Category Archives: The Daring Kitchen

Boeuf Bourguignon Crepes

Recipe for the Daring Kitchen
Our May 2012 Daring Cooks’ hostess was Fabi of fabsfood. Fabi challenged us to make Boeuf Bourguignon, a classic French stew originating from the Burgundy region of France.

Like Julia, But Dirtier

Boeuf Bourguignon, particularly Julia Child’s definitive recipe, reads like poetry to me. The ingredients and process seem more a love song to an art form well-worth filing in the category of works that make my heart ache in that oh-so-good kinda way. So when it was announced by our lovely hostess Fabi that this month’s Daring Kitchen was to make Julia’s boeuf, you’d expect me to be swooning. Except I wasn’t, and all because of one little detail. I’m in Phoenix. And it’s already fucking incendiary. Continue reading Boeuf Bourguignon Crepes

Harissa Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Recipe for the Daring Kitchen
Our April 2012 Daring Cooks hosts were David & Karen from Twenty-Fingered Cooking. They presented us with a very daring and unique challenge of forming our own recipes by using a set list of ingredients!

Great Balls of Goodness

I know the name “Daring Kitchen” pretty much sets the stage for a challenge, but this month was an out-and-out “what the holy hell” bit of business. And this all coming from a girl who thinks she could make the basket on the show Chopped cry uncle under the swift work of her knife. My basket ingredients are black chicken, absinthe and air? Bring it, bitches. This challenge, however, was deceptively sneaky in its seemingly simple ingredients that dared at me to be combined. They sneered at me like the cool kids smoking behind the high school, waiting to see if I was indeed as badass as I claimed to be. I had to find a way to marry one ingredient from each of the three categories into an original, cohesive recipe. Continue reading Harissa Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Chicken Piccata with Braised Artichokes

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
The March 2012 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Carol, aka Poisonive – and she challenged us all to learn the art of braising! Carol focused on Michael Ruhlman’s technique and shared with us some of his expertise from his book “Ruhlman’s Twenty”.

Love is a Thistly Warrior

Good things come to those who wait, and this month’s Daring Kitchen was proof of that fact.  When I think of my two favorite braised dishes, I crave fork-tender beef short ribs with crimini mushrooms that have greedily sucked up all of the surrounding juices, and braised chicken thighs with shallots, tarragon and cream. Both are stunning and ever-so-yummy, but are wintry treats perfect for curling up to replete with the roaring fire and snifter of cognac.  I wanted something appropriately light and savory for the warming weather here in Arizona, and our host of the month had a perfect suggestion.

On Carol’s list of recommended recipes, she listed Michael Chiarello (swoon!) and his Lemon Braised Artichokes.  I thought that it was simple and gorgeous and would pair perfectly with a pan of chicken piccata.  Turns out that the two were a match made in heaven, and I was treated to bites that sparkled with lemon, briny capers and tender chicken.  You’ve gotta love it when a good plan comes together! Continue reading Chicken Piccata with Braised Artichokes

Black Bean Cakes with Pineapple Salsa and Avocado Crema

Recipe for the Daring Kitchen
This month, The Daring Cooks’ February 2012 challenge was hosted by Audax & Lis and they chose to present patties for their ease of construction, ingredients and deliciousness. We were given several recipes, and learned the different types of binders and cooking methods to produce our own tasty patties.

I Want a Taste of You, Baby Cakes

This recipe was all the doing of my buddy Karen – you see, this month has been banana cakes and not in the good way.  My schedule’s relentless and although I’ll never cop to biting off more than I can chew, my mouth is as full as my plate and work is looking like an endless buffet.  Karen and I are cooking buddies, seeking out new techniques in the kitchen and regularly participating in the monthly challenges proffered up by the online foodie club, The Daring Kitchen.

Karen immediately dug through her mental rolodex of recipe majesty, a good thing because my brain was more fried than a bucket of chicken from the Colonel.  She remembered a fabulous black bean cake recipe from Emeril Lagasse would be perfect to make.  I was relieved for her quick wit and paired the cakes with a fresh pineapple salsa enlivened with piquant red jalapenos and a simple avocado crema made with greek yogurt and lime.  The final result was ridiculously good – a composed plate that looked like it should be served at a fancy pants restaurant rather than the picnic table in my backyard.  Plus, the time we spent cooking was a welcome respite from the piles of work in front of me.  Good times! Continue reading Black Bean Cakes with Pineapple Salsa and Avocado Crema

Red Chile Tamales

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Maranda of Jolts & Jollies was our January 2012 Daring Cooks hostess with the mostess! Maranda challenged us to make traditional Mexican Tamales as our first challenge of the year!

Spreading Your Masa All Over the Damn Town

Back when I was little, my grandmother used to have a friend at her work who’s family would make tamales en masse at Christmas.  She’d give her a few dozen and we got to feast on the little parcels of majesty for what I’d love to say was weeks after, but they barely lasted a few days.  We had them steamed plain with nothing else to slow us down except for maybe some pinto beans or fluffy Spanish rice.  I’ve long been searching for a killer tamale recipe in the same way as I’ve wanted the PERFECT enchilada sauce recipe.  I’ve gone through MANY iterations and variations of ones that come close, but I’ve yet to hit perfection.  So of course, when I found out that this month’s Daring Kitchen competition was to make tamales, I was so excited to have the opportunity to get back in the lab and start tinkering again. Continue reading Red Chile Tamales

Baked Roast Pork Buns

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Our Daring Cooks’ December 2011 hostess is Sara from Belly Rumbles! Sara chose awesome Char Sui Bao as our challenge, where we made the buns, Char Sui, and filling from scratch – delicious!

Grab Your Buns and Go to Town

I’ll admit that this is not my first time to the pork bun rodeo. From my sister’s obsession with the steamed version on Sunday’s at the dim sum parlor, to my husband’s cravings for the baked variety fresh from the Chinatown Roast Pork Bun Factory in NYC, I had a clear and compelling reason to learn how to make them for myself. I found a recipe by cookbook author Andrea Nguyen for the perfect little snacky bites and thought that I would try her recipe. But the idea of making that dough from scratch made me sleepy. Especially after cooking the pork for the buns not once but twice before stuffing. I saved myself a step and used Pillsbury dinner rolls to get the job done. The results were less than perfection in terms of the dough, but still so freakin’ delicious. Continue reading Baked Roast Pork Buns

Rooibos Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Sarah from Simply Cooked was our November Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry.
From the fragrant sauce of orange peel, ginger and cinnamon sticks, this beef stew screams holiday delight like no other.  Typically, when I’m prepping for a Daring Kitchen Challenge where I don’t get to choose the exact recipe that I follow for the challenge, I have a bit of a notion as to how it’ll turn out.  From all the time spent in the kitchen, I can usually gauge how well or poorly I’ll be able to execute the dish, and what the resulting taste profile will be like.  Let me tell you – this stew knocked my friggin’ socks off.  I went into it thinking, “Beef stew with sweet potatoes…this’ll be warm and comforting and simply homey.”  Boy, was I wrong – in addition to all of those things, this stew was heady with spices and full of complex flavors.  Almost floral at times.  And the rooibos tea forms a stock that is spicy and rich and glorious.  I immediately made a mental note to save this recipe for friends and loved ones, because it embodied all I love about my favorite dishes.  It personified the melding of seemingly ordinary ingredients into something novel and special – a dish worth savoring for just a little bit longer. Continue reading Rooibos Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes

Black Tea Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Sarah from Simply Cooked was our November Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry.
Cooking with tea?  Who woulda thunk it?  When I found out that this month’s Daring Kitchen Challenge was to cook a savory dish using tea, the only reason that I wasn’t surprised was because I’d done it before.  A long while back, in a moment of sheer MacGuyverism, I decided that since I couldn’t tea-smoke chicken in my NYC apartment without bringing in the fire department, I’d try to make a marinade for it using black tea.  The resulting mixture, which I coined “hell broth” for it’s spicy, fragrant scent, was a great success.  The chicken was diced and tucked into crisp leaves of bibb lettuce and dunked into a zippy hoisin sauce.  Tea was apparently meant for so much more than just sipping. Continue reading Black Tea Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Stock to Soup to Consommé

Daring Kitchen Challenge
Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cook’s September 2011 Challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”. We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear consommé if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!
In the short time that I’ve been participating in The Daring Kitchen (3 months now), I’ve been on a global adventure.  From gnocchi to Sri Lankan curry to now, classic culinary techniques (from France?  Consommé couldn’t be more French…), I’ve had the opportunity to flit around the world, picking up new skills and techniques in the process.  This month was a challenge to take humble chicken and veggies to broth glory. Continue reading Stock to Soup to Consommé

Herbed Focaccia with Caramelized Onions

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cook’s September 2011 challenge, Stock to Soup to Consommé. We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear consommé if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!
Good bread, and I mean the kind that meets the rigorous demands of the title of penultimate comfort food, makes me get into all sorts of trouble. A perfectly crusty on the outside, airy on the inside baguette goes from obsession to nonexistence in a matter of seconds. A poblano cheddar loaf is devoured methodically, each hunk slathered with honey butter to offset the piquant chiles. And a fluffy square of toothsome focaccia worth making out with – that, my darlings, is where it’s at. Correction – where I’m at. Continue reading Herbed Focaccia with Caramelized Onions