The Kitchn Archive
2011
December

The Kitchn Archive: Dec 2011

Suggestions for Baked Cheese in Pastry — Other Than Brie?
Q: I know baked brie is quite common (and usually very popular) and I’ve seen some interesting variations on the norm — but to be honest, brie isn’t really my thing.Are there any yummy (holiday) variations of brie en croute that use other cheeses?Sent by JessicaEditor: Jessica, why yes, there are certainly other options.
Faith Durand
Dec 30, 2011
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The Kitchn Editors
Dec 30, 2011
Outside the Box: 5 Sweet & Savory Ways to Eat Panettone
Tall, golden loaves of panettone are everywhere this time of year. Traditionally eaten around Christmas and New Year’s, this fruit-studded sweet bread can be enjoyed plain or simply toasted — but it doesn’t have to be. How about crisp-custardy panettone french toast or even a savory panettone panzanella with pancetta and brussels sprouts? • Panettone Bread Pudding at BBC Good Food: Fluffy panettone bakes into a beautiful, flavorful bread pudding.
Anjali Prasertong
Dec 16, 2011
Breakfast Recipe: Slow Cooker Spiced Porridge for a Crowd
I love lazy holiday weekends, emphasis on the lazy. This creamy slow-cooker porridge of steel-cut oats, dried fruits, and spices cooks overnight and is ready when we wake up. Perfect for when I have family visiting and want an easy breakfast that makes everyone happy. Make another pot of coffee and bring on the lazy morning! Cooking steel-cut oats and dried fruit in a slow-cooker does something amazing to both.
Emma Christensen
Dec 15, 2011
Make A Wreath You Can Eat
Although some find the ritual of packing and unpacking holiday decorations soothing, I’ve never been one of those people. My biggest problem are wreaths. They crush easily and usually require special attention. Forget specialty plastic boxes and skip storage all together. Instead, make one you can eat! • Read the full post at Re-Nest
Faith Durand
Dec 15, 2011
Drink Recipe: Pink Grapefruit and Pomegranate Soda
Pink grapefruit and pomegranate comprise the main ingredients in this gorgeously hued soda, and yet you might have a hard time picking out either flavor. What it does taste like is the holidays: merry, bright, a little spiced and very festive.To make the syrup for this seasonal fruit soda, you simply simmer grapefruit and pomegranate juices with sugar and star anise.
Emily Han
Dec 14, 2011
The Best Cocktail Recipe Apps
For us bigger kids, a cocktail can help kick off merriment while hosting a holiday shindig. But there are literally thousands of different ways to make a drink from an even wider variety of ingredients; this is where a good drink mix app may come in handy as reference while playing Jimmy the Bartender at
Faith Durand
Dec 14, 2011
Pinterest Food Groups: What We Eat, According to Pinterest
Are you a Pinterest addict? Pinterest, at its heart, is a collective pinboard of photos that people find interesting enough to bookmark. Lots of these visual bookmarks are food-related — and we have been noticing some repeat themes, watching the food that people bookmark and pin over and over again.Read on to see some of our thoughts on what America wants to eat, judging from Pinterest. Do you agree? Add your own reflections on Pinterest food groups!• Visit Pinterest: Pinterest.
Faith Durand
Dec 12, 2011
Gingerbread Play Dough
The holiday party season is well underway. If you’re juggling the invitations and trying to come up with a good gift to bring for the kiddos, think homemade play dough with a special twist. • Read the full post at Ohdeedoh
Faith Durand
Dec 12, 2011
Wine or Juice Tumblers Like Those In Italian Restaurants?
Q: For years I have been looking for the short, narrow, juice-glass type wine glasses often used in old school Italian restaurants. My brother loves them and has been asking for them for at least a decade (they are a great space saver in tight city apartments). He’s recently engaged, and I am on a hunt for these glasses.Does anyone have an idea of what I’m looking for and/or where I might find them?Sent by JeniEditor: Jeni, are these close to what you’re looking for?
Faith Durand
Dec 9, 2011
Can Dan Barber Produce a Humane Foie Gras?
Several years ago, we posted Dan Barber’s amazing TED talk about how he witnessed a more humane way to produce the delicious but controversial fatted goose liver called foie gras. The talk is classic Dan Barber, full of self-deprecating humor and his clearly passionate relationship to food. After his discovery of this more humane method, which eschews gavage, or force feeding, Barber (sort of) vows to never serve conventional foie gras in his restaurants again.
Dana Velden
Dec 8, 2011
Cheese and Tea Break
The other day, I had the privilege of diving into a few cheeses my friend David made from scratch! Can you believe that last sentence? Sampling a Muenster and Camembert with a nice cup of black tea, it set my heart and tummy over the moon. What a gift to have friends who drop by
Faith Durand
Dec 8, 2011
The Key To Creaming Butter By Hand
5 months ago my stand mixer broke. I’m sure it’s something simple to fix, but I just haven’t had the time. Lame right? Totally. Instead, this holiday season I’ve made all my cookies by hand and there’s one major think you have to pay attention to when not using a mixer — creaming the butter! Creaming butter is an important step in the process of baking. It gives your sugar lift and spreads out all the little granules and adds some air to your mixture.
Sarah Rae Smith
Dec 7, 2011
Use a Sheet of Paper to See if Your Fridge is Wasting Energy
If you’re conserving energy by going without heat for the fall months, but your power or gas bill isn’t shrinking, you might have developed an energy leak somewhere. To see if your refrigerator is the culprit, you don’t need to hire a professional and toss away your precious holiday spending money, just grab for a
Faith Durand
Dec 7, 2011
Cookbook Author Diane Morgan’s Timeless Kitchen
Today we get to tour the kitchen of a culinary professional! Prolific cookbook author Diane Morgan renovated her kitchen fifteen years ago, but she designed it to feel both solid and timeless, so as you will see it still looks fresh and modern.This kitchen has been the site of development for over seventeen cookbooks. Come peek into the incredibly organized cabinets and drawers of a professional food writer! Diane Morgan’s kitchen is beautiful, functional and highly organized.
Leela Cyd
Dec 6, 2011
Which Cookbook to Buy? 7 Questions to Help You Choose
In a perfect world, I’d have a bottomless well of money, time and shelf space, so I could buy all the noteworthy cookbooks that come out each year.Alas, this isn’t a perfect world, which is why I’m bookmarking reviewer T. Susan Chang’s list of seven questions she asks herself when rating cookbooks. I think it is going to come in handy when I’m trying to decide if a cookbook is worthy of a spot on my shelf.
Anjali Prasertong
Dec 6, 2011
Winter Recipe: Pork Ragu with Semolina Gnocchi
With December finally here, I can’t seem to find enough hours to get through each day. Between Christmas shopping, holiday parties, and work projects, life on Monday through Saturday is hurried and I’m sprinting just to keep up. But then, just in the nick of time, there is Sunday.I diligently set aside Sunday as a time for personal rest and relaxation. Don’t expect me to brush my hair, and don’t even ask why I still have mascara on my face past noon.
Nealey Dozier
Dec 5, 2011
Check it Out! Watch Cocktails Explode in Slow Motion
It’s been a long week. Maybe you had a little too much turkey over the weekend and you’re still feeling a little…full. Or those relaxing days off were soon negated by a few stressful catch up days at work. Either way, it’s time to take a moment and watch cocktails explode in a super cool slow motion video! Phantom Cocktails from Ty Migota on Vimeo. Filmed with a Phantom camera at 5,000 frames per second, exploding beverages have never looked so cool. Enjoy!
Stephanie Barlow
Dec 2, 2011
Recipe: Thai-Style Brussels Sprouts
I had the best Brussels sprouts of my life last week at a lovely little restaurant in Brooklyn called Vinegar Hill House. It was just before Thanksgiving and it got me thinking about the dwindling stock of green food coming from the earth this time of year. Winter eating can be depressing for a girl like me, but given the limits and challenges of cold-weather cooking, some pretty amazing stuff can pop through this kind of tabletop sorrow.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Dec 1, 2011
LEGO Recycling Containers
For awhile now I’ve had a secret beef with recycling bins. For starters, you often need multiple bins to properly sort different items according to your city’s standards, but as soon as that happens, things start to feel clunky and unattractive. These new LEGO bins might be just what the modern-recycling doctor ordered. • Read
Faith Durand
Dec 1, 2011