recipes: guilty pleasure

  • a neater way to cook and crisp bacon
    This technique is great for small batches of bacon. The addition of water keeps the initial cooking temperature low and gentle, so the meat retains its moisture and stays tender. This also prevents oil from splattering everywhere. By the time the water reaches its boiling point (212°F), the bacon fat is almost completely rendered, so you're much less likely to burn the meat while waiting for the fat to cook off. The meat plumps up while it cooks instead of shriveling, leaving the bacon pleasantly crisp, not tough or brittle. baconwater
  • Almond Honey Cake with Whipped Yogurt, Figs and Honey
  • apple tartin
    An iconic dessert was allegedly created by the Tartin sisters on France's Loire Valley. Legend is that while attempting to repair a baking error, they ended up with this upside-down dessert of flaky pastry and apples bathed in caramel. This recipe has been modified from the original with a more whole food approach. organic whole wheat flourorganic sugarsea saltorganic unsalted butterice watersmall organic Gala applesfreshly squeezed organic lemon juicesea saltorganic unsalted butterorganic agave
  • artichoke dip from Freeman's in NYC
  • baby back ribs
    In May 2005, when Carm's younger brother, Butchok, graduated from San Francisco State University, Collin and Carm threw a party in Butch’s honor at their home. Collin and Carm made Mrs. Oguro's recipe for ribs. Everyone loved the ribs. onions and garlicsalt and pepperbaby back ribsbarbecue sauce
  • baked sushi
    We made this dish for our friends the night we hosted the Holiday Karaoke Extravaganza that turned into the Epic Loft Party. One of us asked for this recipe after trying it at a party we had attended a few years back, and now we are passing it on so that you too can share this at your next party! Adapted from a recipe from our family friend Shelley Kurata who in turn got it from Kathy Kurata. mayonnaisesour creamkambokotobiko roegreen onionsshitake mushroomsricecooking sprayfurikakekorean seasoned nori
  • banana bread pudding
    This is a great dessert for entertaining that would also be a perfect brunch dish. It's very basic - custard-soaked bread - yet rich and elegant, and it can be made up to 2 days in advance. We bake the bread pudding and then chill it, cut it into squares, and cook it in butter, so it's almost like French toast. We use brioche for its flavor, but any good white sandwich bread will work; look for long rectangular loaf called Pullman loaf or pain de mie, which has a soft, uniform interior, or crumb. The banana can be replaced with a similar quantity of dried fruit or omitted altogether - this is a delicious bread pudding without any fruit. It's excellent topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce, mascarpone cheese, maple syrup, honey, or even a berry sauce. whole milkheavy creamgranulated sugarvanilla pastebrioche pullman loafeggsbananasclarified butter
  • BBQ Pork Pastries (Char Siu Sou)
  • Biscotti
    SaltEggsSugarOrange ZestVanillaPastry FlourBaking PowderBlanched AlmondsAnise Seed
  • Black Bean and Cheese Empanadas
    all-purpose flourKosher saltsugarbaking powdercold unsalted butterwaterextra flour for dustingrice bran oilyellow onionjalapenogarliccuminchili powdergranulated sugarblack beansKosher salt and black pepper to tasteshredded mozzarellaeggswater
  • Black Currant Tea Scones
  • Brazil Cafe's cilantro garlic sauce
    This sauce is great with steak, especially tri-tip. While waiting for our sandwiches at Pedro's Brazil Cafe, I saw the sign advertising their cilantro-garlic sauce, so I decided to see if anyone had posted the recipe online. I had just started reading this recipe posted on this food blog when Pedro himself stops by to ask if I needed a table. I showed him the recipe and asked him if the ingredient list was correct. He shook his head and told me a different list of ingredients, also adding to make sure to add "lots of love." :) I made the sauce that night and we enjoyed it with steak, rice, and Brazilian black beans. garlicmayonnaisecilantrolimevinegarpaprikasaltpepper