What's for Dinner
5 Cooking School Recipes for the Week of January 5, 2009
-Francine Segan
I teach a number of hands-on cooking classes around the country using recipes I've developed. Over the past year I've noticed that some of the recipes are clear winners. A winner is when the students either -a- don't leave any leftovers or -b- brings home every last crumb in a doggie bag.
The recipes for this week's "What's for Dinner" are the absolute best-of as v
oted by the folks in my cooking classes at I.C.E., a fun cooking school on 23rd Street in Manhattan.
Beer Batter Bread
Makes 1 loaf
This is the best bread you've ever tasted and it's embarrassingly easy to make. No kneading or fuss.The bread is great served with kielbasa sausages or hot dogs and warm sauerkraut.
Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces beer, any kind, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Party Tips
Francine's Party Tips: Tapas Nibbles
Advice for the cooking challenged
-Francine Segan
Feeding friends is easy if you can cook, but what do you serve if you can't? The answer -tapas. A tapas party is one of the ... no, it is the easiest way to entertain. Think of it as a meal that skips the main course!
The word tapas comes from the Spanish tapar, which means to cover. In Spain barkeepers traditionally served drinks covered, topped, with a small plate of complimentary nibbles.
Raid a local gourmet shop and buy anything that looks good like:
- Chorizo
A spicy smoked pork sausage. Serve it sliced with thick-cut potato chips or crusty bread.
Tipping List
Do-It-Yourself Fruit-Infused Vodka
Francine Segan, FrancineSegan.com
You can buy flavored vodka, but why bother? You can easily make a much fresher, better tasting one yourself...and the best part, it's easy.
Plum, melon and citrus are traditional vodka flavors, but absolutely any fruit works. I know firsthand, because I've probably tried them all-apple, apricot, banana, blackberries, kiwi, mango, pomegranate and raspberries. They are all wonderful.
You can infuse a whole bottle of vodka with one flavor, or do what I do, and divide the recipe to experiment with two or three different fruits or fruit combinations. Store the vodka-fruit mix in pint or quart-sized canning-type mason jars, or any sturdy glass container with a lid. Read more about making fruit infused vodka...
Holidays 2009
Merry Christmas from the Bettys!
A roundup for your holiday reading
-The Betty Editors
Merry Christmas from the Bettys to you!
Where are you in your day today? Did you get up early with your cup of coffee and come online during the stillness of the morning ... unlikely if you have children, who probably roused you from your slumber hours before you were ready to start opening gifts (let alone your eyes!).
Have you spent all day in the kitchen cooking and are now sitting full and satisfied, basking in the magic of the day? Have your crazy relatives sent you off the deep end and you've retreated to find a few minutes of sanity? Are you spending the holiday alone missing loved ones in other locations; or do you not celebrate Christmas at all?
Whatever the case, we're glad you stopped by Betty today. And in the spirit of giving we thought we'd provide you with a roundup of some of the festive articles we've put together over the past couple of weeks:
Read more about a Christmas roundup for your holiday reading...
Festive Planning
Francine's Party Tips: Dessert
Parties for the cooking-challenged
-Francine Segan, FrancineSegan.com
A dessert party is a festive and unusual way to entertain. Maybe it's the sugar high, but guests are always particularly gregarious and cheery at these gatherings. The best part of a dessert party is that you don't have to cook! Read more about simple and easy party ideas...
