All posts filed under: Food Musings

The Surprisingly Alluring Sardine

Published by Kathy Hunt

Over the past few weeks I’ve been inviting friends over for a series of “Pretend You’re at Williams-Sonoma Sampling Food” nights. On these evenings I ply them with recipes from my cookbook Fish Market in an attempt to see which dishes appeal to even the most apathetic seafood eaters. Unequivocally, they have gone for sardine spread. Considering how many had initially voiced their distaste for this small, iridescent fish, I’m both surprised and pleased by the discovery. What makes people dislike sardines? Beats me. I do know why I enjoy them. For such small fish they possess a ton of rich, meaty flavor. Add a few to a salad, sandwich, pizza or pie and you end up with one fabulously savory and complex tasting dish. Then there are the health aspects. These guys are packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Plus, they pair well with an array of ingredients. Eggplant, tomato, onion, orange, lemon, cheese, olives, fennel, rosemary and parsley all marry beautifully with sardines. What makes our friends, many of whom had …

Dreamy Triple Chocolate Coconut Bars

Published by Kathy Hunt

I’m married to a guy who adores coconut. Me? Not so much. Hand me a Mounds or Bounty bar and I’ll nibble off the smooth, rich chocolate, leaving behind a sticky blob of sinewy coconut for my husband to eat. Gross but true. Because of my apathy toward coconut, I rarely bake desserts featuring it. However, when I do, I make Dreamy Triple Chocolate Coconut Bars. Inspired by Amy’s Bread’s coconut dream bars, these luxurious treats feature plenty of coconut for my husband and an ample amount of chocolate for me. They’re the perfect compromise for two only children who love radically different sweets. Dreamy Triple Chocolate Coconut Bars will keep for several days. If you aren’t going to serve them right away, cover them with plastic wrap and store in a cool place. DREAMY TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COCONUT BARS Makes 20 bars 3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 3 1/4 cups sweetened coconut flakes 1 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk …

Chesapeake Bay Crab Balls

Published by Kathy Hunt

Thanks to good friends who live in the Chesapeake Bay area, I spend quite a bit of time cooking and eating along Maryland’s coastline. Hang out in this region for any amount of time and you’ll quickly see how crazy everyone is about crabs. It’s not hard to figure out why. Native to the western Atlantic, blue crabs play a major role in the local marine fisheries and economy. As their name suggests, blue crabs sport blue claws and bluish-green bodies. Along with their striking appearance they possess sweet, soft and flaky meat, a trait that wins them many fans. Got blue crabs? Then you’ve got a lot of recipes featuring savory crab meat. What do my Chesapeake Bay buddies do with their crustaceans? They steam or sauté them, shape them into patties for crab cakes or add them to soups and stews. One of my favorite Chesapeake Bay creations is a quick, zesty appetizer known as crab balls. Created by old friend and cooking pal Elizabeth Theisen, crab balls are this week’s Kitchen Kat …

The Friday Fish Fry

Published by Kathy Hunt

Last week I heard two words that jettisoned me right back to high school — fish fry. Thanks to a heart attack that my father had suffered at a school football game and our family’s subsequent dietary restrictions, I grew up eating a lot of dry, unadorned fish dinners. Several times a season, though, we would slip out of these tight restraints and head off to a Friday night fish fry. Hosted by local churches and the Telephone Pioneers of America, of which my engineer dad was a devoted member, these events were the highpoint of our otherwise drab seafood diet. What I remember most about those fish fries are the oil-stained, white paper plates that collapsed beneath the weight of their contents and the contents themselves. The cargo varied slightly, with sides of coleslaw, mac and cheese, pierogies or french fries, but always contained triangles of crunchy, golden batter encasing fillets of white fish. Paired with tartar sauce, malt vinegar and ketchup, the crisp, deep-fried fish was, in my mind, outrageously delicious. Today I …

Spring Vegetable Frittata

Published by Kathy Hunt

Beyond chocolate bunnies, jelly beans and marshmallow chicks, I’ve never associated a specific food with Easter. When I was a kid, my mother would occasionally bake a ham pricked with cloves and draped with pineapple rings. Served alongside creamy scalloped potatoes and peas, it was the closest that my family ever came to a traditional, home cooked, Easter meal. More often than not, on Easter Sunday we went out for brunch. Some years we hit an upscale buffet brimming with glistening Danishes, steamy scrabbled eggs, roast beef and shrimp cocktail. Other times we enjoyed a sit down meal of fruit- and cream cheese-stuffed French toast, eggs Benedict or chicken divan. Once again, there was no set cuisine or, for that matter, locale. Oddly enough, I’ve married into a family that likewise celebrates this holiday with brunch. Taking into account that recurring meal, I’d like to share a fresh, easy, brunch offering, Spring Vegetable Frittata. It may sound fancy but a frittata is nothing more than the Italian version of a French omelet. With omelets you …

Scallops from the Sea

Published by Kathy Hunt

Although I’ve been a pescatarian for over 15 years, I truly don’t have a favorite seafood; there are too many delicious fish in the sea – and lakes and rivers – to favor only one. I do, though, have a few that I turn to when having friends and family over for dinner. These are the fish and shellfish that appear glamorous on the plate and also taste fabulous on the palate. Among these tasty lookers are sea scallops. Generally eco-friendly bivalves, scallops fall into two categories —— the tiny, costly bay and larger, more abundant and less expensive sea. The latter is what you usually see at grocery stores and restaurants. At present diver-caught, Pacific sea scallops are the best choice for consumers. If you want beautiful presentation, you can’t go wrong with sea scallops. Whole, they resemble plump, round pillows perched atop a china or porcelain bed. Cut into them and you’ll find pearl colored, jewel-like, mildly sweet flesh. Just gorgeous! As with most seafood, scallops are a snap to prepare. They cook …

Toast St. Patrick’s Day with Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Published by Kathy Hunt

Since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, I thought it fitting to share a recipe inspired by some Irish favorites. No, I’m not talking about fish and chips or Irish stew and soda bread. I mean Guinness, Bailey’s and chocolate. (As an aside, if you don’t think of chocolate as being especially Irish, take a peek at Butlers. And, if you find yourself in Dublin, Cork or Galway, try Butlers hot cocoa and truffles. So, so good.) Considering my enormous sweet tooth, I’ll surprise no one with my choice of dessert over a savory, Irish specialty. Yet, thanks to one of their namesakes, Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes aren’t overwhelmingly sweet. The smokiness of the stout evens out the chocolatey, sugary batter. In turn, the vanilla-infused, cream cheese frosting tempers the tang of the Guinness-enriched cake. It’s the perfect balance of flavors. Along with possessing that ideal taste, these boozy, little cupcakes have an added bonus; they are quite simple to make. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir together. Pour the batter …

A Generous Dose of Minestrone Soup

Published by Kathy Hunt

I, along with pretty much everyone whom I know, have been plodding through this season with a runny nose and sore throat. While friends reach for Neti pots, echinacea or Benadryl to beat the sniffles, I turn to the cold remedies of my childhood — fitful naps, bad B-movies, good books and warming soups. As a kid, I invariably received a course of Jewish penicillin as well as doses of minestrone and stracciatella. Sound unusual? Keep in mind that I grew up in an Italian-American community where my parents’ favorite restaurant, Egidio’s, doled out tasty, Italian soups. Minestrone remains one of my preferred cold cures. Chocked full of wholesome vegetables and soothing broth, it goes down easy and warms me to the core. The minestrone that I make is based upon what chef-owner and cookbook author Laura Pensiero serves at her Rhinebeck, NY restaurant, Gigi Trattoria. Light, wholesome and flavorful, her vegetarian-friendly, Northern Italian soup features diced potatoes, beans, carrots, celery and fresh herbs. Mine does, too. VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE While I prefer using homemade vegetable …

A Love Affair with Greek Cookies

Published by Kathy Hunt

This year Valentine’s Day fell on the very same night that for the past six years my literary fiction book group has met. I had a tough choice to make; eat a romantic dinner with my husband or moderate a discussion of Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot. In the end I did what any lifelong, insatiable reader would do. I baked a batch of Greek cookies, invited Sean to the book group and spent the evening with some of my favorite people, treats and activities. The cookies that I baked are kourabiedes. Reminiscent of shortbread cookies, these crescent-shaped sweets are usually consumed at holidays and special occasions. Hence my decision to serve them on Valentine’s Day. Okay, that isn’t the only reason behind my making them. Flavored with splashes of vanilla extract and anise liqueur and blanketed with soft, fluffy confectioner’s sugar, they have been my cookie of choice since the ninth grade. My addiction started in the home of one of my closest childhood friends. The daughter of Greek immigrants and restaurant owners, Nickie …

Truffles for Valentine’s Day and Beyond!

Published by Kathy Hunt

Although I am one of the least craftsy people alive, I love making Valentine’s Day gifts. Specifically, I adore homemade, chocolate truffles. Shaped like the plump, lopsided mushrooms for which they’re named, hand-rolled truffles are a snap to prepare. If you can melt chocolate and don’t mind getting the palms of your hands a little gooey, you can create these sweets in no time. Dating back to 19th century France, truffles consist primarily of ganache, a blend of chopped white, milk or dark chocolate, heavy cream and optional smidgen of butter. To make ganache, cream is heated until scalding and then poured over the chocolate bits. Stirred together until smooth and creamy, the mixture is set aside to cool. Depending upon the ratio of cream to chocolate and the amount of time cooled, ganache can be used as a filling, icing or, as in the case of truffles, candy. As much as I like chocolate, I do think that truffles benefit from a dash of flavoring. Liqueurs, extracts, fruit purees or spices lend these bite-sized …