gram portion, whereas Atlantic cod has 1.5 grams of fat in a 231 gram portion.
Dijon Mustard Black Cod with Cabbage & Potatoes
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons oil, divided
1 medium savoy cabbage
1 large yellow onion, peeled
1 Fuji apple
4 Yukon gold potatoes
4 filets black cod, about 4 ounces each
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt
Dijon vinaigrette
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Remove the core from the cabbage and slice into thick slices, about 1/3 inch. Thinly slice the onion, apple and potatoes, you do not need to peel the potatoes or apple.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Pour the oil into a small cup or ramekin and spread about half of it around with a pastry brush, until the paper is well coated. Layer on the sliced potatoes, season with a sprinkle of salt, then layer on the onions, the apple and finally the cabbage. Brush the cabbage with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
Roast for 25 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking make the vinaigrette by combining the Dijon mustard, vinegar, olive oil with a pinch of sugar. Whisk together until emulsified and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Evenly coat the top of each filet of fish with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Place on top of the cabbage and broil just until the fish is cooked through and cabbage is brown in spots, about 7-8 minutes. Divide the vegetables evenly on four plates, top with a piece of fish and drizzle each portion with a tablespoon of the vinaigrette.
Enjoy!
©2020 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
12 May 2020 4:22pm GMT
Simply Recipes
