Baked Goods, Breakfast and Brunch, Easy to Prepare, Recipes, The Daring Kitchen, Vegetarian Dishes

Herbed Focaccia with Caramelized Onions

2 Comments
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 →

Easy to Prepare, Friends Recipes and Hacks, Impressive Dishes, Soups and Stews, The Daring Kitchen

Dev’s Roasted Apple, Brie & Thyme Soup

8 Comments
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!
This simply stunner of a recipe is perfect when you want to impress the socks (shoes, ties, belts, you name it) off your guests. The flavors sing the praises of autumn, but upon first sip, you’ll notice that the soup is as light as air and almost reminiscent of spring. It’s the kind of ethereal taste that makes you feel as if the chef slaved for hours and hours perfectly balancing flavors and textures. And yet, as you’ll see in the steps below, you couldn’t ask for a more simple or straightforward process.

This recipe comes to us from the extraordinary Devaki Das, a fellow food blogger and lover of global cuisine. You can read more about her in this interview, and visit her site for myriad drool-worthy recipes at Weave a Thousand Flavors. Just promise me that if you cook any of her food, invite me over for dinner. She is a master of her craft! Continue reading Dev’s Roasted Apple, Brie & Thyme Soup →

Fave Foodies, Recipes

An Interview with Food Blogger Devaki Das

2 Comments

I “met” Dev (and I employ ironic quotes here because, like so many other food bloggers, we’ve yet to meet face-to-face) through the fabulous foodie network, FoodBuzz. A hive of self-proclaimed culinary nerds and cheffie mavens alike (the two go hand-in-hand), the site offered a way for folks to dish and compare techniques online.  Dev has always been a champion of what I like to call the “fearless global kitchen” – she crafts recipes that cull ingredients from all points of the globe, and the words and images on her wildly popular blog, Weave a Thousand Flavors, speak to her passion for cooking.  Though Dev is originally from India and a true globetrotter in every sense of the word, she has ties to both Phoenix, Arizona and Northern Virginia (two locales that many of you know I call home). I chuckle at the feeling of the world getting smaller and smaller, and am happy that once again, that darned kooky internet proves indispensable in allowing me access to such brilliant souls. I was truly honored to make her acquaintance a few years back, and am even more excited to introduce her to you!

Roasted Apple, Brie and Thyme Soup


Dev offers us this ultra-luxe soup to add to our culinary arsenals, light and silken enough to be served on the hottest summer day, but richly-scented with honest flavors of fall. How often do you get to serve a year-round classic? Now’s your chance! Get the Recipe

How did you decide to become a food blogger?
At the risk of sounding pretentious, I knew that there was a reason for my love and passion for food and cooking. I have been cooking since I was 9 years old and all my knowledge has been acquired through true grit experience. I am self-taught. And I believe that my knowledge is meant to be shared. If one person can cook, make a dish well that they would never have been able to accomplish previously, then the blog is doing what it has set out to do. I want to help people cook and be proud!What is your earliest memory in the kitchen?
The first dish i ever made at age 9 was a vegetable pilaf, the onions were nearly black but it was my first leap into the kitchen and I have never looked back since.

How would you describe your cooking style in three adjectives?
Honest, impulsive and organic (not in ingredients but in style) I never decide where a dish is going to go. I begin and then let each step unfold into the next.

How has cooking for your website changed the way you approach the kitchen and ingredients?
I now not only think of my hubby and 2 little boys, I think of what my unseen readers might want to eat this week….lol….

What food trends or ingredients do you currently have a crush on?
Pies….I am so glad pies are the new black. Am so over the cupcake!

What are your favorite foods to prepare just for fun?
Salmon, Asian style ceviche and baking honest, fresh fruit cakes and of course pies. I am one pie crazy girl. If only they’d love me back and the scale would stay the same after a slice!

What is your favorite food destination and why?
Thailand – Few places come close to the honest creative, incredibly fresh flavors of authentic Thai food served in street corners and in the villages. Unforgettable!

Describe your most favorite meal.
My dad’s Yakhni Pilaf with Goat Meat

What is your favorite comfort food?
Choley Bhatura – Indian style chick peas with puffy fried bread.

What is the one food or dish that you wish people would never eat again?
Shark fin – I don’t want a soul to suffer so I can enjoy a meal. I guess my 9 year old son has rubbed on me 🙂

Who inspires you in the kitchen?
All the GREAT cooks in the world – gracing humble kitchens, street corners to commercial kitchens. Talent comes in all forms and irrespective of geography and has no barriers – social or economical. There are people all over the world, many unknown, many widely known – like O’Connell, Keller, Batali, Ducasse that have enormous, God-given talents – it keeps me humble and grounded.

What is your creative process in crafting new recipes and dishes?
It begins with a hint of a concept in the corners of my mind. I then mull over it – much like a ruminant cow (smiles) and then I allow the idea to naturally come together. I always sense intuitively once the idea is ripe. I never push and struggle with an idea, just let it flow naturally and form.

What technique or skill do you believe is most important for home cooks to acquire or improve upon?
Overcome your fear! Have confidence! Rule the technique, rule that spatula – don’t let it rule you.

Menus and Odes

Bistro Menu for Beginners

Just like those cheesy radio ads for ‘bama night clubs on the late-night R&B stations, this menu is for the “grown and sexy…” *giggle* Actually, kidding aside, it’s for anyone looking for a romantic meal with a heavy wow factor and very little actual labor involved.  The kind of dinner you want to throw together when your anniversary falls on a weeknight and you can’t jet your loved one off to Paris mid-week.  Or if you’re looking to treat a foodie friend to something impressive, but are a little nervous wielding a knife in front of them.  This menu is as confident as you’ll be puttering around the kitchen, attending to perfectly seasoned dishes for the steamiest of affairs.  And it’s up to you whether you choose to play Coltrane or Chaka Khan in the background – that’s for you and your date du jour to figure out. Continue reading Bistro Menu for Beginners →

Easy to Prepare, Lighten Up, Salads, Side Dishes, The Daring Kitchen, Vegan Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes

Green Salad with Lazy Vinaigrette

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.
The art of the homemade vinaigrette is essential for every cook, but is truly as complicated as boiling water.  With all the hype that we place on pre-made salad dressings, there’s a need for a call to action with this simple salad topper.  You simply twirl a bit of fruity olive oil and bright vinegar around a large bowl and toss.  Done.  No measuring cups and no real errors – just taste (with your fingers!) and adjust as necessary.  It’s not really much of a recipe, but upon eating, you’ll be reminded of why salad is never a chore when it’s time to eat your veggies. Continue reading Green Salad with Lazy Vinaigrette →

Easy to Prepare, Lighten Up, Meat Dishes, Poultry Dishes, The Daring Kitchen

Yogurt Chicken

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.
This dish was happened upon by accident – while making tandoori chicken for the first time, I worked out a version that would leverage the tenderizing properties of the yogurt without any turmeric (the hubs can’t eat it).  The result was a delicately spiced marinade that turned white meat chicken into a moist, flavorful treat that could hold up to cooking without drying out.

I prepped this dish as part of August’s Daring Kitchen as my husband couldn’t eat the tumeric-spiced coconut curry meatballs that were the focus of the meal.  Thank goodness I made enough chicken for all to try, because his “special” dish became one of the hits of the party. Continue reading Yogurt Chicken →

Main Courses, Meat Dishes, The Daring Kitchen

Meatballs with Coconut Curry

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.
When tasked with creating a curry from Southern India or Sri Lanka, I decided to take cues from our host, Mary Mary Culinary, and do a little research to put a happy spin on my recipe for The Daring Kitchen. Her Sri Lankan coconut curry was divine – a blend of chilies, tamarind, fresh curry leaves and coconut milk simmered with cubes of tender lamb. I found that because of the Dutch settlers in Sri Lanka, there were several dishes that formed from the hybrid of cultures. One was the use of meatballs in various curries and baked dishes. Given that I am a lover of the meatball in all forms and ethnic spins, I decided to take Mary’s curry and marry (ha!) it with a meatball. Continue reading Meatballs with Coconut Curry →

Lighten Up, Side Dishes, The Daring Kitchen, Vegan Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes

Appam (Sri Lankan Coconut Rice Pancakes)

4 Comments
Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.
I’m not gonna lie, these guys take a little bit of fortitude the first time you make them. But truthfully, once you get a batch under your belt, you are a pro. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m not a baker that anytime I see yeast invited to the party, I get a little apprehensive with my cooking chops. Or that this particular recipe has you coaxing coconut water, coconut milk and raw rice into a batter to make lacy crepes. Or above all that, that you’re looking at a good 12 hours of waiting for it to do its thing before you even get to cook. Well, I’m here to tell you not to fret, my pets, as you’ve totally got this. Continue reading Appam (Sri Lankan Coconut Rice Pancakes) →

Easy to Prepare, Lighten Up, Sauces and Condiments, Side Dishes, The Daring Kitchen, Vegan Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes

Cilantro Chutney

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.
No hyperbole employed here, but my god, this stuff is glorious. Like draw a bathtub full of the stuff and take a dip. And maybe use some naan for a towel. What? Too much?

I first fell in love with this chutney at my favorite Indian restaurant in Northern Virginia, Raaga. There, they serve the stuff on their lunch buffet in a huge punch bowl with a ladle that just sings to me to scoop to my hearts content. I would have sold my soul for the recipe and called it a day. Continue reading Cilantro Chutney →

Easy to Prepare, Lighten Up, Rice Dishes, Side Dishes, The Daring Kitchen, Vegetarian Dishes

Spiced Basmati Rice

Recipe for The Daring Kitchen
Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.
Rice, for being a finicky devil to prepare, has a few forgiving varieties that seem to come out perfectly with every pot. Maybe it’s just me and I am copacetic with specific grains, but for some reason, basmati never fails me. I’ve learned, though, to follow a few tricks to get it (in the words of Goldilocks) juuuuuuuuuuuust right. Continue reading Spiced Basmati Rice →

Foodie for Life—Delicious to Death