2011 ~ Super Food Notes

What Are Your Foodie New Year’s Resolutions?

By JOKO Desember 31, 2011

Photo (c) Flickr user nImAdestiny. I gave up on New Year’s resolutions a long time ago. Let’s face it, if you haven’t learned French by now, it’s not happening. Sure, that new elliptical machine would be a great way to get in shape, but what's more likely is you becoming the proud owner of a $1,200 coat rack that can read your pulse rate. The only people that actually keep...

New Year’s Day Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing – Good Luck with That!

By JOKO Desember 29, 2011

This spinach salad with black-eyed peas is a twist on one of my favorite American culinary traditions; the custom of serving beans and greens on New Year's Day. Supposedly eating "poor" on New Year’s Day brings much wealth and good luck throughout the year.The greens, usually braised with ham or sausage, represents paper money, and the beans, usually black-eyed peas, symbolize...

Roast Tenderloin of Beef with Porcini-Shallot-Tarragon Pan Sauce – It’s the Heat and the Humidity!

By JOKO Desember 27, 2011

This New Year’s Eve splurge special is dedicated to all of you who’ve used the cost as the excuse for not doing a beef tenderloin, when the real reason is the intense fear of screwing up such an expensive cut of meat.The thought of paying all that money for such a luxury item, only to have it end up a dry, overcooked platter of corn-fed humiliation, is just too much to take....

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!

By JOKO Desember 23, 2011

(c) 1956 Francis P. JohnsonMichele and I are heading to Windsor, CA, for Christmas with the family, and before we do, we want to wish all of you who celebrate, a very Merry Christmas! May you be surrounded by lots of loved ones, and plate after plate of great food. I'll be taking a little holiday break from the blog until Tuesday, when we’ll be back with a brand new video...

No-Knead Beer Bread – My Second Favorite Use for Belgian Ale

By JOKO Desember 23, 2011

The hardest thing about this ultra-simple, no-knead bread recipe is somehow managing not to drink that last bottle of beer. In fact, if this recipe goes viral, you may actually see a “7-Pack” introduced into the market. My beer drinking experience far exceeds my beer bread baking experience, so I’m not entirely sure exactly what the beer does here, but anecdotal evidence suggests...

Crispy Crusty Potato Pancakes! (Symbolic Oil Sold Separately)

By JOKO Desember 22, 2011

There's nothing like freshly fried potato pancakes, and thanks to Hanukkah, you can't visit a food blog right now without seeing a gorgeous-looking potato latke recipe. I'm quite proud of my version, so I decided to repost this video from last year. We garnished this with smoked salmon, but truth be told, my favorite way to enjoy them is topped with applesauce and sour cream....

Crispy Crusty Potato Pancakes! (Symbolic Oil Sold Separately)

By JOKO Desember 22, 2011

Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Glaze – A Not-So-Secret Christmas Tradition

By JOKO Desember 21, 2011

Unlike some families, we don’t have a set-in-stone Christmas dinner menu. It really varies year to year. We’ve tried just about every holiday roast imaginable, and I don’t think we’ve even had the exact same side dishes twice, but when it comes to dessert, that’s a whole other story.The meal must end with this gingerbread cake and it’s glistening lemon glaze. My wife Michele...

It’s Crème Fraiche Season

By JOKO Desember 20, 2011

Crème Fraiche is one of those extra special ingredients that seem to pop up in recipes this time of year. While sour cream may be fine the rest of the time, holiday menus demand something a little more luxurious. Well, instead of splurging at the grocery store, why not make your own? Follow this link to see how simple and easy homemade crème fraiche is, but don’t wait too...

It’s Crème Fraiche Season

By JOKO Desember 20, 2011

A Quick and Easy Cassoulet Recipe – Pork & Beans with Benefits

By JOKO Desember 19, 2011

Of course you can’t make a real cassoulet in an hour, but you can make this very acceptable cheater version, and as long as you manage expectations, you’re in for a great, cold-weather meal.Real cassoulet is an involved process, with several days of prep just to make the various meats served in this rustic bean casserole. Once everything is prepared, the dish bakes for hours,...

Chocolate Mint Brownies – Behold, The Tree of Disappointment

By JOKO Desember 16, 2011

I loved everything about these brownies, except the flavor. I love mint, I love chocolate, and I love chocolate mints, but for whatever reason, I don’t like chocolate mint brownies. It’s quite a personal mystery.My wife Michele’s theory is that since we love the pure chocolately goodness of classic plain brownies, the addition of that extra layer of flavor, especially one...

Italian Rice Croquettes aka Rice Balls aka Arancini – Back by Popular Demand… Aunt Angela and Uncle Bill D’Arduini!

By JOKO Desember 14, 2011

I just flew back from New York, and boy, are my jokes tired (as you’ll hear). So is everything else, and there’s no rest for the weary as I pack for a quick trip to see the team at Allrecipes.com in Seattle. So, time is short, and I’m posting this incredibly delicious Italian rice croquette recipe, sans extra wordy article. There isn’t much to add anyway; what you see is what...

Italian Rice Croquettes aka Rice Balls aka Arancini – Back by Popular Demand… Aunt Angela and Uncle Bill D’Arduini!

By JOKO Desember 14, 2011

Heading West

By JOKO Desember 13, 2011

I'll be flying from New York to San Francisco today, so my apologies for any delays in answering comments or emails. I will be back at it on Wednesday with what hopefully will be a fabulous new video recipe (possibly pictured below, but you'll have to wait to see for sure). Stay tun...

Homemade Chipotle Oil - Better Red Than Dead

By JOKO Desember 12, 2011

There’s nothing wrong with giving homemade holiday gifts, just as long as they’re something somebody would actually want and use. Thanks to things like fruitcakes so dense they have their own gravitational fields, making edible gifts has gotten a bad name, but that’s not an issue with this chipotle oil, especially if that certain someone on your gift list likes the spicy stuff.As...

What About Lasagna?

By JOKO Desember 11, 2011

Are you having trouble deciding what classic Christmas roast to do this holiday? Well, maybe that’s a sign you should take things in totally different, and much more Italian, direction. Follow this link to see the Christmas lasagna recipe video I originally posted last December. Enj...

What About Lasagna?

By JOKO Desember 11, 2011

My Goose Was Already Cooked

By JOKO Desember 09, 2011

Many years ago I remember trying to cook a Christmas goose. It wasn’t a total disaster, but I do remember gamey, less-than-tender meat, and copious amounts of grease. So, despite several food wishes for this iconic holiday roast, I decided it wasn’t something I wanted to revisit.Then, I received an offer to try a pre-cooked, smoked goose from Schiltz Foods. They’re the country’s...

Let’s Get Ready to Rum Ball!

By JOKO Desember 07, 2011

I want to thank a Twitter follower of mine, RookieKoo, for giving me the idea for today’s Michael Buffer-inspired post title. Of course, if you’re not familiar with the iconic boxing ring announcer’s catchphrase, then none of this will make any sense, and you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you it was an amusing reference.There are hundreds of ways to make rum balls,...

Hello from the Land of the Garbage Plate

By JOKO Desember 06, 2011

I’m currently in Western New York visiting my family, so I thought I’d repost this video I shot way back in 2007, featuring my attempt to eat this region's most infamous culinary creation, the Garbage Plate.The original Garbage Plate was created at Nick Tahou’s in Rochester, but this version was shot at my favorite local lunch spot, Charlie Riedel’s, in Canadaigua, NY. I highly encourage you to read the original post here for more information, as...

Hello from the Land of the Garbage Plate

By JOKO Desember 06, 2011

Merguez Sausage & Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash – Let’s Go Edible Bowling

By JOKO Desember 05, 2011

I’ve received a few requests lately for a demo on how to do chili in an edible bread bowl. I’m not sure if these people don’t know it’s simply a round loaf with a hole dug out of it, or if they’re just into watching me teach incredibly obvious things, but that’s one food wish that may not come true. What’s next, watch Chef John make ice?Anyway, unlike the aforementioned bread...

Deboning a Turkey by Proxy

By JOKO Desember 02, 2011

After posting my turkey ballotine photos from Thanksgiving, I was inundated with requests (demands) for a video demonstration. Of course, that would have meant buying and eating another turkey, so I decided to take the easy way out and post this clip from one of my heroes, Jacques Pépin. This is from pepinfan’s YouTube page, and it looks to be an episode from the venerable...

Easy as Chocolate Pecan Pie

By JOKO Desember 01, 2011

Despite the colloquial idiom, pies are not that easy, and in my opinion, it’s not the dough that separates the good from the great, it’s the fillings. With fresh fruit pies, you have to worry about too much or too little liquid. Custard-based fillings are texturally tricky; and don’t even get me started on lemon meringue.However, there’s one category of pie whose fillings...

Easy as Chocolate Pecan Pie

By JOKO Desember 01, 2011

Minestrone Soup is a Once in a Lifetime Experience

By JOKO November 28, 2011

I always feel a little apprehensive when I post a recipe like this minestrone soup. It’s the type of dish I never make the same way twice, and the fear is that someone will watch and assume that this is my “official” version. You don’t need a recipe for minestrone, just like you don’t need a recipe for a great sandwich, or an epic salad. To make minestrone soup precisely same...

Rum Baller, Shot Caller?

By JOKO November 27, 2011

I was playing with some rum balls today, for a video next week, and the first one I pulled off the silpat left this perfect chocolate smiley face. That has to be a great sign, rig...

On the Scene with Turkey Ballotine

By JOKO November 25, 2011

I got a few of emails from people curious about how I ended up doing my turkey this year. Well, here you go! For the first time, I decided to serve a classic turkey ballotine. I removed all the bones, applied a generous layer of herbs and spices, and then some buttery, cranberry bread stuffing. I rolled, tied it up, and slowly roasted it until I had the crispy-skinned...