The Bitten Word

Minted Pea and Prosciutto Crostini

Everyday Food (April 2011)

Just a couple weeks ago we said that crostini and other party snacks can "get a little tiresome."

Let's retract that statement, shall we?

Because these Minted Pea and Prosciutto Crostini are anything but tiresome. They're fresh, filling -- and easy, to boot.

Garlic-Herb Pinwheels and Harissa-Sausage Pinwheels

Everyday Food (April 2011)

When you have guests over for dinner -- or any get-together, really -- it's always nice to have some snacks for them to nibble on. After all, depending on how the cooking is going, you may have some time to kill. We've served more than our fare share of late dinners while entertaining, so we're always sure to have some sort of snack on hand in case, you know, dinner actually ends up being served at 9 p.m.

And while crudités, crostini and a bowl of nuts are great, they can get a little tiresome, so it's always good to have a few other tricks up your sleeve. We love to serve something that's easy to make but also impressive on the plate, like pinwheels: pre-made dough filled with flavors of your choosing, rolled up, sliced and baked. 

For our book club meeting last week (where we also served Bagna Cauda Dip with Assorted Vegetables), we wanted something simple and tasty, so we were happy to see these Garlic-Herb Pinwheels in Everyday Food. And they inspired us to try our own version -- a Harissa-Sausage Pinwheel.

Bagna Cauda Dip with Assorted Vegetables

Bon Appétit (April 2011)

Food magazines frequently have a page toward the back of an issue where they'll pull together some of the recipes featured that month into little menus for different dinners or events.

We often find these menus a little humorous, just because they can be oddly specific, like "Bridal Luncheon" or "Poker Night." Like, "We'll, I hadn't thought of throwing a baby shower, but gosh this menu sounds good..."

Anyway, the joke's on us, we guess. Last night, we hosted a meeting of our book club. And there at the back of the April issue of Bon Appétit, right at the top of a menu labeled "Book Club," was this Bagna Cauda with Assorted Vegetables.

Steamed Pork Buns

Fine Cooking (February/March 2011) 

Growing up in the small-town South, our Chinese food options (at least in the 1980s and 90s) were pretty limited. The kinds of Chinese places in our hometowns were bland, strip-mall eateries with long buffets filled with steaming trays of overcooked brown noodles; limp, watery vegetables and greasy, fried egg rolls. (And because it was the South, you were just as likely to find trays of fried okra or mac 'n' cheese alongside the Beef Lo Mein and General Tso's.) 

It's not that those suburban Chinese buffets were bad food. It's just that they weren't really anything special.

But our entire notion of Chinese-American cuisine got turned on its ear about four years ago, the first time we ate at Shun Lee West on New York's Upper West Side. It's not that Shun Lee is the most authentic Chinese place in New York -- it's dozens of blocks from Chinatown, and the original Shun Lee Palace only opened in 1971. But it's the first time we ever realized that Chinese food could be upscale and made well, that Chinese cuisine could highlight fresh, great-tasting ingredients. (By the way, our other life-changing Chinese food experience was House of Nan King in San Francisco. Absolutely phenomenal.)

That's a long-winded way of saying that you need to make these pork buns, and you need to make them today.

Holiday Party Food: Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread, Parsnip Bacon & Imperial Punch Royale; Plus, How to Make an Ice Ring

Recipes from Food & Wine and Bon Appétit

When it came time to taste our 12-Month Aged Eggnog, we invited a group of friends over for the event.  It ended up being a small gathering of about a dozen folks, including our friend Ralph's parents who were in town.

But we couldn't just serve something as boozy as the eggnog without also having some food on hand, so we used it as an excuse to make three recipes that we had tagged in recent issues. 

The first was Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread (pictured above) from the December Food & Wine.

Okra Fritters

Everyday Food (October 2010)

There may be no Southern dish that's closer to our hearts than classic fried okra. It's hot and crunchy on the outside, with the great flavor of fresh okra inside.

We know okra can be somewhat divisive: Lots of people are turned off by it. We happen to love it, and as we've said before, if you think you don't like okra, it's just because you haven't fried it.

So when we saw these Okra Fritters in the October Everyday Food, we couldn't wait to try them.

How would they stack up to our beloved classic fried okra?

Charred Spring Onions with Mustard Cream Sauce

A Bitten Word Recipe 

We recently wrote about Zach's trip to the Bristol, a fantastic gastropub in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood, home of the Chocolate Sabayon With Sea Salt and Olive Oil, and Homemade Nutter Butters.

That dessert certainly stole the show, but there was another dish Zach had that night that was similarly delicious, and, like that Chocolate Sabayon, it was something we knew we wanted to try in our own kitchen: Charred Spring Onions with Mustard Cream Sauce.

We've been getting really delicious fresh spring onions from our CSA, so for a recent meal, we threw them on the grill, whipped up a mustard cream sauce, and chowed down. (The Bristol's dish included crispy goat belly, but our goat-belly purveyor is at the Shore for the summer. Alas, we were forced to make do with a hircine-free version.)

Smoked Salmon with Black Pepper Potato Chips and Lemon Crème Fraîche

Bon Appétit (May 2010)

You know in old sitcoms, when the husband comes home from work, frantic, because the boss and his wife are unexpectedly coming over for dinner?  And the wife (unless she's Samantha Stevens) flips out, because how can she possibly plan and cook a dinner with no notice? Especially one that'll impress the boss and help her husband land that big promotion he's up for!

These hors d'oeuvres are worth keeping up your sleeve for just such an occasion.

The little bites use all store-bought ingredients (unless you want to make your own crème fraîche, which actually is incredibly easy) and can be assembled in seconds.

They sound impressive, they look delectable and they're a snap to throw together at the last minute. Your hubby's boss will be wowed!

There's just one little problem: They don't taste all that great.

Chicken-Liver Toasts with Shallot Jam

Food & Wine (January 2010)

 

We've already written about our picks for a Super Bowl menu, kicking things off with an awesome Indoor Pulled Pork. But we recognize that not everyone will be watching the big game this weekend.  And let's face it, a lot of us who are going to be "watching" aren't exactly going to be watching.

We've definitely been to those parties where the game is practically ignored and the commercials are watched so closely that you'd think there was a post-game exam. 

If you're not so sporty or plan to use that four hours of the big game to catch up on your pre-Oscar viewing, we wanted to make sure you still had something fantastic to munch on.  

Think of these Chicken-Liver Toasts with Shallot Jam as anti-Super Bowl food.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs and Other Party Food Ideas

Fine Cooking (December 2009/January 2010)

 

For Zach's mom, growing up in the South in the 1950s, cursing was strictly forbidden. Her parents never swore, and she and her two brothers couldn't either.

So the kids called each other the worst non-swear they could think of. They called each other "deviled eggs."

We suppose they thought the word "devil" gave the phrase an edge. And, hey, who could punish their kid for using such an innocuous phrase? But we just love the thought of Zach's uncle teasing his mom as a young kid until she stamped her feet and said, "Oooo, you...deviled egg!!"

Anyway, we think of that every time we eat deviled eggs now.

What's that got to do with New Year's Eve? Not much (unless your resolution is to swear less in 2010). But the truth is we've been asked by several different people for some of our favorite party-food recipes that could work for New Year's Eve. And these eggs are at the top of our list.