Author: Carole Kotkin
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Grilled beef tenderloin is great for summer entertaining
When it comes to late summer entertaining, my hands-down favorite dish for a crowd is whole grilled beef tenderloin. It’s hearty, bursting with flavor, but low in fat, plus it’s quick and easy and leaves the oven free for other dishes. You can purchase a trimmed and tied tenderloin from a butcher, but it’s more…
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Osso Buco a company dish
On Sundays this time of year, when long-simmered dishes fill the kitchen with homey aromas, few entrees are as welcome as osso buco, Italian braised veal shanks. Osso buco literally means “bone with a hole,” and refers to cross-cut pieces of meaty veal shank. The meat is braised until it shreds at the touch of…
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Exotic flavor makes saffron a star
Since the time of early Egypt, saffron has been the spice of pharaohs, maharajas and kings. The price of saffron, at $100 an ounce, is often compared to gold. The intensive hand labor is what makes saffron the most expensive spice in the world. The tiny red threads must be hand-picked from the center of…
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Big Easy Jambalaya easily feeds a crowd
The Super Bowl is around the corner, and nothing complements the big game better than cold beer, an array of salty and spicy foods and the company of friends. One of my favorite crowd-pleasers is jambalaya, perhaps the most famous dish in New Orleans’ Cajun-Creole repertoire.Big Easy cuisine is a melting pot, combining Native American,…
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RECIPE: Hot-Brown open-face sandwich features turkey
When I plan Thanksgiving dinner, I look forward to the leftovers as much as the feast itself. I take advantage of the lower prices on turkey this time of the year and buy an extra breast to roast along with the big bird.Turkey can replace chicken in many recipes, and it’s a wonderful addition to…
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Vanilla’s not just for flavoring desserts
If you thought chocolate topped the flavor hit parade, you would be wrong. It’s vanilla that is America’s No. 1 flavor. And it’s far from “plain vanilla.” The flavoring is derived from the cured beans (seed pods) of a climbing vine in the orchid family. Native to Mexico, it is also grown in Indonesia, Madagascar…