Welcome to Whit’s Kitchen, a food blog full of delicious and easy to prepare recipes. I love to cook and create new recipes, but more importantly, I love to share them with those who also like to cook and are looking for inspiration or to try something new. All of the recipes are meant for the home chef who knows at least the basics of cooking. Please enjoy!
I absolutely love hot and sour soup...but I'm always dissatisfied with what I get from Chinese restaurants in San Francisco. Great hot and sour soup needs to have a nice viscosity and the perfect balance of heat, tartness and umami. After a few rounds of practice,...
Cheddar potato soup is the ultimate comfort food - silky smooth, super flavorful, tummy warming and just all around delicious. And it's easy to make in less than an hour! I like to purée part of the soup to give it creaminess and that silky texture, but leave chunks...
After experimenting many many times, I've finally arrived at what I think is the best aloo gobi recipe...and since it's one of my favorite Indian dishes, I'm so happy to be able to make it the way I want it to taste...spicy, delicious and exploding with flavor. If...
During the colder months of the year, nothing is better than a warm and comforting bowl of soup -- this roasted tomato and bell pepper soup fits the bill perfectly. The roasting of the tomatoes, garlic and red bell peppers adds a slightly smoky depth to the soup, with...
This is a Thai-inspired recipe for a delicious sweet potato coconut curry soup that is warm, delicious, and the perfect meal on a cold night. It's sweet, savory, spicy and all the things you want a soup to be! Serve the soup with a nice salad and some crusty french...
Making Vietnamese pho (that delicious and flavorful broth served with noodles, paper-thin slices of raw beef, scallions and other garnishes) is easier than you think! Especially when you cheat a bit by not making the stock from scratch as I outline below. You can...
Making mantu, delicious Afghani dumplings, is quite easy and delivers a flavorful meal that is maybe a bit different from other cuisines you might typically serve. I first had the delicious dumplings called mantu (also called Mantoo) about 20 years ago in Pleasanton,...
Sometimes a trip to the farmer's market means you end up with just the right ingredients to make something delicious -- this time it was freshly caught scallops with creamed corn, tomatoes, chiles and red onion. Just the right combo of flavors for a great summer...
I'm always looking for new things to try for lunch, just to mix it up a bit, and made a total winner with this chicken, goat cheese, fennel, apple and spinach sandwich with walnut-raisin spread! The flavors complement each other beautifully, especially with the...
Panko flakes and homemade ranch dressing are individually two wonderful things to have in your kitchen. But together in the same dish is even better, and that's what you have with panko chicken breasts with ranch dressing. The crispiness of the panko-coated chicken...
Almost everyone loves a great burger...but this ridiculously flavorful Korean burger will knock your socks off. Getting to this great recipe starts with my husband having found the Korean BBQ cookbook by Bill Kim. His book is filled with recipes based on 7 master...
“A party without cake is just a meeting.”
Pork is such a versatile meat and is complemented by many different flavors...I wanted to top pork chops with morel mushroom cream sauce because I knew the flavors would be wonderful together. The earthiness of the mushrooms coupled with rich cream and the sweetness...
If you ever visited P.F. Chang’s, you’ve undoubtedly had their delicious chicken lettuce wraps. They’re addictive! I love eating these light, fresh and yummy wraps. This recipe is easy to make and perfect for a weeknight dinner, paired with some dumplings.
chinese chicken salad
Even though my husband and I eat everything, once in a while, it's good to go vegetarian...and this curried coconut, tomato and lentil soup is the perfect fit. It's rich, delicious, pretty and great for either lunch or dinner. I've now made it several times, sometimes...
This recipe for delicious butter chicken is one that will become a staple in your recipe collection if you like Indian food. Butter chicken is a classic curry dish and a favorite all over the world. It's made with chicken marinated in yogurt, lemon and spices, then...
My husband is a huge fan of lasagna and I've been working on perfecting a recipe that he would love...last night, I made my best lasagna ever. He literally couldn't stop eating it! I've tried the traditional sauce with carrot, onion and celery. I've tried using...
"What you feel like eating any any given moment is what you should have."
There's nothing better than a warm bowl of soup on a cold night, especially when it's cream of mushroom soup. There's something about it that harkens back to our childhood, right? But rather than cream of mushroom soup from a can, this is a much more elegant version...
Boeuf Bourguignon is one of the most delicious french dishes....hearty, warming, a delicious combination of beef, carrots, onions and mushrooms cooked in wine. One of those perfect cold-weather dishes that qualifies as comfort food. And this is one of the dishes Julia...
This is a complicated recipe to make, but totally worth all the effort!!
A few years ago, I took a cooking class from Chef Jessica Koslow of Sqirl restaurant in Los Angeles, and she brought with her a fermented hot pepper sauce that was totally mind-blowingly good. I have no idea why I waited to long to make it myself, but when I finally...
Roasted jalapeño relish: the condiment you’ll put on everything
Kabobs on the BBQ are always fun, and these Indian spiced kabobs have more flavor and spice than the typical recipe. Served with naan and yogurt sauce, they make for a quick and easy weeknight or weekend meal. You could certainly substitute other meat (shrimp, fish or...
Tis an ill cook who cannot lick his own fingers.
Spicy Thai Shrimp Curry is one of my favorite dishes, and it's so easy to make that it makes a perfect weeknight dish. You can play with the veggies added and also change up the herbs (try basil instead of cilantro, for example). This is delicious served over jasmine...
One of the absolute best tacos are carne asada street tacos...marinated skirt steak, charred from cooking on the grill, chopped finely and served in small corn tortillas with lime, cilantro and onion. Absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious! My husband and I made these...
My husband and I have been having a "taco thing" lately, and I wanted to make Baja style fish tacos, using fresh fish from our local fish market. (Baja style usually means deep fried white fish served in warm tortillas with slaw and crema.) Fortunately, our fish...
With the warm Summer weather, I was inspired to create a Greek-inspired Summer squash tart, using feta, dill and puff pastry. The result was a light, delicious and flavorful dish that I'll definitely make again. I can imagine a lot of variations on this dish...from...
Spicy crab cakes are one of the most delicious things to have on a summer evening for dinner (or for lunch on a weekend!). They're easy to make, assuming you can get good lump crab meat. My husband and I don't have a great fish market nearby, so I ordered crab meat...
Sous vide ribeye steak with chimichurri sauce is one of my favorite summer dinners. Ribeye is arguably the best steak, due to its delicious marbled fat and nice meaty flavor. And chimichurri is a fantastic tangy, spicy, herby sauce that brings out the best flavors of...
“I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.”
I happened to have some ground pork in the freezer and decided to make a stir fry with other ingredients on hand, which turned out to be a spicy pork and bok choy stir fry. I added in garlic, egg, shiitake mushrooms and a delicious sauce and served it over jasmine...
During the Pandemic's "Shelter In Place", I'm always looking for creative lunch ideas, and I always have frozen shrimp on hand, so I decided to create my take on the classic shrimp roll. It came out perfectly...cold, tasty, refreshing and delicious. I highly recommend...
If you love mushrooms, you will love this simple mushroom pasta with sherry cream sauce. It's very easy to make and is perfectly suited to weeknight cooking. Any combination of mushrooms will taste good, so grab whatever your grocery store or farmers market have...
Greek chicken gyros might be my new favorite dish. I love gyro sandwiches in general...the roasted meat coupled with herbs and tangy yogurt sauce are divine! While sheltering in place, I had a craving, and decided to make Greek chicken gyros with things I had on...
Even though we're edging into warmer weather, everyone loves wild mushroom risotto (well...unless you don't like mushrooms)! This recipe is easy to make, and you can you use any kind of mushrooms you like. The outcome is creamy, toothy, full of mushroom flavor and...
Making spicy enchiladas verdes is actually very easy, and of course they are absolutely addictive. I love Mexican food and frankly love both red sauce and green sauce enchiladas. But this one is my husband's favorite, so it's a regular at our house. This recipe is...
You could probably get through life without knowing how to roast a chicken, but the question is, would you want to?
Beef stroganoff is actually quite easy to make...and it's quick as well. Just right for a weeknight meal. It starts with great quality lean beef that will be tender in the final dish. And of course sour cream and pepper really make the sauce. I serve this over egg...
Delicious Linguine with Tomato Basil Pesto This delicious linguini with tomato basil pesto is a great weeknight dish - easy and quick to make, bursting with flavor, and pretty to look at too! It can also use as a good first course for entertaining. Feel free to play...
This wonderful side dish - potato and leek galette - will stun your guests, and is a great pairing with roast meat rather than the usual mashed potatoes. The crust is delicious and crispy, and the cheese coupled with potatoes and leeks is the perfect savory...
This spicy tartar sauce for fish is one I can actually enjoy...I do not typically like tartar sauce. I always think it tastes a bit sweet, so I generally prefer things like lemon or malt vinegar as a condiment with my fried or sautéed fish. But I decided to see if I...
This recipe for crispy chicken thighs with honey-garlic glaze is a total keeper. Not only does it have all the magic of crispy chicken thighs (who doesn't love that salty, crispy skin?), but also the deliciousness of honey and garlic that both glaze the chicken and...
“Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti.”
Panko and parmesan crusted fish filets are the perfect weeknight dish...they crispy, delicious, easy to make, and fast to prepare. You can use a number of kinds of white fish filets like tilapia, cod, catfish, rockfish, snapper, etc. And the combo of panko flakes and...
Beef tartare is the most under-appreciated delicious hors d'oeuvre! I think most people have long feared beef tartare...the raw beef and raw egg intimidate many, especially if served as a main course. But with all the right added flavors -- capers, shallots,...
Bacon-kimchi deviled eggs combine natural partners bacon and eggs, along with the great umami flavors of kimchi, the Korean spice paste gochujang and sriracha. Gochujang is a magical paste, made from fermented red chiles, rice, soy bean and salt. It's not super spicy,...
This very tasty tuna burger is a great way to mix it up and do something a bit different than your standard burger. This recipe will surprise you in a number of ways...it's very healthy and lean, full of flavor, and holds together even without egg or breadcrumbs....
If you like asparagus and lemon together, this fettuccine with lemon, asparagus and parmesan is the right recipe for you! And better yet, it's very simple and quick to make, so can make for an easy weeknight dinner. The dish is best when using preserved lemons, which...
Your next guests will love this delicious braised chicken in mustard and wine sauce. It's an impressive, flavorful and easy-to-prepare dish, which makes it a repeat recipe in my repertoire! The inspiration for this dish is from Patricia Wells, who has a recipe in her...
This is my recipe for Cheese and Mushroom Quiche - the perfect brunch food. Quiche is one of those miracle dishes....easy to make, pleases everyone and is perfect for small and large groups. Plus it's great leftover! Feel free to play with this recipe...caramelize...
“Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”
These are my favorite 25 San Francisco restaurants for 2017. This marks my 6th year of publishing this list, and every year it's my most visited post on the blog. San Francisco is such an incredible food city -- so many cuisines, so many new restaurants opening all...
If you have a bunch of leftover turkey, make turkey mole - the perfect use of leftover turkey! It has a completely different flavor profile from Thanksgiving dinner, but will help you use up that wonderful meat. If you're not familiar with mole, it's a Mexican sauce....
The most fantastic baked beans are actually amazingly easy to make! And we all know that baked beans are a staple side dish at every BBQ or picnic, and they are a must if you're having fried chicken. But rather than settle for canned beans, this is a fantastic recipe...
Want the best turkey burger you've ever had? You can whip it up in just 20 minutes! The trick is to put flavor into the burger, along with very tasty sauce to give it both balance and punch. Ingredients (makes 2 burgers, will double easily): 2/3 lb ground turkey thigh...
You can easily make awesome weeknight pork chops that your friends and family will find absolutely delicious! The trick is in the rub, which gives the pork chops a ton of flavor, and also a nice glaze. You don't even need a sauce or gravy. I like to serve this with...
It's actually very easy to make perfect chicken breasts with pan sauce...and when done right, is one of the most delicious ways to serve chicken. The trick is in how you make the sauce itself. What you want is a thick, glossy, full-flavored sauce that complements the...
"I think every woman should have a blowtorch."
I've always been a huge fan of pickles, and you can make quick and easy dill pickles yourself in about 10 minutes of prep time. I myself am a huge fan of dill pickles...the tart but delicious, crunchy but forgiving, salty but not too briny. But there are as many ways...
Making the perfect chicken pot pie is not difficult, but it isn't exactly a piece of cake either (sorry for the bad pun). Although this recipe has a lot of ingredients, it is straightforward, and has an absolutely mouthwateringly delicious result. You'll want to make...
It's easy to make pie crust in a minute...all you need is a food processor, some flour, butter, salt and ice water. No need to buy a pie crust ever again! This recipe freezes well also. Use this recipe when making the perfect chicken pot pie recipe, or add 2 tsp of...
This is my favorite post to do each year...it's just so much fun to come up with my top 25 San Francisco restaurants. This year, there are several newcomers to the list, including Lazy Bear, RN74, Volta, Lord Stanley, Petit Crenn, Benu and The Progress. A few have...
I think most people are intimidated by the idea of any sauce that needs to be made over a double boiler...one of those two level pans, where you put water in the bottom level to allow you to gently create an emulsified sauce (usually with butter as the base) via...
Rice is an incredibly versatile grain...not only can it be used in both sweet and savory dishes, it can also be prepared in a million different ways. I was trying to come up with a great way to use rice as a side dish for everyday cooking. I finally got the right...
"I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it when I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it. Unless I’m thirsty."
When planning my New Year's Eve menu, I really wanted to include crab. It's such a classic dish to have at this time of year! After a little thinking, I decided to serve Dungeness crab meat tossed with a citrus vinaigrette in a cocktail glass. Voila! The crab cocktail...
The Caesar salad has long been a favorite in many parts of the world. Something about the crisp romaine lettuce leaves (ideally chilled) coupled with the tangy dressing of lemon, Worcestershire, anchovy, egg and olive oil is irresistible. Top that with shavings of...
Salsa verde is one of those magical things that is tangy, sour, smoky, and salty, and is so useful! Unlike most red salsas, green salsa is excellent both as a condiment with chips, but also can double as the base for an outstanding sauce for Mexican cuisine. And while...
This dish is just perfect for the entry into Fall...not too heavy, but just comforting enough to really enjoy as the weather takes on a nip of the new season. The flavors are definitely of Provence, with the combination of stewed pork, white beans, carrots and herbs....
I've always liked chicken marsala...a classic Italian dish that is a great combination of chicken with a rich mushroom and marsala wine sauce. I tend to like my sauces to pack a punch with flavor, so wanted to vary the traditional recipe with a few touches of my own,...
Who doesn't love pizza? Delicious crust, topped with savory sauce and your favorite toppings. Really, what could be better? I think we all wish we could make pizza at home whenever that craving strikes. Equally true, many of us are intimidated by making pizza dough...
If you're like most people, you probably buy your chicken or beef stock at the grocery store, and it's the kind that comes in a can or a box. You know the famous brands that are so prevalent on our grocery shelves. And there is nothing inherently wrong with those...
To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist - the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know exactly how much oil one must put with one's vinegar.
We all know there are a million kitchen gadgets out there. Some of them just make me laugh at how utterly silly and useless they are. For example, why get an avocado slicer, when a knife is just as good (and does a whole lot more than slice just an avocado!)? Or how...
The other day I had the inspiration to create a Hawaiian burger. Not that it's never been done before, but I've never had one nor seen (or looked for) a recipe. My thinking was to give the burger some sweet notes via grilled pineapple and to infuse the flavors of...
I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for a creative and delicious appetizer to serve guests. I was recently at a dinner where the first course was burrata cheese garnished with edible flowers and crispy rice. (If you're not familiar with burrata, it's the...
Ribs are an all-time American favorite, and certainly the stores will be stocking their meat department display cases with tons of baby backs and spareribs in preparation for the 4th of July holiday! This how-to-video is about making tender ribs in your oven at home...
There are many different types of stuffed peppers, which means you can play with the recipe to make it your own. Not only do you have plenty of choices on kinds of peppers to use, but based on their size the ingredients, you can serve them as an appetizer, a main...
Hopefully, you've spotted the original post that gives you the recipes and instructions for how to make fabulous pulled pork sandwiches in a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker means you can take a typically lengthy preparation to get great pulled pork (8-10 hours on...
“What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”
There are a few secrets you need to know to perfectly chop an onion. One is an incredibly sharp knife, which is always the safest and easiest way to cut any ingredient. But when it comes to onions, which are multi-layered, there's a real trick to getting perfectly...
We all know that chicken is one of the most versatile meats around. It's also readily available and not terribly expensive. So it's a great trick to be able to prepare chicken in a multitude of ways. This particular recipe is easy, tasty and therefore great for...
I'm not sure why I've never made homemade pasta before...I think I was just intimated. Nor did I own a pasta machine. It just seemed like it would be hard to get right. Oh, and it's awfully easy to buy fresh pasta at the grocery store, too! But for some reason, this...
Veal or chicken picatta are very typical dishes to find at Italian restaurants, and the secret to their greatness is the salty-sweet flavors that come from lemon and capers. Capers are the berry of the caper bush, and are typically pickled. They are carried in most...
This is my fourth year posting my top restaurant list for San Francisco. (Here's last year's post for reference.) It's my most popular, most shared, most tweeted post of the year, so it seems to be a useful guide for residents and visitors both. The restaurants I...
New Mexico is famous for its chiles, and these New Mexican Red Chile Enchiladas showcase them in the sauce. They're spicy and delicious! Ok, I have to admit...I have a secret source for New Mexican chile. My best friend's parents, who live in Santa Fe. But that...
I don't know what you were most thankful for this year, but for me, it's always family. I'm an incredibly lucky person in that my parents are still married and happy (coming up on 50 years!), we are very close to them, and also to my aunts, uncles and cousins. And I'm...
"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."
If you like great wine, you know the difference between a mediocre wine and a great wine. And unfortunately that means mediocre wines are no longer an option. Once you've spoiled your palate with awesome wines, it's near impossible to go back. But of course, you...
Last month my husband and I went to Copenhagen for our 10-year anniversary and had a food extravaganza. As written in a previous post, we had dinner at Noma, the world's #1 rated restaurant, which was fascinating. Definitely one of the most interesting and inspiring...
California is probably more well-known for its Napa Valley than Sonoma Valley, but Sonoma is a fabulous place to visit. Less touristy, and therefore less traffic; the wineries are further spread apart so you see more vineyards and open land; and the towns are just as...
You might remember an earlier post in which I talked about the challenge my husband gave me: create the perfect BBQ burger. I loved having a goal like that one, and experimented with several different sauces, toppings, etc. to get the best BBQ burger we'd ever had....
You may have heard of Noma, the restaurant in Copenhagen named the world's number one restaurant 3 of the last 4 years (it ranked 2 the other year). You can see the full list here - quite a bucket list! We had dinner at Noma recently, and deserves a full recap of the...
Stir fry dishes are always popular - both because they are tasty and are very quick to make. This quick and easy spicy chicken stir fry is a great weekday meal option. It's also quite healthy, especially when incorporating lots of fresh veggies. And another great...
“If you're afraid of butter, use cream.”
Different chili powders are used for different things. Mexican cooking uses types like Guajillo, chile de Arbol, ancho and chipotle. New Mexican chiles (whether younger and green, or fully ripe and red) have a taste all their own, and are obviously used in New Mexican...
Apples have always been a natural partner for pork chops. Pork chops and applesauce is a classic. And since it's a great time of year for apples, it's a perfect time to experiment with twists on the classic. In this recipe, apples are cooked with mushrooms, shallots...
Who doesn't love shrimp scampi? It's garlicky, lemony and delicious! This recipe is a riff on shrimp scampi, adding fresh tomato and basil or parsley. Very quick to make, so a perfect choice for a weekday meal. I think a few variations could be quite fun here...basil...
Everyone loves a great Eggs Benedict...it's the perfect brunch dish. Rich, creamy, eggy, and with just the right amount of tang in the hollandaise sauce (assuming it's made well). There have been innumerable variations on the dish, which I'm sure you've seen on...
Making the classic French Onion Dip from scratch is really pretty easy, believe it or not. And much more delicious! How many great memories do you have of eating ruffled potato chips with salty, creamy French onion dip? I know it's one of those things I've always...
Anything with cajun seasoning usually tastes great - salty, spicy, and with tons of flavor. A cajun sandwich should be no different. To create this sandwich, I used leftover blackening season that I used the night before for blackened catfish. I had a sudden idea that...
”This is my advice to people: Learn how to cook, try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun"
There is no meal more classic or comforting than a beautiful herb roast chicken. In fact, most professional chefs say that there are two tests of a great cook - a perfectly cooked egg and a perfectly roasted chicken. To quote the always brash and entertaining Anthony...
Cooks love to read cookbooks without a doubt. But what about other books that relate to food and the experience of making, sharing, eating and enjoying food? There are a lot of fiction and non-fiction books alike that delve into the wonders of food enjoyment. Given my...
There are all kinds of po' boy sandwiches, most of them consisting of meat or fried seafood on a french roll, with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and pickles. My hubby loves po' boys, whether shrimp or oyster, so I thought I'd make some for him as a weekend lunch treat....
Bread pudding has been around for centuries (literally) and came about as a way to use leftover, stale bread. As far back as the 12th century, leftover bread was used to mop up sauces, hollowed and used as edible serving dishes, or soaked in milk and sweetened for a...
Each year since starting this blog, I've posted a list of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, my home town. One of the many things I love about this city is the ever-changing food scene. There is a constant flood of new restaurant openings (and closings) to...
"My doctor told me I had to stop throwing intimate dinners for four unless there are three other people."
This time of year, when there are parties seemingly every weekend, it's good to be able to do something easy that is a crowd pleaser. Stuffed mushrooms definitely qualify! Stuffings can range wildly, so feel free to use this as a base and modify to your own...
Waffles are always a favorite -- whether eating out or at home, whether with guests or just you and yours. There's something very comforting about a waffle. It's crispy outside, tender inside and deliciousness just make you feel good. And provided you have a waffle...
Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays ever for foodies...delicious dishes in mass quantity, augmented by amazing aromas filling the house all day. And of course the best part is the gravy made from fresh turkey drippings and drizzled over almost everything on the...
I love pasta as either a side dish or as a main course...and this lemon pepper fettucine is a perfect side dish. (Of course, I also love pasta as a main dish, such as my pappardelle with slow-cooked veal and pork ragu or my pasta with italian sausage, ground beef and...
Jambalaya is one of those quintessential dishes of the South, particularly Louisiana. There are as many recipes for this dish as there are people in that state, I think. But there are two predominant varieties - with tomatoes (red jambalaya) and without (which is...
I don't know about you, but I love a great sandwich. I recently posted my recipe for a great, flavorful tuna sandwich, but I have a bunch of others I really enjoy. At a birthday brunch for my hubby recently, I made an assortment of open face sandwiches that were a...
"You could probably get through life without knowing how to roast a chicken, but the question is, would you want to?"
I do love Mexican food (see my earlier posts on chicken enchiladas, breakfast tacos, shrimp enchiladas, chile verde recipes!) and I happen to always be looking for new ways to use my pressure cooker... It's fast, easy and turns out wonderfully moist and tender meat....
Appetizers serve many purposes...They tease the appetite. They give your guests something to munch on while you finalize dinner preparation. And they give YOU a little time to put the final touches on the meal. Appetizers should be easy to eat (preferably with no...
I don't know about you, but a great tuna sandwich is one of my favorite things to have for lunch on a weekend. A little toasted sourdough, tuna seasoned with lots of dill, some crisp lettuce and a pickle on the side... Throw in a diet coke and I swear I'll be happy...
I am one lucky girl...living in San Francisco puts me only an hour away from Napa Valley, oneo f the world's best wine regions and home to some amazing restaurants as well. We never get tired of heading that direction to do some wine tasting, enjoy the gorgeous views...
We all know and love the tropical flavors of Hawaii -- mango, passion fruit, pineapple, guava and so on. It's pretty hard to beat the delicious cocktails you can make out of these great fruits, but they're pretty great in food, too. I'm here on the big island of...
We all have our favorites...the ones with dogeared corners, food stains that make the pages stick together, and the cracked bindings that show how often they've been used. Those are the cookbooks with our favorite recipes...the dishes we like to make over and over...
"To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living."
Given I'm currently in the Caribbean, I thought it most appropriate to write up the meal I cooked before our trip -- Caribbean jerk chicken with banana curry ketchup and black bean and rice salad. It's one of my favorite meals, and goes back a couple of decades when...
Have you ever tried that delicious little bite-sized Indian wonder called pani puri? It's a popular street food in India, but you'll often find it in authentic Indian restaurants like DOSA in San Francisco. It gets its name from 'puri' which is the crisp, round,...
My husband's favorite burger is usually what I call my Whitney Burger - it's very spicy, made with pepper jack cheese, roasted jalapenos, spicy guacamole, and seasoned heavily with chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. It's damn tasty. After our last round of Whitney...
I have to say, gazpacho is one of my all time favorite dishes. That beautiful flavor of a ripe, summer tomato married with a touch of sherry, a great olive oil and the right accompaniments is something pretty special. And while I love a good chunky version, I also...
I think pulled pork sandwiches are my husband's favorite food -- if it's on the menu, he sees nothing else. Needless to say, I want to make them at home to please his palate. But I don't always have 6 or 7 hours to do a slow roast of pork butt, so was imagining how to...
"Salt is the policeman of taste: it keeps the various flavors of a dish in order and restrains the stronger from tyrannizing over the weaker."
Some of you who have been reading my blog for a good long time will remember my post of January 2011 with my top restaurant picks for San Francisco. I figured it's about time for an update of that list...much has changed in the restaurant scene in the last two years....
As many of you that have read a few posts on my blog will notice, I'm a huge fan of Indian food. I've been cooking Indian for more than 20 years, and simply love the combination of flavors that are used in Indian cooking. Last weekend, I had a bit of a craving for...
My husband, Eric, and his brother, Kevin, have conspired to get me into increasingly technical cookery. It more or less started with my husband getting me the Sous Vide Supreme a coupe of Christmases ago. I blogged about that back then, and continue to experiment with...
You know those little lamb riblets that are absolutely delicious to munch on? The individual, small chops that come off a rack of lamb have those few tender bites that just explode with flavor in your mouth...and once those tender bites are gone, the ribs are waiting...
"If more of us valued food and cheer above hoarded gold, it would be a much merrier world."
I know it may seem an odd post for this time of year given the holidays, but I can never resist a good Mexican dish and had a craving last weekend for enchiladas. When I asked my hubby whether he wanted red or green, he unhesitatingly said "Red!". This is one of my...
My best chili recipe has evolved over the years for sure, and this post is the best of all of them. After all, who doesn't love a great bowl of warm, spicy chili on a Fall evening? Especially when it has all the right fixings...grated cheese, white onion, sour cream,...
I have to hand it to my mom...her BBQ sauce recipe is a total winner. Everyone loves it...and I mean everyone that's tried it. We use it only on baby back ribs, but that's pourely out of habit. It'd be great on a burger, too. It's a pretty dark, rich, strongly...
At some point, most folks have been to a Moroccan restaurant (even if it was the Moroccan place at Epcot Center in Disney World!) and have tasted that delicious dish called bastilla. It’s essentially a meat pie in a phyllo dough crust that is flavored with cinnamon, a...
Coq au Vin, or chicken with wine, is a classic French dish that can be made as many ways as there are days in a year. The ingredients remain largely the same, but some marinate the chicken overnight, others make quick recipes, and most fall somewhere in between. But...
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
We had our great friends over this past weekend for dinner and an overnight, which we usually do when the four of us get together...there is always free-flowing wine that makes it a really bad idea for any of us to be driving. 🙂 So as per usual, there were many...
Soup is a wonderful thing...it can be thin and brothy, thick and creamy, or more like a stew with tons of ingredients. Personally, I like all of soup's wonderful variations, as long as it's tasty and flavorful. I'll never forget the first time I had pasta e fagioli...
My husband and I do an awful lot of eating - both my own cooking at home, cooking with friends and family and of course eating out. We love nothing more than to try new restaurants that have an interesting chef, are in an interesting location, or simply have...
"One should eat to live, not live to eat."
We had my husband's brother in town with his family from Europe, and my in-laws came out from the East Coast as well. What better reason than to have a family party? We decided to host the gang at our house and cook up a feast. The weather was surprisingly beautiful...
Falafel is one of those dishes that can be so satisfying and delicious, but making perfect falafel sandwiches can make it life changing. The best falafel I've every had is in Paris at a place called L'as du Fallafel in the Marais district. There is a fabulous Jewish...
Happy belated 4th of July! What a perfect holiday to gather with friends and family to share a great meal, watch some fireworks and toast the birthday of our country. That's certainly what I did, enjoying time in the gorgeous Lake Tahoe region of California. We chose...
You might recall a prior post on The Everyday Gourmet stating that my favorite kitchen gadget is a lemon squeezer (insert link). One of the reasons that is true is that I am an acid freak. No, I don’t mean the kind of acid that was a favorite of Hunter S Thompson. I...
“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”
I decided to combine the rest of our culinary adventures in New York into one final posting. Not that I couldn't drag it out to at least two, mind you! The other big highlight while we were there was eating at a David Bouley restaurant called Brushstroke. Bouley has...
As promised, I have several posts on my recent eating adventures in New York. This one is dedicated to Eataly. Surely you've heard about Eataly....the food mecca put together by Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich and Lidia Bastianich. It's 50,000 sqare feet (yes, 50,000!)...
I spent most of last week in New York -- one of my favorite foodie destinations! Fortunately, I had my husband along, so we indulged and hit some amazing places in between work obligations. I think my foodie adventures in NY are going to turn into at least 3 blog...
I had a hankering for Mexican food the other night (as I do so often!), and was looking for something quick and delicious. I swear this dish took me no more than 20 minutes to prepare and a half hour to cook. Delicious food with minimal effort and less than an hour to...
Last weekend was my birthday, and we decided to go with our best friends up to the wine country for the weekend. Living in San Francisco means we have plenty of wine country within an hour's drive, and this time we chose to head to the Russian River area to sample...
Cpmmonwealth is one of the most popular restaurants in San Francisco right now, and is near impossible to get into on a weekend unless you're willing to eat at either 5 or 9:30 on a school night. I think I had five different reservations at the place, having to move...
We decided to host a St Patrick's Day brunch when one of my friends was craving one of my bloody mary's a week or so ago and suggested we have brunch soon. Seemed like a great idea, and with St Patrick's Day right around the corner, we thought we'd host a brunch for a...
No, this is not a low-cal burger recipe. And no, it isn't really for burger purists either. This is a messy, napkin-heavy concoction that has become the only burger worth eating in our house. That said, we do have several favorite burger places in San Francisco, but...
“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?”
This recipe is one that has a special story...every heard of Sally Schmitt? Probably not, unless you know the full history of the legendary French Laundry restaurant. While it came to fame under Thomas Keller's leadership, the original owner and chef was actually...
I've made this dish numerous times over the years, and it's been a constant favorite with family and friends. It's easy to make, very flavorful, and beautiful to present -- all great things in a party dish! I had my book club girls (the 4 of us have been getting...
I can't remember anymore where I originally found this recipe...I think it might have been an ancient issue of Bon Appetit or Food and Wine. Either way, this one still makes it on my list of favorites, and I usually like to make it right around this time of year, when...
There is something remarkably comforting about a plate or bowl of warm pasta with a rich, flavorful tomato-meat sauce, and pasta bolognese is the absolute best. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water...nice chunks of ground beef, Italian fennel sausage, tomatoes...
"Slicing a warm slab of bacon is a lot like giving a ferret a shave. No matter how careful you are, somebody's going to get hurt."
We had dinner with our dearest friends Kim and John last weekend, and as usual, had a foodie night of wonders. All four of us are seriously into food, cooking, wine, and of course enjoying all of it immensely! Because we have all cooked and eaten together so often,...
As my husband says quite often (usually with a funny grin and a bit of sarcasm), everyone learns at their own pace. When it comes to learning to poach eggs without the aid of a poaching pan, I am a late bloomer. I own a fantastic egg poaching pan that has wonderful...
Anyone who has spent sigificant time with me over a meal or cooking together will tell you that I LOVE cheese! I have been known to say that I am a self-proclaimed cheese whore. I will do just about anything for great cheese. In fact, I will always trade dessert for a...
Salt is a wonderful thing - it is almost always the missing ingredient when something doesn't taste quite right with a dish. In fact, there is a fantastic quote that I saw in the pantry of Sally Schmidt (original owner of the French Laundry and owner/teacher at...
Most people who have met me and even know me reasonably well are shocked when they find out that I actually love camping. May be the fact that I love Manolos and designer clothes, or maybe that I have my nails done regularly. Regardless, it's a fact...camping is fun....
For the past 6 months, I've had one of my cousins from Norway and his wife and son living here in the SF Bay Area, and we've had several enjoyable outings and evenings together. Mads, my cousin, is quite a chef as well, so we share a love of food, cooking and wine...
You may think of lamb as a heavier meat, but in this recipe, it turns into a light and delicious burger that is perfect for a warm summer evening! Lamb is a lower-fat meat, so this is also healthier than your average burger, but packs more flavor than a turkey or...
I have been making this recipe for so long, I no longer remember where I found the recipe that originally inspired my current version. It might very well have been the amazing Patricia Wells, who has wonderful cookbooks about French bistro cooking. Anyway, I had a...
It's probably no surprise if you've read much of my blog that I am a huge fan of Indian food. I love to cook it, and certainly love to eat it - generally, the spicier the better! I had a hankering for Indian yesterday, but get home from work relatively late, so was...
In the move to cook healthier food, I started making a green chile and chicken "stew" that was lighter and healthier than my favorite red chili with 3 kinds of meat (pork, ground beef and filet mignon). I still love that recipe, and will make it this Fall for sure,...
I’ve been a little remiss in cooking sous vide lately, but certainly not for lack of desire! After a meal of great grilled porterhouse steaks the other night (see my post on Porterhouse Steaks with Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce), something from the sea seemed like a...
This past Saturday, we had our “most fun friends” (as we like to call each other) over for a celebratory dinner…they just got engaged! Naturally, we started with a bottle of Dom Perignon, a 2002 that was absolutely delicious! Somehow starting off an evening with...
This past weekend, a group of six of us had an amazing dinner at Baker & Banker, on Bush Street in San Francisco. What a meal! It was my dear friend Padma’s 40thbirthday, so we wanted to go someplace special, with a fun atmosphere and great food and wine. My...
Last weekend, my husband and I hosted our second annual Pigs & Pinot party. Also known as "wine and swine", we had a total of 10 people who contributed to a fantastic menu of food and wine. Every single dish had pork in it (which is quite a feat when we're...
This is one of my favorite healthy recipes -- quick to make, beautiful to look at, and delicious to eat. It's great to serve for a crowd too since it's self-assembled, and easy on the host/hostess! And the sauce is so good, you'll want to save the leftovers to eat on...
We're all busy, so time-saving tips are always welcome, especially in the kitchen! Anything that helps me save enough time so that I can cook regularly during the work-week is a good thing. There are also some little-known tips that help enrich the flavor of dishes....
You'll remember from earlier posts that I have a relatively new sous vide machine that has been teaching me a lot about tenderness, cooking technique and new ways to make old favoites (see my earlier blog posts on sous vide baby back ribs and my first use of the...
My husband and I were in Los Angeles last weekend for a "cousins weekend" - basically 2 days and nights of cooking, eating, drinking and laughing amidst a group of 6 35-45 year-olds. What a blast! Since we're all into food, wine and cooking, that was the clear agenda....
Everybody loves spring rolls - they're fresh, simple, and so flavorful! And they're perfect for entertaining...everyone can roll their own for a little interactive dining. We had my husband's business partner and his wife over this past week who have 3 children...3...
This spicy, flavorful and delicious stew is perfect for a crowd (or just the two of you, with leftovers for lunch the next day!) on a cool evening. It's certainly best made with New Mexican green chile from Hatch, but there are definitely ways to adjust if those...
What on earth is mise en place? It translates from French into "everything in its place" and is really just about prepping everything you will need during the cooking process, putting each ingredient (or sets of those things that will be cooked together) into separate...
We spent this last weekend at my parents' house in Napa, and basically spent two full days and nights eating and drinking our way to merriment and fulfillment. BBQ'd ribs one night with my mom's famous BBQ sauce, ribeye steaks the other with sauteed mushrooms. And the...
I have had this recipe around for a while, wanting to make it and somehow not getting around to it. What was I thinking?! This turned out so well that my husband and I ate it two nights in a row, and I'm still imagining what dishes I can create around it for next...
I made these tacos a couple of nights ago, and both my husband and I slurped them down like there was no tomorrow. In fact, we were both uncomfortably full from eating so much...we just couldn't help ourselves! I've made these with pork, but beef or chicken would also...
Great cooking definitely doesn't come only from the home kitchen. I know a lot of my inspiration comes from eating the creations of some of the best chefs in the world. I have to say, I'm lucky to live in one of the best food meccas around -- San Francisco. I think I...
If you didn't see my earlier post on sous vide, I got a sous vide machine for Christmas and have been having a ball learning a new cooking method that has pretty profound results on the tenderness of what's being cooked. Check out my earlier post entitled My First...
Happy New Year to all of you out there! I hope you had a happy, entertaining and foodie-filled New Year celebration like we did. I absolutely hate being out on NYE...bad drivers, fixed menus in restaurants with less-than-great service, not a taxi to be seen. And there...
My husband, the wonderful encourager that he is, bought me a sous vide machine for Christmas this year. What a wonderful way to expand my culinary experimentation and learning! I don't think I knew what sous vide was until a few years ago, when quite a few of the...
My extended family are all Norwegian (on both my parents' sides) so I've grown up with a lot of Norwegian traditions, particularly at Christmas. Ever since I can remember, I've made several varieties of Scandinavian cookies with my mom (Krumkake, Fattigman, Sandbakel,...
My last post (earlier today) talked about the preparations we go through for our Norwegian family Christmas. But of course the real event happens at the meals themselves...Christmas Eve dinner is our more traditional meal, while Christmas Day is usually a delicious,...
I love the Thanksgiving holiday. It's such a great time of fun, eating, drinking and merrymaking with family and friends. Certainly my own Thanksgiving is that way! We had a relatively small group of 9 of us for turkey and all the fixin's last night, at my parents'...
I am a self-named acid freak. I absolutely love highly acidic things -- strong vinaigrettes, anything with lemon or lime, and I adore pickles. But vinegar is special...it's great not only in salad dressings, but also in sauces, used in pickling, is a great flavor...
Last Christmas, I received a signed copy of Thomas Keller's cookbook from Ad Hoc, his Napa Valley restaurant where everything is home cooking served family style. I am a huge admirer of Chef Keller, and also own the French Laundry cookbook...which despite all my...
I'm sitting in my hotel room in the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore as I type this post. One of the wonderful things about my job as a CMO is that I have the opportunity to travel to widespread parts of the world. This trip is a short one -- a single week, visiting...
I made this last weekend on a Sunday when I had plenty of time to cook and let the ragu take its time to come to perfection. There is nothing better on a cool or rainy weekend than a warm and rich pasta. The perfect comfort food. While you can let the ragu cook for as...
This past Saturday, we went with a couple of friends to the seemingly impossible-to-get-into Frances. Since it's opening, reservations have been scarce. In fact, we planned weeks ahead and could only get a 5:15pm slot on a Saturday. But I have to say, it was worth...
I am a huge fan of those wonderful, mystical, spicy, yummy things that come under the name Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce. They are so versatile that I seem to constantly have a can in my pantry and an open one in my refrigerator. So naturally, I've come up with lots...
When I put up my first Everyday Gourmet blog post back in July, Lisa Lewis asked for a reliable Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. I posted one then as a reply, but have made some adjustments to my recipe since then and think it's even better! I figured it would be a good...
My husband, Eric, and I decided to check out the SF Fall Fest at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco yesterday. Who could pass up an afternoon of amazing food, great wines, live music...and all on a 80 degree sunny day by the waterfront? As we expected, it...
Given peaches are still in season, this is an amazing salad and will impress your guests as well! The salad has arugula, grilled peaches, goat cheese, glazed walnuts and fresh croutons tossed with a champagne and dijon vinaigrette. Enjoy this as the tastes of Summer...
You might remember my earlier post about an Indian Feast that my friend Padma and I put on a couple of months back (see my post from July 16th). At that party, thrown for family and friends, I tried a new take on Indian Samosas -- those triangular, doughy, wonderful...
his most recent post is from a guest blogger who is near and dear to me -- my mom! I mentioned in my first post that I learned my love of food and cooking from her, so it's my privilege to post her recommendations and recipes here once in a while. My mom's name is...
There has been a great trend developing in San Francisco (and certainly not only in this great city) - food carts and trucks serving fantastic food popping up all over town. Thank goodness there is now an annual festival - the SF Street Food Festival - where you can...
My husband, Eric, and I headed back to Washington DC last weekend for a great occasion -- to celebrate the 70th birthdays of his parents (my in-laws). My brother-in-law also joined us from Europe, where he's been living the past many years. We decided it was...
I first tasted this amazingly flavorful recipe while camping a few years back. Our dearest friends made this as their contribution to the group menu, and everyone loved them! The chiles are medium-spicy, the filling is rich and delicious, and the sauce adds a depth...
I love Chinese food....okay, I love almost all food, but Chinese is a regular staple in our house. I make it, or we get takeout from one of the many great places in the city. Eliza's, for example, is right around the corner and has pretty solid, classic Chinese fare....
Sure, you can squeeze the juice from a lemon by using your hands, or even your teeth...but then those pesky seeds end up in whatever you're making, and you probably aren't getting all the juice out of that lemon either. It's one of the simplest tools you can have in...
I saw a Bon Appetit recipe for a gazpacho salad a few years ago, and it stuck with me. I adapted it (of course!) to make it my own, but I have to give credit where credit is due. This version is perfect for right now, since heirloom tomatoes are perfect this time of...
I made this the other night for the second time and I swear, it's dead simple to make and absolutely delicious. Oh, and did I mention it's healthy also?? It took me only 20 minutes from start to finish...perfect for a weeknight meal after a long day when an...
I occasionally test recipes for Cook's Illustrated (which is really fun, btw...you can sign up on their web site), and the most recent recipe was for their Ultimate Chili. While I still like my own chili recipe better, there was a technique in their's that I am...
If you like ketchup, you're going to love this...I was reading the Food Network magazine and saw a small write-up on gourmet ketchups (a true alternative to the seeming one and only household brand). The one that struck me was Sir Kensington's Gourmet Scooping...
Last night, I decided to make pizza....after all, I did spend a fortune on the pizza/baking stone that was made to fit my Gaggenau gourmet oven! So the first question...make your own dough or not? If I lived anywhere but San Francisco, I'd make my own. But why...
I recently saw a tweet about Rick Bayless' new cookbook, Fiesta at Rick's - a book written for hosting friends and cooking his great Mexican food. We love to entertain, so thought I'd buy the book, and decided instantly I wanted to cook pretty much everything in it....
I have a very dear girlfriend whom I met in Boston many years ago, and we immediately bonded over food and cooking. She is Indian, and I’ve always loved to cook Indian food, so we have built a now long tradition of cooking mostly Northern Indian food every so often....
I am definitely not a celebrity chef...although among my circle of friends and colleagues, I am definitely known as a gourmand (translation: food snob, culinary aficionado and general omnivore). The simple truth is that I love food. Always have. In fact, some of my...