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Mother’s Day is coming up soon, and these chocolate ganache-filled cream puff swans would be a great way to say thanks to her for that whole giving you life thing. I think once she tastes them, she’ll agree that it was all worth it after all. This is mostly a technique video, as these beautiful birds would work with any number of fillings. Pastry cream, lemon curd, mousse, and fresh fruit are all perfect with this pâte à choux delivery system. This classic French dough has a thousand uses, and must be mastered by any serious cook.  By the way, these are much better chilled, so make them an hour or two ahead. The one I eat in the video wasn’t well chilled, and you can see was pretty soft. Once cold, the chocolate ganache becomes very truffle-like, the whipped cream firms up, and you get something much more toothsome. So whether you do these for Mother's Day or not, I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy! Pâte à Choux (Cream Puff Dough) *enough for about 8-10 “swans” 1/2 cu

There’s nothing quite as satisfying in the kitchen as snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. I was playing around with some squid ceviche preparations, and while it did “cook” in the acidic marinade, I really didn’t enjoy the texture. I actually hated it.  I’m not sure if it needed more time, or more acid, but it wasn’t good. Not wanting to toss it, I decided to fry it up, and maybe hide it in some pasta, or something. I went with “or something,” and this cold, coconut-spiked salad was the result. I haven’t been this happy about a failed recipe in a long time. Not only did it make a fantastic, sort of Thai-like salad, I can see this being quite versatile as well. It was very tasty hot, and would be great over rice with some of the cooked-down marinade. It would also be amazing over a big bowl of crunchy greens. Just don’t skip the toasted coconut, as it really does make the dish. I hope you give this delicious accident a try soon. Enjoy! Ingredients for 4 Portions Spicy Coconut &am

I met my friend @wibia the other day for a quick bite downtown. He had wanted to try this new Blaze Pizza place (what is it about men and pizza?) and I liked the idea of a quick-fired thin crust pizza (thin crust is usually my favorite). So you walk in and this place is sort of a taqueria-style (or Subway-style I guess)—you wait in line and either order one of their specialty pizzas or you can build your own. They press the (handmade) dough in front of you constantly and then pass it down the assembly line. At the end they throw it in a hot oven for like 3 minutes, cut it and serve it. It only takes 4-5 minutes from ordering to getting your pie. I went with one of their combinations—the “veg out.” This was mozzarella, Gorgonzola, zucchini, mushrooms, red onions and dollops on red sauce. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the zucchini knowing that sometimes pieces of zucchini can make a pizza soggy because they contain so much water. But they had this all figured out—the zucchini was diced

It’s been far too long since I shared a video from some of the new blood on YouTube. And by “new blood” I mean the young punks who will eventually put me out of work. Oh well, we had a good run. Anyway, Noah does a great job here, and I hope he keeps adding to his channel . By the way, I really like the music. Enjoy! You can subscribe to NoahGreeneCooking here .

We recently took a family trip to Williamsburg and Washington DC. Since we were starting in Williamsburg, we flew into Richmond, VA. Never one to pass up an opportunity to eat in a new city (I don’t think I have ever spent any time in Richmond), I did a little research and we ended up at the Roosevelt. It was a Sunday so we were in prime brunch hours—and my kids love a good brunch, so it seemed perfect.  It’s a cute little restaurant—quite busy, but the tables no so crowded together that you felt like you were on top of people. They don’t have a kid’s menu per se, but several items on the regular menu that were quite appealing to my kids. My son had the biscuits and gravy ($7)—there were two fluffy biscuits with lots of sausage gravy—some pretty big chunks of sausage in there and two slow cooked eggs—assuming they were sous vide eggs because they were still wonderfully runny inside. It was a big meal for him, but he enjoyed it. Although not as much as my fried oyster omelet ($8).  That

After the ominous, but delicious, “ Hangtown Fry ,” Original Joe’s “Joe’s Special” is probably San Francisco’s most famous breakfast. Unless you’re counting the Buena Vista Café’s Irish coffee as breakfast, and now that I think about it, you probably should. This mammoth plate of food features three eggs, a half-pound of meat, and more than enough spinach. Apparently a late-night patron requested his spinach omelet include a hamburger patty, and this is what happened. In respect to good ol’ made-up “Joe,” I’ve kept the original portions, so feel free to share with a friend or three. Speaking of mammoth, this should make all you paleo-diet people who keep emailing me happy. Skip the toast and you’re in high-protein/low-carb heaven. As far as the method goes; even a caveman could do it. Just be sure to season generously at each stage, and taste at the end, and you’ll be enjoying a truly delicious, San Francisco original. Enjoy! Ingredients for one huge portion: NOTE: This version is m

I wish I had a better story for how I developed this great pecan pie recipe, besides that I adapted it from one I saw in a Food & Wine article, which according to some guy I don’t remember, may have won a prize in the Texas State Fair. Like I said, the story needs some embellishing. Nevertheless, this is my idea of the perfect pecan pie. It has the perfect ratio of crunchy nuts to the sweet, sticky goodness underneath. And thanks to the blind-baking, the crust is wonderfully crisp. I used less sugar/corn syrup than most popular recipes, but I highly doubt you’ll notice, especially with that little, but not too little, scoop of ice cream on top. Some people swear by whipped cream, but I'll take the denser, colder option every time. As I mentioned in the video, April is National Pecan Month, and what better way to celebrate than with America’s favorite pecan recipe? I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy! Ingredients for one pie: Enough pie dough for a 9 1/2 inch glass p

This recipe for SOFT and CHEWY maple cookies is excellent; they really do stay soft for days (if they last that long) and who doesn't love maple?!?! This recipe makes a large batch, so it is perfect for bake sales, potlucks or any large gathering.     1 cup butter (room temperature) 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg 1 cup REAL maple syrup (not pancake syrup) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons maple extract 4 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt   In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar till well mixed; add the egg, syrup and extracts; mix until smooth.   Mix the flour, salt and baking soda together, and add it to the wet mixture, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The cookie dough batter will be very thick.   Lightly  grease your cookie sheets with vegetable spray or cover your baking sheets with parchment paper.   Roll cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll them in granulated sugar. Place the sugared cookie

I’m too busy working on tomorrow’s video to make it, but I’m really craving a bowl of colcannon. This kale, leek, and potato mash is the perfect spring side dish. In addition to being great next to anything, you can heat up the leftovers with a splash of chicken broth, and turn it into an easy and memorable potato soup. Follow this link to get the ingredients , and read the original post. Enjoy!

We were having a family “discussion” the other day (it was a weekend) about where to have lunch. We all have our favorite places and no one could seem to agree. Hubby mentioned Shoefly because even though I had been twice, he had not yet been and wanted to give it a go. I was looking forward to trying something different, so of course I was game. Based on several recommendations, I decided to get the duck wings off of the appetizer menu ($6) with honey Dijon sauce (you have your choice of several sauces) and the small house salad ($4). The duck wings are pretty darn delicious. The extra meaty and just slightly gamey wings (think of a large chicken wing made with dark meat) were messy but a favorite of the table. My son decided on our next visit he would get an order of these without any sauce. I am not sure I made the right choice as far as the sauce goes—I think maybe the slightly sweet chili oil might be better with duck. I am intrigued by the chimichurri. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy

We just got back from a relaxing spring break with the family in beautiful Dunsmuir, California, and I wanted to say Happy Easter, and that I hope you had as nice a weekend as we did.  We stayed in a fishing cabin right on the upper Sacramento river, and there's nothing as therapeutic as the sound of a rushing river beneath your bedroom window. I forget the name, but this is a waterfall we hiked to, which had a cave behind it, so you could actually stand under the water. It was a great escape.  Anyway, time for me to catch up on email and comments, and for you to stay tuned for a new video! 

As promised, here’s the video for how to debone and butterfly your own leg of lamb. Since I am going to save you a few dollars, when the butcher asks you if you want it deboned, I'd appreciate it if you said something like, “I watch Food Wishes, so I’ve got it covered.” By the way, I was only half kidding about using a fat, dull knife.  Bored cooks have been known to do this with butter knives, steak knives, pairing knives, or any other knife they think would win them an after shift beer (I've heard from a friend). The point is, cooks drink a lot, and you don’t need a razor-sharp blade to do this at home. So, if you’re doing a whole leg of lamb this Easter, I hope you give this simple technique a try. Have a great holiday, and as always, enjoy!

I met my favorite Pilates instructor for lunch the other day at Movable Feast—it’s quick and right by our houses. Although their chicken salad is one of my favorite usuals, it was so cold on this day, I had to get something warm. It was Wednesday and the special of the day (and every Wednesday I believe) was the jerk pork sandwich ($6 I believe). I wasn't even gonna write about this lunch, but then I had the sandwich. This sandwich is great. Really, really great. It is roasted pork tenderloin that is seasoned with jerk seasoning and sliced pretty thin. It is served on a fairly soft baguette with melty Swiss cheese, lettuce and jerk mayo. The thing about this sandwich, besides for the exceptionally tender pork and the kick from the jerk seasoning is that there is a touch of tanginess. I am not sure if the lettuce was lightly dressed or the tanginess was coming from the mayo, but it was a perfect combination of flavors. I tend to avoid sandwiches like this because so often the heat i

I’ve done more than a few lamb dishes dedicated to Easter, but inexplicably have never posted one for a whole leg of lamb. It’s such a classic Easter menu option, and when prepared using this method, makes for a very user-friendly hunk of meat.  The key here is removing the bone, and replacing it an extremely flavorful wet rub. You have two options here; the easy way, or the fun way. You can go to a butcher and buy a ready-to-roast, boned and butterflied leg of lamb. They’re not cheap, but they’ll happily butterfly, trim, and tie it to your specifications. Or, you could watch the next video I’ll post on Friday, and see how easy it is to remove yourself. Either way, once the bone is out, you’re free to season in any one of a thousand different ways. I highly recommend this particular combination, as the pomegranate molasses does magical things. If you can't find it near you, go online and get some, or follow this link and make your own using pomegranate juice. You’ll be so glad you

Whenever I hear people criticizing millennials for being self-absorbed, having short attentions spans, and for expecting to get what they want, exactly when they want it, I think to myself, “Hey, that sounds like my generation!” Well, if that’s the case, then they’re (and we’re) going to love this quick-cured salmon technique. While the process is incredibly simple, the potential variations are endless. Whenever I show a new technique, I usually keep things simple, as to not distract people, but whether you’re talking about the brine, or post-cure seasonings, this is something that begs for adaptation. Smoked salt, chipotle, or smoked paprika could be used before or after the cure to make things a little loxier, and don’t even get me started on the herbs. After the 3-minute cure, you can sprinkle your slices with dill, tarragon, chervil, and/or thyme, before the refrigeration stage. Speaking of impatient millennials; this is technically ready to eat after the three minute dunk, but yo

Hubby has a very good friend who lives in Cincinnati, but we never seem to be able to make our schedules work to hang out very often because we are all so busy. We decided we would just pick a random place in the middle and go on a weeknight instead. Exactly (literally, the restaurant was exactly 1 hour and 7 minutes away from each of us) in the middle was the Fireside Inn. They specialize in fried chicken. So yeah, no brainer. It is really a teeny tiny town (Enochsburg) with pretty much just this restaurant. And it’s really a little bar with a family side, which looks like it was built in the 1960s and hasn’t changed much since. Completely casual. You have to laugh when you look at the menu—pretty much every single thing is fried. We started with an order of the fried pickles (I didn’t take note of the price, but I think they were under $2). They were probably the best fried pickles I have ever had and were probably the highlight of the meal for me. They were super-pickley. Not thick,

My lovely and talented friends at Allrecipes.com have come up with a way to combine two of my all-time favorite things; colored Easter eggs and cupcakes! Okay, so the first part of that wasn't true, but neither was the second part. However, if you're into this kind of seasonal foodcraft, and apparently many of you are, then I think this would make a brilliant addition to your Easter baskets. Enjoy!

I know there is really good sushi, and sushi that is just okay, but this was my first experience with bad sushi. Hubby and I were going to a party near Brownsburg and thought trying a new sushi place was a good idea so we didn’t eat too much for dinner so we could partake in the hors d'oeuvres that would be served at the party as well. I was happy to find an independent restaurant on this side of town, amongst what looks like a lot of chains. I was impressed with how crowded the restaurant was as well; especially considering it was pretty early still. I was a little nervous about service after reading some things online, but our server was prompt and brought us drinks right away. I ordered a bowl of miso soup ($2.50) and she brought it quickly. The broth was one of the better ones I have had, a little more depth to it, not just a clear broth. The stuff in it was weak though. Very few very teeny cubes of tofu and just a couple of pieces of seaweed and scallions. We had already order

This fascinating pork on a stick recipe is American cuisine in a nutshell. City cooks, who couldn’t get chicken, would take scraps from much-cheaper-at-the-time pork, and build something similar to what you see here; but that’s not what makes this delicious mock drumstick so American. Why this represents the true spirit of American food, is that long after chicken became cheap and plentiful, people kept making and eating this anyway. Yes, in cities across the Rust Belt, people decided that the only thing better than one kind of fried chicken leg, was two kinds of fried chicken leg. It’s hard to argue. As you’ll see in the video, I like to lay out my pork slices so that the larger slices will be in the middle of the skewer, and smaller pieces at the bottom, to maximize the drumstick effect.  Of course, I guess you could poke the pork in any old order, but there just won’t be as many oohs and ahs. I used pork tenderloin, which is fantastic for this procedure, but traditionally pork sho