The Bitten Word

Crunchy French Toast with Cap'n Crunch Coating

Cook's Country (April/May 2013)

Our friends Drew and Ralph -- characters you know doubt recognize from many a dinner featured here on The Bitten Word -- have just opened a restaurant (a second restaurant, technically, that just so happens to be very favorably reviewed in today's Washington Post).

As they've been getting the new eatery up and running, they've been understandably busy, so we haven't been able to hang out as much. To make up for lost time, they invited us to come over to their house for brunch on Sunday. 

"What's for brunch?" Clay casually asked Drew a few days beforehand. 

"We saw this recipe in the latest Cook's Country that looks awes---," 

"The Really Crunchy French Toast with the Cap'n Crunch?!?!"

The answer: a resounding yes.

We'd spied this recipe when picking out April recipes. We loved the idea, but it seemed a bit of an overindulgence to just make for the two of us. 

But when friends invite you over for a French toast feast, you don't turn them down. 

 

Sardine Salad Sandwich

Food Network Magazine (April 2013)

We've mentioned before how much we enjoy tuna salad, whether it's a Dijon-Cilantro version, a lighter Mediterranean salad, or our go-to recipe, which includes some combination of red onion, sweet relish mustard and a hefty dose of curry powder.

But it had never, ever dawned on us that you could make a similar salad using other seafood -- especially sardines. Food Network Magazine's recipe for Sardine Salad Sandwiches to send us scrambling to the canned seafood aisle. 

 

Chinese Long Beans with Cracked Black Pepper

Food & Wine (March 2013)

When we went to China a year and a half ago, we were a little obsessed with green beans. 

We ate them as side dishes at several different meals. Sometimes, they were cooked with Sichuan peppercorns, imparting the beans with a lemony, oddly pleasant mouth-numbing effect. Other times, they were prepared more simply, with plenty of black pepper.

These Chinese Long Beans with Cracked Black Pepper from Food & Wine are the latter -- no mouth-numbing here. Just a straight-up green bean dish that, as F&W puts it, uses pantry staples to amp up a simple vegetable dish.

Brown Sugar Banana Parfaits with Maple-Glazed Pecans

Bon Appétit (March 2013)

Today marks the official first day of spring, but you wouldn't know it here in D.C. We're still bundling up every morning for our commute, bracing for the cold weather. And even if a few daffodils have started opening up, the trees are still bare. 

We've been forcing the season, trying to will warmer days into being. We're thinking spring produce, grilling and ice cream. 

When Regi and Kate came over for dinner, we wanted to make a dessert that was special. (It's not every day that they can get a sitter for their three boys and spend a night catching up with friends.)

But we also wanted something that we could easily make ahead, so we could actually hang out with Regi and Kate instead of scurrying around trying to finish dessert.

We also wanted something springy and on the healthier end of the spectrum.

These Brown Sugar Banana Parfaits with Maple-Glazed Pecans seemed like they would fit the bill perfectly.

In actuality, they did -- with one major exception.

Pressure Cooker Pork Vindaloo

Pressure Cooker Perfection from America's Test Kitchen

We've had a pressure cooker for a bit over a year now. In that time, we've been experimenting with it here and there, making short ribs and stocks, and playing around with our own pressure cooker concoctions. 

But now we've been inspired to kick our pressure cooker use into high gear over the last few weeks after reading the new book from America's Test Kichen: Pressure Cooker Perfection. 

We've previously read and recommended Lorna Sass's Pressure Perfect for those wanting to get more use out of their pressure cookers. Sass, the grande dame of pressure cooker chefs, published her first pressure cooker book in 1989 and quickly established herself as the go-to expert on using pressure cookers in the home. 

We still recommend Sass's book, but we love this new book from America's Test Kitchen. (Full disclosure: We recevied a free press copy from ATK). It's smartly organized and filled with recipes we want to try. The first we dove into was Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes. It resulted in a delicious chicken in a flavorful gravy-like sauce -- truly delicious. 

For our second foray, we wanted something more exotic to share with you. We opted for a dish that was new to us: Pork Vindaloo.

Crisp and Lemony Go-To Salad + Everyday Food Returns

Everyday Food (March 2013)

Our friends Regi and Kate came over for dinner this past weekend. We spent a lot of time trying to decide what to make -- it had been a while since we'd seen them, and we wanted to serve something interesting. We decided on a fairly elaborate and decadent entree -- coming soon to a blog near you! -- so we wanted something light to kick off the meal. 

We went simple, choosing this Crisp and Lemony Go-To Salad from the March issue of Everyday Food. More about the salad in a moment, but first: Everyday Food is alive!

Or alive-ish. 

After publishing the final regular issue in December and promising to come back as an occasional supplement to Martha Stewart Living, Everyday Food hit mailboxes this month for Living subscribers. (We're not sure if you get it if you purchase Living on newsstands -- we're assuming no.) 

The magazine is noticeably different, mostly in that it's thinner. Most previous issues were around 150 pages -- this is 30 pages filled with 25 or so recipes. The recipe content is very similar to before -- dressed up versions of basic recipes appropriate for any night of the week. There are roast chickens and cookies and casseroles -- it's a nice collection of recipes, even if there aren't many of them. 

 

Fish in Crazy Water

Food & Wine (March 2013)

Sometimes, you absolutely can judge a book by its cover. Or in this case, a recipe by its name.

"Fish in Crazy Water"? How could we resist making something with such an intriguing name? And it turns out, it tastes just as awesome as its name.

This Fish in Crazy Water has actually made a couple appearances in Food & Wine now. Why? Because it's Food & Wine's birthday -- Happy birthday!

The magazine is celebrating its 35th anniversary this month by doing a bit of looking back into the archive. There's the "20 Best-Ever Recipes" and a second feature, "The Legends," that features recipes from culinary icons that were orginally featured in the magazine. 

There's Julia Child, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Jacques Pepin, Paula Wolfbert and Marcella Hazan. 

It's Marcella who contributed a recipe this Fish in Crazy Water back in 1997. 

Stewed Scallions and Tomatoes

Food Network Magazine (March 2013)

We both grew up eating a lot of dishes described as "stewed."

Stewed greens, stewed tomatoes, stewed potatoes, stewed apples, stewed prunes -- one of those managed to show up at every family reunion, church potluck or big Sunday dinner.

It always meant the same thing: something cooked in a liquid, and often, cooked within an inch of its life. Don't misunderstand: Those stewed dishes were delicious. Soft and creamy, like a braise without the dry-heat cooking. (But they could also be mushy and bland. What is it about some strains of old-school Southern cooking that take wonderful ingredients and then proceed to cook all the flavor right out of them?) 

We chose this recipe  -- Stewed Scallions and Tomatoes -- because we applaud Food Network Magazine for using the word "stewed" to describe a dish. Let's face it: It's not the world's most appetizing word.

The other reason we wanted to try this? It's an unusual use of scallions, to cook them whole, as an actual vegetable. We were eager to try it.

By the way, before we get to the dish: Did you know that stewed also means drunk? We're tooooootally going to start using this. "I have to go home, I'm stewed!"

Let's get stewed and chat about these scallions and tomatoes. 

Artichoke and Pea Sauté

Cooking Light (March 2013)

It's a snow day here in our nation's capital.

A winter storm is whipping its way through the area, so we're inside the house, still wearing pajamas, and dreaming about warmer days. And pancakes. But mostly warmer days. 

We've been troopers this winter -- not complaining about the cold (well, not complaining too much about the cold). But we're ready for change, for sun, for mornings that don't require four layers of clothing.

It's March. It's time. 

And with dreams of spring weather come dreams of spring foods. We're craving them. Earlier this week, in a moment of spring desperation, we bought a pound of fresh snap peas from our supermarket. Though the quality wasn't great (nothing like the peas we'll see at farmers markets come April and May), they were good enough for us, steamed, with a simple drizzle of citrus -- a literal taste of spring. 

Those same dreams of warmer days are what drew us to this Artichoke and Pea Sauté. It screams [use your best old timey voice here]: "Spring's a comin'!" 

And the best part? The ingredients come from the freezer section. 

Pork Scaloppine

Martha Stewart Living (March 2013)

It's Sequester time here in our nation's capital.

Since last Friday, this town's been in full-on sequester mode, which means ... well, not a whole lot, really. At least not yet. Most of the cuts won't kick in for a while, and Congress still has plenty of time to retroactively undo everything.

Nobody can agree on exactly how we got here, and there's definitely no agreement about whose fault it is. And there's surely no agreeing on how to fix it.

But in these troubled times, we think there's one thing on which everyone here in D.C. -- and across this great nation -- can agree: You want some Pork Scaloppine.