The Kitchn Archive: Feb 2010

After trying a version of cauliflower puree at a local restaurant a couple of years back, I just had to track down a recipe. If you want to impress your guests, you can call this classic French dish by its original name: chou-fleur purée de chou-fleur. Traditionally used as a bed for serving roasted meats, in lieu of potatoes, it also makes a great side dish sans meat. This dish is a huge crowd pleaser, even among folks (i.e.

How do you fry an egg? Do you do it fast, with a smear of butter? Or all bubbly, with lots of olive oil, like the Spanish do? Here’s one basic way to fry an egg — it’s simple and foolproof. Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home? See more How To posts We’re looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too! Submit your own tutorials or ideas here!

Crunchie bars are one of our absolute favorite British candies. Called Violet Crumbles in Australia, these are airy bars of caramel-like “honey comb” coated with a thin layer of chocolate. So far our addiction has been limited by the availability of the candy bar here in the states – but no longer!We had no idea that this candy would be so easy to make! Well…sorta.

For a long time we avoided poached eggs out of a misplaced impression that they were extra-difficult or tricky. But they are not! A perfect poached egg is quick, simple, and foolproof. Here’s how we make poached eggs now. Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home? See more How To posts We’re looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too! Submit your own tutorials or ideas here!

Yesterday, Kathryn covered the basics of chili making and a great many variations. Today, we’re highlighting a very specific vegetarian chili preparation – one that ended years of searching for that perfect meatless recipe. I’ve tried a great many recipes for vegetarian chili.

We love rich, meaty ragù — especially in the depths of winter. It’s such a treat poured over fresh pasta, or over fragrant rice. This particular recipe for rich lamb ragù is not hard to make, but you still get the benefits of long, slow cooking. The active part is over quickly, and then then the ragù sits and simmers all afternoon in the oven or all day in the slow cooker.

Uh-oh! Another cute Olympic treat! This is one of our picks this week from our friends at Serious Eats. Read on for a few more favorites, including a tutorial on making clarified butter, and recipes for some of our favorite vegetables, like Brussels sprouts and broccoli raab.• Cakespy: Olympic Ring Cookies – Groovy!• Broccoli Rabe with Chiles and Garlic – Garlic and chili-infused oil? Yes please!

We were craving pulled pork something fierce last week, so we got ourselves a nice pork shoulder and got looking for a good indoor recipe. We finally decided on a slow cooker pulled pork recipe from a book called Cheater BBQ: Barbecue Anywhere, Any Time, in Any Weather by Mindy Merrell and R.B. Quinn, which we discovered through this recipe reprinted a few years back on The Splendid Table radio show. And, people? You have got to try this recipe! The recipe is a snap.

What are you drinking on Valentine’s? (Or, for that matter, Chinese New Year, President’s Day, or Fat Tuesday?) A little later today we have a roundup for you of creative and delicious Valentine’s Day cocktails. But first, let’s consider breakfast. Why not start the day off with a spiked mocha? Here’s one recipe that looks so good; we’d love to curl up with a hot mug of mocha on this snowy weekend!

Yesterday, we showed you our favorite recipe for light and fluffy pancakes, and several of you shared some great tips and recipes of your own. Now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s move on to the fun stuff – the toppings. Pure maple syrup is never a bad choice, but we’ve grown to love this simple blueberry maple syrup recipe that’s made with just two ingredients. Can you guess what they are?Yep, it’s blueberries and maple syrup. No big mystery there!

We’re in the throes of deep-winter eating and there are definitely some days when it’s hard to find cooking inspiration in the produce section. This recipe, which was passed along by a friend, came just in time. The brilliant pairing of apples and parsnips is new and refreshing without being weird.Like most creamy soups, this soup is ridiculously easy to make and is very satisfying.

We’re new to curries and taking it in baby steps. We developed this quicker, weeknight curry using several of our favorite recipes. It uses a lot of ingredients and spices that we already have in our pantry and the result is a fragrant, very satisfying Indian stew for a chilly winter evening – or any other night! While the curry is cooking, prepare a pot of rice. We threw a bay leaf, a few cardamom pods, and the leftover nub of garlic into our pot of rice for some subtle seasoning.

A couple weeks ago Amanda Hesser’s Recipe Redux column in The Times Magazine had a recipe for some very unusual pancakes. They flipped the usual pancake recipe ratios upside down and called for two cups of sour cream, four eggs, and only a scant handful of flour to hold it all together. They sounded unusual, and tricky, but Hesser called them “feathery, creamy, tangy.” How could we not try them? A first batch of Heavenly Hots: predictably smushed.