with the Chefs of ChefsLine.
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mlle.mimi@gmail.comMy Most Recent Articles
Picnic Baskets with Chef Kevin
June 12, 2008 Show
Picnic Baskets
Our Guest Chef was Kevin Weeks.
Show Topics Included:
Chef Kevin’s suggestions for a quick fruit tart:
Add some richness with a layer of mascarpone, cream cheese or crème anglaise
Squeeze lemon over the fruit before popping the tart in the oven
For extra elegance with ease, use prepared puff pastry instead of pie crust
Jenn’s Recipe of the Day
Chef Jackie’s Spicy Mexican Rub
Chef Kevin’s tip: Don’t forget to let the meat come to room temperature before putting it on the grill.
Summer is picnic season!
Spring Foods and Latin Dinners with Chef Richard Velazquez
May 15, 2008 show. Our Guest Chef was Richard Velazquez.
Show Topics Included:
- What Richard’s having for dinner: grilled herb-marinated chicken leg quarters
- Seasonal spring produce: ramps—how to clean them, how to cook them
- Tips for roasting peppers
- From the discussion board: potato wedges on the grill
- Outdoor grilling tips for best flavor
- Great gadgets: uses for the immersion blender, microplane and serrated peeler
- How to pick a flavorful tomato
- Blender buying recommendations
- From the chat: yucca fries with ajili sauce
- Add Latin flavor to your cooking: everything starts with sofrito
Jenn’s Recipe of the Day
Crawfish Queso Stuffed Poblanos
Chef Richard’s Latin cooking secret:
Blend your sofrito ingredients to a paste and freeze in ice cube trays. Sauté a couple of cubes to add Caribbean flavor to your rice and beans, or use as a base to marinate meat.
Freezing empanadas
I am making little empanadas. They will be baked , not fried. I already made the dough (cream cheese, butter, salt, and flour) and one of the fillings (picadillo).
The party’s not for a few days—should I make the empanaditas and freeze them unbaked, or cook and then freeze them, or should I freeze the components and make them the day I want to serve them?
Reusing a vanilla bean
I have some across a couple of recipes (one for vanilla custard, one for brown butter) that say to cook vanilla bean seeds and pod with the other ingredients. Then the recipe says “take out the vanilla bean, dry it, and save it for another use.” What other use? It no longer has seeds in it. Also, how many times can I do this?
