My friend Bobby loves Lo Ro Fan. It’s a dish I never tried until very recently. In this fantastic post, Jessica from Food Mayhem lays out the recipe with step by step picture instructions for a Taiwanese food newbie like myself. It’s a perfect mix of textures (crispy chunks of pork belly, crunchy greens, all atop a bed of fluffy rice), temperatures and sweet and savory flavors.

Here are Jessica’s images and recipe:

Lo Ro Fan

Instructions -

1. Dice pork belly in 1/2″ cubes. Set aside.
2. Make a sachet with ginger, star anise, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok (like this T-Fal 14″ Wok) on medium heat. Add pork belly and stir until just turning color.
4. Stir in soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar. Add the sachet and 2 cups of water (I like to use OXO Steel Measuring Cups). Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
5. Allow to boil for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with fried shallots and Chinese 5 spice powder. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 1 hour, or until meat is tender. Remove sachet. Serve on rice with pickled mustard green relish.

Diced Pork Belly

Ginger, Anise, Cinnamon

Bobby doesn’t use a sachet and instead just picks the ginger, anise and cinnamon out of the simmering pork belly mixture. It’s up to you!

Hands down, my favorite thing from Mediterranean cuisine has got to be Tzatziki sauce; the cool yogurt, the crisp cucumber pieces and flavorful garlic all meld into one of the most versatile dips ever. I put it on my hamburgers, use it as dip for chips, and over course with lots and lots of warm pita bread.

I always end up paying some premium prices for it at organic stores or buying it at restaurants. With this super simple Tzatziki recipe, I may start making it from home!

• 1 pound of cucumbers, ends removed and sliced lengthwise (6 “baby” cucumbers)
• 2 cups of strained yogurt (Greek or otherwise)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced fine
• 1 large handful of dill, minced
• Juice of one lemon

PROCEDURES

1. With a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds of the cucumbers. You should be left with a neat half-moon shape. Slice them thin, but not paper-thin—they should still have some crunch.
2. Add the cucumbers to a mixing bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. Taste for acid and seasoning, then either serve, or (preferably) cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Recipe and image via Serious Eats

And here are a couple of items that will help you achieve a perfect tzatziki sauce, and my personal favorites for kitchen items:

A sharp knife is always necessary to prevent any accidents in the kitchen!

Global 2-Piece Knife Set, G-5838

Chef n’ Fresh Force Citrus Juicers from Sur la Table

Williams-Sonoma Garlic Press

My favorite dessert in the world are fruit tartes . When I eat pies or tartes I go straight for the crust! But instead of just using the tartes for dessert, I thought it would be a delicious alternative to eat tartes for lunch or dinner, made with the one and only Le Creuset Tarte Pan. The stainless steel spatula will be an important part of getting your polenta ready and this All-Clad Stainless Steel Flexible Spatula is perfect. The recipe and beautiful images are via Elizabeth from the Guilty Kitchen!

Zucchini Tarte Tatin with Polenta

Polenta method is adapted from Marcella Hazan

4 cups water or low sodium broth
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole grain cornmeal (medium to coarse grind)
2 small zucchini (approximately 6″ each)
1 tsp. veg oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 oz. Chèvre
1/2 cup asiago, grated
1 Tbsp each of fresh thyme, chives and basil, chopped
1 egg, beaten (room temperature)

1. Bring water and salt to a boil, whisk in cornmeal a little at a time to avoid clumps.
2. Cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
3. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook at a low simmer for 45 minutes. Stirring every 5-10 minutes for at least 1 minute.
4. Meanwhile, slice your zucchini into 1/4″ rounds.
5. Add oil to skillet and heat to medium high. Add zucchini and salt & pepper. Sauté for 6-8 minutes (or until slightly softened).
6. Grease an 8″ round baking dish . Arrange cooked zucchini in concentric circles around bottom of dish. When finished, crumble chèvre over zucchini. Preheat oven to 400°F.
7. After 45 minutes, remove polenta from heat & stir in cheese and herbs.
8. Let stand 15-20 minutes, add beaten egg and stir quickly to combine.
9. When polenta is ready, pour gently over zucchini. Spread evenly with spatula.
10. Bake for 40 minutes for a soft centre. Longer if you want it more set.
11. Take tarte out of oven and slide a knife or spatula around the edges to loosen. Place a large round plate on top of baking dish and flip everything over together to get the tarte out.

via The Guilty Kitchen

Choosing the right cookware can be difficult.  Do you go for the high end brand with the equally high price tag, or do you choose a more affordable set, taking a potential risk on quality?

On the high end of the range, you’ll find brands like Le Creuset .  Le Creuset has been making high end cookware for close to ninety years and is known for its great craftsmanship.  They have a line of forged hard-anodized frying pans that are extremely durable and non-stick.  They are dishwasher safe and come with a 10 year warranty.   You can expect to pay anywhere from $49.95 – $150 per pan.

On the other hand there are less expensive brands like Emerilware .  Emerilware is the line from chef Emeril Lagasse , and is sold at stores like Cooking.com .  You can get a hard-anodized frying pan from the Emerilware line for as little as $19.99.  These pans are scratch resistant and have ergnomic handles, and are also are non-stick.  However, they are not dish washer safe.  They do however come with a lifetime warranty, which Le Creuset does not.

From doing research online, there is not as much anecdotal information to support the quality of the Emerilware line, but it’s also much newer to the market then Le Creuset so not as well known.  Other than the difference in the machine wash vs. hand wash and the info I found on heat threshold (Le Creuset is oven safe to 500 degrees, Emerilware to 450) I’d say that it would be worth taking a shot on the lower priced line if you are looking to save money.  Sure, with Le Creuset you know you are getting something high quality, but that doesn’t mean that with less pricy lines you aren’t, and you can sure afford a lot more ingredients when you buy the cheaper pan!

Thomas Keller recently opened his Beverly Hills restaurant Bouchon , but to get his food at home is a dream come true. This is the award-winning Keller’s Favorite Simple Roast Chicken Recipe, which I added one simple step of injecting Keller’s roast chicken with a marinade injector.

Thomas Keller’s Favorite Simple Roast Chicken with Marinade Injector

One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

Unsalted butter
Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it’s a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken—I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it’s cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan (like this 3-qt. Mauviel Saute Pan with Lid ) or roasting pan (like this Le Creuset Roasting Pan ) and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone—I don’t baste it, I don’t add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don’t want. Roast it until it’s done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I’m cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip—until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook’s rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You’ll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it’s so good.

Image and Recipe via Lawyer Loves Lunch

I’ve added a recipe for a simple Green Bean and Potato Salad that I think would go great with Thomas Keller’s Chicken Roast!

image and recipe via Weekof Menus

Green Bean Potato Salad
Serves 6-8

8 oz green beans, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 lbs small red or white skinned potatoes (I did the small round dutch yellow that you can get at Trader Joe’s)

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Cook green beans in well-salted, boiling water.  Cook for 4 minutes.  Drain, rinse with cold water and pat dry.

Place cut potatoes in well salted water.  Bring to a boil.  Cook for 8-10 minutes until potatoes are just tender.  (Poke a fork to see as cooking time will ultimately vary based on size of potato.)  Drain and set aside.

Quickly mix together white vinegar, olive oil, shallot, parsley and mustard to make a dressing.  Pour over the still warm potatoes and toss well to coat. [Side note: with a salad with this many ingredients, these 8 piece glass prep bowls let me get cooking and eating quickly!]  Cool completely.  Once potatoes are cooled, add green beans.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve room temperature or cold.

I am one of those people that cannot face my day without a hearty breakfast and when waffles are on the menu, I am one of those people that cannot exercise any self restraint. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a pat of salty butter with sticky sweet maple syrup…it’s waffle heaven. Of course the beginning of any good waffle recipe is the batter, waffle maker , and waffle stand cooling rack . This recipe from Better Home and Garden via Apartment Therapy is an interesting one—these waffles are called “overnight yeasted waffles” and are less sweet and less dense than traditional waffles.

ingredients

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-3/4 cups milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup cooking oil or butter, melted

directions

1. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, yeast, vanilla (if desired), and salt; add milk, eggs, and oil. Beat with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined. Cover batter loosely and chill overnight or up to 24 hours.

2. Stir batter. Pour about 3/4 cup batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle maker (I like the Cuisinart Nonstick Waffle Iron). Close lid quickly; do not open until done. Bake according to manufacturer’s directions. When done, use a fork to lift waffle off grid. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm. Discard any remaining batter. Makes about 16 (4-inch) waffles.

Whether you call them crock pots or slow cookers, these “set it and forget it” kitchen gadgets are a must have for any cook.  I recently switched from an older style, round and tall, crock pot to an oval slow cooker.  The new one is much bigger around, but more shallow than my old one.  I have to say that I’m so happy with the switch, and here’s why:

The oval slow cooker allows for  much easier, and more sightly arrangement of meats and veggies.  Rather than piling everything up, layer after layer, I can now arrange the meal (in a single layer) in the large oval crock.  This helps out with serving, too.  Instead of digging through a deep crock, “fishing” for the contents, with my new oval crock pot, I can see everything in the crock, and scoop out exactly what I want, without messing everything up.

The Hamilton Beach crockpot above is the one I recently purchased.  It is the “Stay or Go” model, and it is designed for easy travel, for taking to a carry-in meal.  Notice the metal clamps on the side that secure the lid to the crock.  There’s also a built-in spoon holder in the lid.  The Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker is available at Cooking.Com for $39.95.

Oh, and crock pot recipes include so much more than just pot roast!  I make all sorts of things in mine, including crock pot lasagna, and crock pot chocolate cake…deliciously sinful!

A well-designed set of pots and pans will last most cooks nearly a lifetime.  When selecting cookware, think of it as an investment in the quality of food you will serve your family and friends for many years.  Here are a few tips for choosing new cookware.

Conductivity:  This term simply refers to how well the cookware conducts heat to create an evenly heated cooking surface.  Copper-bottom pots and pans provides excellent conductivity, but can be rather expensive.  Another option for optimum conductivity is stainless steel pots and pans.  Some stainless cookware sets have an inner aluminum core on the bottom for conducting heat.

Handles:  I cannot say enough here.  When selecting cookware, pay close attention to the quality of handle.  Avoid plastic.  Look for sturdy, metal handles that are riveted or welded to the pan.

Avoid Trends:  As I mentioned above, cookware is something you’ll have for awhile.  So, that lime green cookware set that looks so shiny and cool right now might not give you the same thrill in 6 or 7 years.  Choose carefully!

The 12-piece Farberware cookware set above includes 2 sauce pans, 2 skillets, a stockpot, lids, and utensils.  I like the riveted stainless steel handles on this set.  The Farberware Millennium Soft Touch cookware set is available at Zappos for $160.

I’ve been making a lot of new recipes lately; cakes, tarts, casseroles and flans and I want to share my satisfaction with my ceramic 9×13 pan.  It’s not only got an interesting design – I think mine is hand painted – but the real beauty of it is I can make everything in it.  There’s something really nice about the look and feel of it.  It makes a lovely serving dish as well.  I can put something I’ve made straight out on the table and it feels more like home cooking than when it’s in a basic metal pan.

If you’re in the market, here’s a ceramic pan (pictured above) I found online that looks really sweet.  It’s on sale for twenty bucks which is about average for any pan that size.  You can find all kinds of other options online so look around.  I think this pan would also make a nice present for a wedding gift.  Anyway, next time you want to buy a baking pan, consider ceramic.

The benefits of an iron skillet:

• The heat spreads evenly
• You get added iron in your diet
• They last a life time
• It might be the only way to get through to your husband!

My mom’s cast iron skillet has been passed down to her from her great grandmother. When it comes to me, that’ll make over a century of good eats been cooked up in that old timer. Now if you think you don’t like iron ask yourself, what exactly is it that you can’t handle that five generations of women could?

There are some simple things you need to know about cooking with iron, but once you’ve got it down, the benefits far outweigh the Teflon – literally!