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Swordfish with Peperonata

lisa is cooking — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 03:01:19 +0000

When we received some fresh, colorful peppers from our CSA last week, I knew how I wanted to use them. They were mostly sweet peppers in red, orange, and pale yellow or almost white, and there were some jalapenos too. My plan was to cook them slowly with onion and tomato to make a peperonata to serve on swordfish like I saw in Eating Local. I warned you I’d be using this book a lot. Now, about that swordfish. I admit I’m a worrier when it comes to buying fish. I always check in with the...

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Pretzel Bites

lisa is cooking — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:15:11 +0000

When I read a cookbook, I always take mental notes of the things I really, really want to make. Admittedly, I have a messy, confused pile of notes in my head at this point, but I eventually remember them when an occasion for each arrives. Sometimes it takes a while though. I’ve had the lovely and thorough Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres Handbook since 1999, and I just finally made the pretzel bites that looked so tasty when I first saw them in that book over ten years ago. There’s one less note...

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Salty Ancho Peanut Butter Cookies

Laura — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:30:00 +0000

I got the idea for these cookies from the Rogue Bakery, a homemade, home-delivered cookie bakery in Columbus and Cleveland. I actually have not tried their spicy peanut butter cookies, but when I heard the owner/baker say ancho and peanut butter in the same tweet, I was instantly intrigued. (For what it's worth, I have tried other cookies they make and they are delicious.)

This is a match made in heaven. My version are not spicy, are not even that strong of an ancho flavor, but the ancho somehow brought out the peanut buttery goodness in the cookies and made them even more peanut buttery (although if you are wondering, I'd love to try a truly spicy version too, with chipotle). I was exclaiming over my new discovery when my sister pointed out that she had recently featured a spicy peanut butter cookie and I somehow missed it--bad sister! bad Laura! much self flogging...but anyway hers use a spicy peanut butter and so are a bit different (and are next on my to try list because ohmigosh they look amazing).

The texture of these cookies are a bit different for me. They are not super chewy (indeed next time I might bake one less minute) but they are not crunchy or crispy either. Matheson refers to them as "airy" and while I would not call them airy, I might call them airy for peanut butter cookies, if you see what I mean by the difference. For me, personally, the sugar and salt on top were absolutely necessary.

Salty Ancho Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from Salty Sweets, Christie Matheson

1 T AP flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t fine sea salt
1 t ground ancho chile pepper
1 cup regular (not natural) peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 T finely chopped salted peanuts
coarse turbinado sugar and coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Whisk together the flour, sea salt, baking soda, and ancho. Set aside.

Using a mixer, cream the peanut butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Add the flour mixture and mix in until well combined. Add the beaten egg and mix until incorporated. Stir in the peanuts.

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet--I got 12 cookies per sheet for a total of 24 cookies. Flatten the balls slightly with a fork (but know that the tine marks will disappear). Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the coarse sugar and salt.

Bake for about 12 minutes, until set and slightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute and then transfer to a cooking rack.

June Bug Cafe in Jamaica Plain Has Closed

Marc — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:31:00 +0000

A neighborhood cafe in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston has closed its doors.

An email sent to us earlier this week indicated that June Bug Cafe on Centre Street shut down due to rent issues, and a check on the Yelp site came up with a post stating that the eatery was evicted from the spot. We are still trying to confirm exactly why June Bug Cafe closed, but it is definitely gone from the space.

June Bug Cafe featured pastries, salads, sandwiches, coffee, bubble tea, and more, with wireless Internet access and a quirky coffee house type of atmosphere. The block of businesses that June Bug was in has seen its share of closings lately, with the upscale comfort food spot Zon's and the combination Italian restaurant/bowling alley Bella Luna/Milky Way Lounge shutting down (Bella Luna and the Milky Way have since moved to the Brewery complex on Amory Street, though there is no more bowling).

The address for this now-closed cafe in Jamaica Plain was: June Bug Cafe, 403 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130.

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Kuhn Rikon Kulu Herb and Vegetable Knife

Jay Brewer — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:53:20 +0000

Kuhn Rikon has sent us over both the smaller and larger version of this herb and vegetable knife. We really like the handle, and the high carbon Japanese steel is sharp. The knife also features a nonstick coating for easy food release from the utra-sharp edge. The matching sheath also helps to keep blade sharp for future use.

At Kuhn Rikon Kulu Herb & Vegetable Knife

Durgin Park, Summer Shack Make OpenTable’s 2010 Diners’ Choice Awards List for Most Kid-Friendly Restaurants

Marc — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:56:00 +0000

A national online restaurant reservations provider has come out with its 2010 Diners' Choice awards for for most kid-friendly restaurants, and two Boston-area spots have made the list.

According to an article on the MarketWatch site, Durgin Park at Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Summer Shack's Boston, Cambridge, and Hingham locations were included among the country's 50 best family-friendly dining spots, based on reviews by OpenTable's diners. The list of the 50 winning kid-friendly restaurants comes from more than five million reviews for more than 12,000 restaurants throughout the United States, according to the article.

No other restaurants in New England made the list.

Fro a complete list of the kid-friendly restaurants chosen by OpenTable's diners, please go to the following MarketWatch link:

OpenTable Announces Winners of 2010 Diners' Choice Awards for Most Kid-Friendly Restaurants

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