Discussions about recipes, cooking and other tidbits from the culinary arts.
To all you chefs out there who enjoy blogging: I found this interesting post on a contest for Pomegranate Recipes with a $5,000 top prize:
I figured that it was worth sharing with all of you. The prize is $5,000 and become the Featured Blogger for Pom Wonderful. If you like to blog and are looking for exposure, this is your thing!
And while you’re here, check out some of our recipes from our Gourmet Recipes Collection!
We’ve all seen those fancy little designs that some coffee brewers or barista’s make in their lattes right? Often you’ll see a heart, or some nice little leaves or other fancy designs in the milk? Well, wonder no more and check out this article on Latte Art Secrets for Beginners.
As with anything gourmet, attention to detail is important, but having the right tools and know-how is even more important.
Find more articles and how-to’s on Professional Recipes here: Gourmet Cooking Articles
And you know what that means? Sunday parties in front of the big screen with tons of snacks, dips and hors d’oeurves, watching your favorite teams battle it out. Here’s a couple great recipes to try out for your next Sunday get together:
Have recipes of your own that your friends and family just love? Submit them to our site and we’ll post them up or leave us a comment below!
Go Eagles!!!
Labor Day weekend is upon us and that means we’ll be grilling in the backyard, having a drink with friends and family, and getting that last swim in the pool. This is a time of year where we celebrate the end of summer.
For most people, Labor Day barbecues are a big deal with all kinds of different food to throw on the grill. For the backyard gourmet this provides the perfect opportunity to show off their best marinades, elaborate shish kabobs and many different varieties on the classic BBQ fare. The grill usually gets a good workout and often times it’s the last time it gets used before being put away for the winter.
While many of us are experienced in the art of grilling when it comes to food, there are some basics to proper grilling that are either forgotten or never learned. While the food still comes out tasting good, there are some subtle things you can do to really make your food stand out from the crowd to impress your friends and family.
Always clean your grill with a wire brush before cooking on it. There are some who believe that leaving some of the residue from previous cookouts adds flavor to the food, it simply is not true. More often that not, it adds a burnt taste to the food and causes it to stick to the grill. Even if you take a break between grilling for lunch and dinner, clean your grill before starting again. You’ll be glad you did.
Use oil on the grill to prevent sticking. Lightly brushing the grill with oil before grilling will prevent food from sticking to it.
Flare-ups. Yeah, it looks cool to see some high rising flames and for certain foods, this may be preferable (searing the outside of a steak for example, but leaving it rare in the middle), but for most food on the grill, this just leaves it overcooked on the outside and generally undercooked on the inside.
Basting your food while grilling can add some wonderful flavor, particularly if you’ve marinated it ahead of time. Try not to baste the food until the last 5-10 minutes of cooking however, else you run the risk of flare-ups and burning your food. This is particularly true if you used sweeteners such as brown sugar or honey in your marinade. Sugar tends to caramelize quickly and stick to the food and the grill.
Marinades are a wonderful way to introduce a variety of flavors to food. It’s best to marinade for at least 6 hours, but if you’re planning a big barbecue, it’d be a good idea to marinade your food the day before to really get the fullest flavor.
Safety First! Grills can get very, very hot and often there are children running around, whether it be to jump in the pool or playing a game in the backyard. Accidents happen of course, but there is the potential for serious injury. Make sure your grilling area is well away from the pool, deck, or any area where others will be sitting or playing. Be sure you know how to properly operate your grill, no matter what kind it is.
So, by following some simple rules, you can really make a big difference in the flavor and presentation of your food and everyone can enjoy a safe and happy Labor Day BBQ.
Check out some of these recipes to try for your own Labor Day BBQ:
Grilled Salmon with Lemon Butter
Grilled Swordfish With Chipotle Cilantro Butter
Enjoy!!!
With the advent of Starbucks® and the popularity of coffee shops that offer wi-fi, we sometimes take our coffee for granted. Walk into a coffee shop and order up a Mocha Latte and you’re out of there in a few minutes. Places like these can often make some really good drinks, from specialty coffees and all kinds of cappuccino drinks. Only a few make a really good espresso.
It’s a challenge to recreate many of those drinks for most of us. Some of us may have a decent espresso machine and can whip something up relatively quickly, no doubt, but nothing like what we can get from a decent coffee shop. Often we lack the knowledge of what flavors blend well with different kinds of coffee beans. What happens if you were hosting a cocktail party at your restaurant or a dinner party for clients and friends at your home? If one of your guests asks for an espresso during dessert, what would you serve?
Your food was a hit and your best friend devoured the hors d’oeuvres, but what now? Have no fear, you’ve studied the art of the Barista. What is a Barista you ask? A trained professional in making espresso and related drinks. They take their art very seriously as pairing the right flavors of a particular coffee bean (Columbian vs. Brazilian for example), is not an easy task with the complexity of flavors found in food.
The variety of coffee beans from around the globe produces an entire world of different flavors and textures that most of us don’t get to experience. Have you ever had coffee from Uganda or Ethiopia? They’re both coffee producing countries each with distinct qualities which vary from region to region. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is a bean sought after by the U.S. consumers that has a fruity aroma, light and elegant body, and an almost menthol taste.
It would seem that with all the different flavors of coffee, only one as skilled as a Barista could truly pair a coffee with the main course, much as a gourmet chef would pair a fine wine. Read more about the Art of the Barista here:
Art of the Barista: A Brief Guide for the Gourmet Chef
Enjoy!
The latest Featured Recipe on Professional Recipes is the Firewalker T-Bone Steak. A recipe I dug up just recently in one of my cookbooks that is wonderful to prepare for a backyard barbeque. Throw a few of these on the grill with your favorite sides dish recipes or some Poultry and Pork Recipes for some variety and your BBQ will be a summer hit.
Check out our Featured Recipe Here:
Featured Recipe
Print the Firewalker T-Bone Steak Recipe Here
Gourmet, Homemade and Exotic Recipes
Enjoy!
Ever wonder how people to host a fine dinner party and really impress your guests? The art of hosting a fine dinner party is simpler than you think, but there are some interesting ideas and subtleties that you may not have thought of. There are certain do’s and don’ts that you should pay attention to to help the night go off without a hitch.
Check out our article to the Art of Hosting a Fine Dinner Party for great tips and ideas for your next swanky affair.
Art of Hosting a Fine Dinner Party
New Recipes