Birthday

Chilled Key Lime Mousse

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:01:42 +0000

This refreshing chilled Key lime mousse is a perfect union of cream and foam, tangy lime and soft sweet custard. The method is simple but a little unusual—you make a custard with fresh Key lime juice rather than milk or cream. Key limes, which are about the size of a Ping-Pong ball, are wonderfully fragrant and more acidic than regular limes. They are available all year at well-stocked supermarkets. If you can’t find them, by all means use regular limes.

Lemon Pound Cake

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:23:55 +0000

Lemon Pound Cake

This wonderful rich, sweet lemon pound cake is downright zingy and the candied lemon slices are a beautiful bittersweet topping that’s better than frosting. The best part, though: when you taste it you won’t miss all the butter we cut out compared with a traditional pound cake recipe.

Clementine & Five-Spice Chicken

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:09:28 +0000

Clementine & Five-Spice Chicken

This chicken recipe gets intense, complex flavor from tangy clementines, five-spice powder and pungent Sichuan peppercorns. This dish is a marvel for entertaining: it takes just 35 minutes of prep and a handful of ingredients, but it looks and tastes super-special. Feel free to use mandarins, honey tangerines or oranges here instead of the clementines.

Easy Whole-Grain Crepes

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:50:50 +0000

Easy Whole-Grain Crepes

This basic recipe makes a tasty wrap for any type of filling. In this method, we fold the crepe into a square leaving a little “window” in the middle to show off what’s inside, but you can simply roll the crepe over a filling or fold it in half. Try lightly sweetened ricotta and a drizzle of apricot jam inside or, for a savory crepe, fill the crepes with sautéed spinach, mushrooms and garlic.

Sweetened Ricotta & Apricot Crepes

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:02:51 +0000

Sweetened Ricotta & Apricot Crepes

Lightly sweetened ricotta, toasted almonds and a drizzle of apricot jam give these crepes a sophisticated edge. Try them for brunch or dessert.

Mushroom & Spinach Crepes

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:38:34 +0000

Mushroom & Spinach Crepes

Try these crepes, filled with spinach and meaty mushrooms and topped with crumbled goat cheese, for a light supper with a salad on the side.

Bistro Salad Crepes

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:29:34 +0000

Bistro Salad Crepes

Poached eggs and lightly dressed salad greens top these savory crepes. They’re just the thing to make for a special brunch or luncheon.

Banana-Caramel Crepes with Nutella

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:21:56 +0000

Banana-Caramel Crepes with Nutella

Try these banana and Nutella crepes for a special brunch or luscious dessert. In this method, we fold the crepe into a square leaving a little “window” in the middle to show off what’s inside. Feel free to roll or fold your crepes around your filling any way you choose.

Chiles Rellenos with Chicken

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:27:14 +0000

Chiles Rellenos with Chicken

These pan-fried chiles rellenos are stuffed with a skinny chicken-and-corn filling. Serve with salsa or your favorite enchilada sauce.

Beef & Bean Enchiladas

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:23:54 +0000

Beef & Bean Enchiladas

These beef enchiladas, topped with a zesty green and red homemade sauce, are perfect for a party or a potluck. To cut calories and saturated fat we fill them with 90%-lean beef bulked up with chopped portobello mushrooms and beans. Although white-flour tortillas are traditional in San Antonio, we go for whole-wheat or corn tortillas to add a little fiber.

Carne Asada Tacos

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:13:07 +0000

Carne Asada Tacos

These flank-steak soft tacos are so tasty and easy, they should be in everyone’s repertoire. Plus they’re made with fresh corn tortillas (not fried) and topped with a quick homemade salsa made with avocado, tomato, onion and a bright squeeze of lime.

Garlic-Stuffed Standing Rib Roast

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:37:36 +0000

Garlic-Stuffed Standing Rib Roast

A beef rib roast screams celebration. The meat is expensive, but rewards minimal effort with amazing, juicy flavor. All you need to do is poke pieces of sliced garlic into the meat, season it with salt and pepper and roast it. Serve with mashed potatoes and greens. Or make it brilliant with savory herb, Parmesan and horseradish breadcrumbs (see variation). Use leftovers in sandwiches or roast beef hash.

Orange-Date Pumpkin Muffins

Sarah Hoff — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:57:27 +0000

Orange-Date Pumpkin Muffins

A whole orange pulverized in the food processor gives these nutrient-rich date-pumpkin muffins a wonderful intense flavor.

Gluten-Free Cranberry Coconut Trifle

Sarah Hoff — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:47:19 +0000

Gluten-Free Cranberry Coconut Trifle

No other dessert turns heads like a trifle. Festive in every way, this trifle recipe glows from within with scarlet layers of juicy cranberries. The filling is made from an astounding 6 cups of antioxidant-packed cranberries! We made the custard “skinny” with a combination of low-fat milk and light coconut milk. From-scratch brown-butter sponge cake (gluten-free!) stands in for store-bought ladyfingers.

Peppermint Pattie Pots de Crème

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:14:34 +0000

Peppermint Pattie Pots de Crème

We love York peppermint patties and the flavor of these festive pots de crème is a dead ringer for the candy. Unlike traditional über-rich custard recipes, this custard uses low-fat milk, only 3 egg yolks and 1/2 cup of half-and-half for its creamy richness. Just 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract in the custard gives plenty of minty flavor, but if you want that icy mountain-breeze sensation, add a whole teaspoon instead.