Chew On This

Courgette and Carrot Bran Muffins

Chef Julia — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 18:47:40 +0000

Bran muffins can dry out pretty quickly. I always seem to find this problem when I try out a recipe that asks for lots of whole wheat flour or unprocessed bran. So I set for myself the challenge of how to make moister bran muffins. To accomplish this, I chose to combine my regular bran [...]

The Hunt For The Perfect Cookie

Chef Julia — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:23:00 +0000

Every good chef needs to have a handful of tried-and-true recipes that are consistently reliable and delicious, that can lend themselves to lots of variations and be made in a pinch. I have some excellent recipes for pastry cream, yellow cake, chocolate cake, lemon curd, and brownies. These staples provide a great foundation for building a much larger catalog. I know I can always whip them up quickly and without any guesswork. But until recently my repertoire had been missing something basic: a shortbread or butter cookie recipe I could pair with all of the wonderful custards that I have been making. I set out to try three different recipes: a classic shortbread recipe from The All-American Cookie Book (Nancy Baggett, ©2001), a shortbread cookie recipe from one of my all-time favorite and most unfailingly inspirational books, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (Ina Garten, ©1999), and finally a butter cookie recipe from a reputable but so far un-tested (by me) cookbook titled Chez Panisse Desserts (Lindsey Remolif Shere, ©1985). Each dough was easy enough to put together, chill, roll out, and bake – okay, in all truth, the classic shortbread recipe was a little dry and difficult to shape – but the results were completely different in both taste and texture.

Newest Addition to the Cupcake Collection – Firefighter Cupcakes

Chef Julia — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:44:52 +0000

About a week and a half ago I was called to help out a family with a barbecue in honor of their French exchange student, who is an aspiring firefighter. They thought it would be perfect to theme the cupcakes around her future profession. Immediately I thought of decorating the cupcakes with fondant flames, but [...]

Ask Chef Julia – Chapter 1 – Vinaigrettes

Chef Julia — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:51:41 +0000

A friend of mine recently wrote me this note: “Was wondering if you would be open to recommending a recipe for an all-around vinaigrette (yours or a third-party recipe that you like). I’m looking for something that would be light enough for a tomato salad as well as a basic greens salad. My pouring of [...]

Summer Citrus Corn Salad

Chef Julia — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:33:33 +0000

This salad is absolutely wonderful during corn season, and easy to whip up and have as a side dish. I served it recently at a dinner party and it was a hit all around. The dish packs plenty of flavor and will make you look like a pro in the kitchen. I always recommend using [...]

All Natural Strawberry Sauce

Chef Julia — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:12:40 +0000

When summer’s fresh round of fruit begins to appear at the farmers market, I can’t help but go overboard with excitement. After a long winter of root vegetables and apples—lots and lots of apples—I long for the sight of fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and cherries. Before I know it, the pints of berries grow into [...]

Heirloom Tomato Salad – Serves 6

Chef Julia — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 23:43:03 +0000

There’s nothing better than a really good tomato; I just love them. I love them so much I wrote a blog post about these great tomatoes that I found at the farmers market that are the Momotaro, or Japanese variety (click here for the complete blog post). Farmers markets are a great source for flavorful, [...]

A Really Good Tomato

Chef Julia — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:11:53 +0000

I love tomatoes. I mean, I really love tomatoes. My answer to the question, “what food could I eat every day for the rest of my life?” would undoubtedly be the tomato. They’re versatile, complex, sweet, juicy, they’re delicious raw in a salad or as a salad by themselves (see my new recipe for heirloom [...]

UPDATE: Happy Birthday, Sesame Street Fans!

Chef Julia — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:49:49 +0000

I have to give a special shout-out to a great friend of mine who has been very supportive in my entrepreneurial endeavor, personally placing orders and offering referrals regularly. She knows who she is, and I can’t thank her enough. Most recently, she passed along a request from a friend who saw a picture of [...]

The OC’s Largest Mixer

Chef Julia — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:52:56 +0000

Just a couple months ago, during Julia’s Kitchen’s first trade show, the Simcha and Celebrations Showcase in Newport Beach, I got a chance to meet some of the vendors. Everyone was supremely nice and helpful, considering I was the new kid on the block. Not only did they compliment me on my food and presentation, [...]