This is a solid all-purpose pickling liquid that works for cucumbers, onions, carrots, or whatever vegetables need preserving in your walk-in. The rice wine vinegar gives you a cleaner, slightly mellower acidity than distilled white vinegar, and the spice blend—peppercorns, coriander, fennel, mustard seeds, red pepper, cloves, and bay—builds complexity without overpowering the vegetables. The…
This is one of those recipes that earns its place in your walk-in. Candied jalapeños—some people call them “cowboy candy”—hit that perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy that makes everything better. Burgers, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, scrambled eggs, pizza, cream cheese spreads—you name it, these work. The technique here is simple but deliberate. You’re making…
The key to great fried potatoes is the crisp. National allegiances aside, the best technique comes from Belgium, where they are double fried: once to cook them through and once to form a crust. By using sous vide to precook the potatoes, this recipe avoids the need for multiple go-rounds in the deep fryer but…
Brown sugar candied pecans with cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. The egg white creates a coating that holds the sugar mixture and helps it caramelize in the oven. The result is sweet, crunchy, not sticky, with warm spice notes. These work on cheese boards, salads, as a snack, or as a gift. They’re better…
This is guacamole the way the Culinary Institute of America teaches it. Not smooth like baby food. Not overmixed into green mush. Chunky, with contrast—some pieces creamy, some pieces with texture. You can see what’s in it. The technique is simple: mash avocados, but don’t obliterate them. Add aromatics. Add citrus. Season properly. The orange…
The difference between good cauliflower puree and mediocre cauliflower puree is pretty simple: cook it in cream instead of water, and reduce it after you blend it. That’s what concentrates the flavor and gets the texture right. This version has shallots and herbs cooked in from the start, so it’s not just pureed cauliflower.
Five ingredients, one pot, done in 30 minutes. This carrot puree is the kind of recipe that makes you look like you put in way more effort than you actually did. Cook the carrots in water until they’re soft, blend with butter and lemon juice, and you’re done. Just make sure you save that cooking…
Real polenta takes a little time, but that’s what makes it good. As it cooks slowly, the cornmeal softens and thickens, turning into something creamy, rich, and deeply satisfying. The texture has weight to it, smooth but with a little bite, the kind you only get when it’s stirred by hand. This is the version…
The risotto I make every week. Arborio rice, white wine, Parmesan. This is what goes under the salmon, what I turn into mushroom risotto, what you make when you want something that works. Risotto isn’t complicated. It just needs attention—but less than you think. Warm stock, occasional stirring, 20-25 minutes. The rice releases starch, the…
This is pommes purée—French mashed potatoes. Silky, buttery, rich. The kind of mashed potatoes that make you question every batch you’ve made before. This isn’t your Thanksgiving side dish. This is technique-driven, refined, and meant to be the base for sauces like beurre blanc, red wine reductions, or the braising liquid from coq au vin….