Recipe: Honey Custards with Caramelized Apples — Rosh Hashanah Recipes from The Kitchn

Honey and apples are the most well-known foods eaten on Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year — for nothing is more symbolic of a round, sweet year than apples and honey. No Rosh Hashanah meal is complete without a plate of apple slices passed around to each guest, followed by a bowl of honey; slices are dipped, the prayers said, and apple slices slippery with honey are eaten amid shouts of “L’Shanah Tova! Happy New Year!”

This year, my own New Year’s meal will end with these smooth, sweet, delicious honey custards baked in round ramekins and topped with caramelized apples – giving a new twist to a traditional holiday dessert and a new way to herald a round, sweet year.

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How To Strip Herbs off Their Stems — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Let’s talk about fresh herbs. They smell great, they make our food taste incredible, and they are a pain in the you-know-what to get off the stem. If you try to tell me you actually enjoy picking off each tiny leaf, methodically working your way to a full tablespoon, I’m going to call shenanigans.

Yes, fresh herbs make us work for our reward — no way around it. At the very least, we should be sure we’re stripping and mincing our herbs in the most efficient way possible. Here’s a look at some of the most common herbs we use in our cooking and how to tackle them like a pro.

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20 Important Recipes Starring Bacon — Recipes from The Kitchn

Ah, bacon; its crispy snap and smoky flavor have a special way of making everything it touches even better. It’s nearly perfect on its own, but it really shines when it’s added to another dish — everything from breakfast bakes and salads to side dishes and soups.

Let these 20 recipes show you there’s no shortage of ways to use bacon from breakfast to dinner. I’m talking breakfast polenta squares, bacon and cheddar biscuits, bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, and the bacon-cheddar twice-baked potatoes you’re going to be dreaming of this fall.

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Recipe: Breakfast Barley Bowl with Mango, Coconut, and Banana — Recipes from The Kitchn

I’m a sucker for a good whole-grain breakfast bowl. In many ways, I consider it the perfect breakfast; grains are a great vehicle for seasonal fruit, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and yogurt. While I tend to stick to cooking grains with water or broth when making dinner, in the morning I like to get a little creative and cook them with something other than water. Lately my go-to has been coconut milk, and this tropical barley bowl is evidence that it can be a pretty delicious move.

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10 Satisfying Gluten-Free Meals to Pack in Your Lunchbox — Recipes from The Kitchn

I feel like gluten-free lunches get a bad rap. The easy default always seems to be a sorry salad, which is far from satisfying. Let’s clarify: Skipping the gluten does not mean resorting to boring, skimpy lunches that leave you hungry two hours later.

Instead, pack your lunchbox with one of these 10 satisfying options for a better midday meal.

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Eggplant Caviar

Please forgive the exalted name of this simple dish. Like its black-eyed pea cousin Texas caviar, “eggplant caviar” has nothing to do with salty sturgeon eggs.

It is so named I suppose for several reasons. You place a dollop of it on a cracker to eat, it has somewhat of a tiny bumpy texture, and the taste is exquisite. It’s not remotely fancy, but one can pretend, right?

Continue reading “Eggplant Caviar” »

Eggplant Caviar

Please forgive the exalted name of this simple dish. Like its black-eyed pea cousin Texas caviar, “eggplant caviar” has nothing to do with salty sturgeon eggs.

It is so named I suppose for several reasons. You place a dollop of it on a cracker to eat, it has somewhat of a tiny bumpy texture, and the taste is exquisite. It’s not remotely fancy, but one can pretend, right?

Continue reading “Eggplant Caviar” »