Bookmarked recipes
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My cookbook collection takes up almost six bookshelves, yet I still find myself hoarding recipes online. More often than not, you'll find me with my MacBook on the kitchen counter, exposed to all manner of drips and drops, as I touch the mousepad with buttery fingertips. I thought I'd share a few of my tried-and-true favorites from hither and yon, all recipes worth endangering your laptop for…
Matzoh balls — The fall months mean cold — in more ways than one. When I have a scratchy throat and that weird feeling on the roof of my mouth, the only thing I want to eat is chicken soup. This Bon Appétit recipe produces genuine light and fluffy matzoh balls that my husband claims rival those of his Jewish grandmother. A few recipe notes: I've never chilled the dough overnight (though I'm sure it would help) and I don't make the matzoh balls mini (because I'm impatient). Also, don't cook the matzoh balls in the soup — they suck it all up, leaving you with no broth.
Pie crust — It's pie season! Apple! Pumpkin! Pecan! After years of sticky dough frustration, I'm still not very good at rolling out a crust. But a few years ago, I did find the perfect pie dough recipe, from this New York Times article by Melissa Clark. Her secret ingredient is leaf lard, but I get chest pain just thinking about cooking with pork fat. Instead, I use the all-butter recipe and, if I'm baking an apple pie, I make the cheddar crust variation. Adding cheese to the dough makes it wonderfully pliable and easy to handle.
Buttermilk biscuits – Here's a simple, not-too-buttery recipe for easy biscuits. If I have leftover dough, I cut it into individual biscuits and freeze it; sometimes I use it as a topping for chicken pot pie.
Stuffed pumpkin – Dorie Greenspan's recipe for pumpkin stuffed with bread, cheese and other delicious things has traveled round the internet and back again. I'm just another fan who has made and loved it.
Thai green curry — A few days ago, Chez Loulou tweeted about Thai green curry and shared this recipe from The Young Thailand Cookbook. I ran to the Asian store to buy coconut milk, lime leaves, curry paste, and all the other ingredients necessary. The resulting green chicken curry made we weep with both spice and happiness. Do you ever feel like a recipe has changed your life? I can't wait to experiment some more with this one, adding tofu or shrimp dumplings. Recipes notes: I added more chilies (because I like it spicy), and used those teensy Thai eggplants instead of peas. I also added a squeeze of lemon juice at the end — I think the curry benefits from the balance of sweet, spicy, tart and bitter.
What recipes have you bookmarked, mes amis? I'd love to try them!
