Beignets are the Louisiana official state Doughnut. The beignet usually uses a choux dough, a moist dough that allows steam to puff up the beignet, a choux pastry. Making a choux pastry is a bit of a challenge and the recipe below is a fairly simple moist yeast dough. In the 17th century Settlers from…
The origin of spring rolls is distinctly Chinese. The roll, as all of us have come to understand it, originated during the Jin Dynasty, 266-420 D. Originally the term “spring roll” indicated a wrapped roll filled with spring vegetables and was a celebratory dish when spring arrived. The concept has spread around Asia and most…
Recently I spent a week in Dublin at a conference. The conference was a major European meeting that occurs every 2 years, a schedule completely messed up by the COVID response. A wonderful city, and one I have visited in the past. Pubs, pints, friendly people, and pretty good food seem to sum up this…
Stromboli is a stuffed Italian bread that originated in the USA. Romano’s restaurant in Philadelphia claims to be the first to provide Stromboli on their menu. The Stromboli is similar to the Calzone, which was invented in Italy in the 1700s in Naples. The basic difference between the two is how they are shaped and…
This is a great recipe for a side or appetizer. I was not able to fold over the dough and make an appetizing looking round packet, see pictures below. The skills of Chinese chefs are beyond my expertise. I found that using my pasta maker make a uniformly thick dough and using two rounds made…
This blog will be a bit long, which doesn’t match the simplicity of making these onigiri. These rice balls, which come in many different sizes and shapes, different fillings, and different preparations are simple and delicious. As you can see from the featured image, you can be very creative in shape, design, filling and just…
OK, for those of us who are not used to green bananas, this doesn’t sound that appetizing, but hold on! You really must try this salad, it is savory and sweet, mildly spicy, and delicious. This salad can be made for a Tailgate at Keenland Race Track, or a picnic, or just an interesting salad…
In making the Puerto Rican Pasteles I was intrigued as to what dishes are traditionally used as side dishes when serving the pasteles. This dish is delicious and makes a great side for any meal. The rice is savory and vegetarian. this recipe works extremely well with cooked in a rice cooker. I recenly purchased…
In my research on pasteles, I wondered what the classical sides were that complemented those wonderful “tamales”. A Puerto Rican potato salad is often mentioned. This is my iteration of that delicious salad, which does not need to just be served with pasteles! Notes: I love Yukon Gold potatoes and find that when mixed with…
The first mention of pasteles occurred in 1843 however, the first recipe in a cookbook was in the 1930s. Pasteles were influenced by the indigenous peoples of Puerto Rice, West Africa and Spain. It has been suggested that pasteles originated from the American Taino Native American tribe. These are “tamales” for want of a better…