Posts From Amanda
Chef Notes: Bread Pudding With Hazelnut Liqueur Sauce
I have such fond memories of my grandmother, most of which involve her cooking. My grandmother had no formal training, owned only a handful of cookbooks, and probably never heard of
Chef notes: Piloncillo or “Mexican brown sugar”
I love to wander into tiny ethnic markets and browse the shelves looking for a new ingredient (preferably something I’ve never even heard of before) to bring home, research, and
Chef Notes: Dinosaur Kale
I had never heard of dinosaur kale until my internship at Fine Cooking Magazine. Growing up in the South, we certainly ate our share of greens, including kale, but never
Chef Notes: The 101 on Vinaigrettes
One of the quickest and easiest sauces to make is a vinaigrette. I’m not talking about the gloppy, over seasoned, too sweet vinaigrette’s you buy at the grocery store. A
Chef Notes: Hollandaise Sauce
We’ve talked about the five French mother sauces before. They are béchamel, espagnole (brown sauce), hollandaise, tomato, and veloute. Virtually all sauces, with the exception of quick pan sauces, are
The Best of 2012…Chef Notes: Compound Butters
We’re picking our favorite posts of 2012 this week and we couldn’t resist this column by Chef Amanda about making your own flavored butters. I started making my own after
Chef Amanda Makes Crepes
For Thanksgiving at my parents this year I made a traditional Beef Wellington. You may not realize that in a traditional Beef Wellington the tenderloin is wrapped in crepes before
Chef Notes: Holy Meatballs
There are few foods more perfect, more enticing, more versatile than meatballs. While a little messy (no one likes forming the balls, they get your hands slimy) they’re easy to
Chef Amanda On How to Throw a Dinner Party
Throwing a real grown up dinner party is overwhelming for the accomplished host/hostess. To those with little experience it can be terrifying. We recently hosted Al’s family’s Thanksgiving Dinner and have
Chef Notes: Fast Homemade Marinara Sauce
I’m always looking for quick, easy, homemade dinners. Marinara sauce is one of my favorite go-to’s. In addition to serving it the tried and true way, over pasta, it can
