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Author Archives: Kemp Minifie

Five Easy Nibbles for Oscar Night

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kelly Senyei

With Oscar Night less than a week away, I know what I’m serving for hearty nibbles: A pile of crostini (little baguette toasts) with different toppings. It fits right into my style of entertaining, which is to give people choices. To make the crostini, cut a baguette crosswise into ¼-inch thick rounds. Brush them with olive oil and bake them at 350°F until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Toppings are endless, but here are five favorites:

Guacamole: Take a tip from my colleague, Kelly Senyei, who loves guacamole on toasts as much as on tortillas.

Chickpeas with Garlic and Mint: Rinse and drain a can of chickpeas and coarsely mash them in a bowl with a fork. Mix in 1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste, then some chopped fresh mint, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. If necessary, loosen spread further with a little warm water.

Manchego Cheese with Quince Paste: It doesn’t get much easier than some thin slices of Manchego topped with a slice of quince paste (a.k.a. membrillo).

Steak With Horseradish Cream: Season your go-to steak (I love cheapo chuck blade steaks) with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, then pan-fry until medium rare. Slice thin and top with sour cream you’ve spiked with horseradish. And maybe a radish slice or two.

Goat Cheese and Tapenade: Spread toasts with a schmear of soft, mild goat cheese, followed by another of black or green olive tapenade. If goat cheese tastes too barny for you, use whipped cream cheese. No one will notice!

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged cooking tips, Crostini, Kemp's Kitchen, Oscars entertaining, recipes | Leave a comment

Five Ways To Cinnamon Toast

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Romulo Yanes

It’s a funny thing about cinnamon toast. Mention it to co-workers and friends and they go into a reverie about eating it as kids. But ask them how they make it, and they’re suddenly flummoxed. That’s why we spelled out two ways to approach it in “A Toast to Toast” in the latest Gourmet Comfort Special Edition, available now at newsstands and retailers nationwide. But there are even more variations:

Simplest: Toast bread, spread with butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Our ratio (2 tablespoons sugar to ¼ teaspoon cinnamon) is on the mild side. Feel free to increase the cinnamon to your taste.
Caramel Crunch: Lightly toast bread in toaster, then spread with butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Slide toast onto a baking sheet and broil until bubbling and caramelized.
Crun-Chewy: Skip toasting the bread. Spread well with butter, sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar, then broil, sugared side only, until bubbling and caramelized. For the best flavor, make sure the butter and sugar get golden brown.
Cinnamon Soldiers: Cut away crusts from thick bread slices, then cut bread into thick strips (soldiers). Roll in melted butter, then coat in cinnamon sugar, and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 350°F. oven until golden brown and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes.
Tortilla Cinnamon Crisps: Brush both sides of flour tortillas with melted butter, then sprinkle top sides with cinnamon sugar and a pinch of salt. Bake on a baking sheet in a 500°F. oven until golden and puffed, 4 to 5 minutes.

How do you like to make it?

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged cinnamon, cinnamon toast, Kemp's Kitchen, recipes, toast | Leave a comment

The Bay Leaf Confusion Demystified

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

A bay leaf is a bay leaf, right? Oh, if it was only that easy!

If you read recipes, you’ve likely seen mention of Turkish (at left in photo) and California bay leaves (at right in photo). The Turkish bay leaf is considered the true bay leaf, Laurus nobilis. Even though the bay laurel tree grows around the Mediterranean, the best leaves are thought to come from Turkey.

Things get complicated with the California bay leaf, Umbellularia californica. While it’s a completely different plant, the leaves are surprisingly similar in shape. Where they differ is in color and flavor. The California bay is not only greener, it’s a lot more pungent, with a distinct menthol wallop. That’s why some recipes recommend using one-third to one-half of a California leaf in place of a whole Turkish one.

That information is helpful only if you know what kind of bay leaf you’ve got. And that’s where the consumer is left stranded. Most brands in the supermarket don’t state the leaves’ origin on the label. In e-mails and calls to several companies, I learned that McCormick and Frontier source theirs solely from Turkey, while Spice Islands and Morton & Bassett bottle California leaves (Spice Islands does label theirs).

Because the California ones are so strong, too many can overpower a dish. If you aren’t sure what you’ve got, your best bet is to check the company’s website, or buy from an online merchant who makes the distinction.

So what type of bay leaf do you prefer?

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged bay leaves, Cooking Tip, herbs, Kemp's Kitchen | 5 Comments

Five Heart-To-Heart Tips for Your Valentine’s Dinner

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: CN Archives

Share and Share Alike: If you didn’t learn it in kindergarten, now’s the time. Choose dishes that involve the intimacy of sharing: fondue, or a porterhouse steak for two. If you’re a guy, just don’t pull a macho move like the date I had where the dude grabbed a large head of iceberg lettuce and split it in half with his bare hands.

Aromatherapy: Borrow that old real estate trick and simmer a cinnamon stick in your teakettle. Or bake cookies. Or toast some nuts. All are guaranteed to perfume your home with enticing scents.

To Breathe or Not to Breathe Garlic: Either you both indulge, or you both abstain. If you know up front that the two of you adore garlic, then go for it. Otherwise, hold off on that allium for the evening.

Finger Lickin’ Good (Not): Chicken wings are ideal for the Super Bowl, but not for Valentine’s Day. Ditto for ribs. You don’t want to look like the guy attacked by a chicken wing in the Tums ad, with sauce smears on your face.

Last Chance To Stop The Gas: Avoid any embarrassing moments by limiting, if not steering totally clear of the bubbly, from champagne to beer to seltzer. And for noise-free digestion, bypass the meat and starch combo in favor of meat with green and/or orange veggies. If you’re a vegetarian, go vegan, ditching any dairy for the evening. And if you’ve got chocolate covered strawberries, eat them before dinner.

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged cooking tips, Kemp's Kitchen, valentine's day | Leave a comment

Whoops! More About Homemade Buttermilk

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

Remember that cake I was going to make with my homemade butter and buttermilk? It was a flop. And I know why.

I was so excited by the homemade buttermilk I made last week that I brought it in for my colleagues to sample. We all marveled at its sweet, buttery flavor. Tangy? Not a bit. I stupidly ignored that fact.

But commercial buttermilk sold in supermarkets has an unmistakable tang. That’s because it’s cultured, whether it’s the cultured skim milk product most of us buy, or Kate’s Real Buttermilk. The tang is the lactic acid that’s been formed by the breakdown of the milk sugar, lactose. It’s that acid that interacts with the baking soda to create the bubbles that make a cake rise.

My sweet homemade buttermilk was really more like regular milk. If I wanted to produce a decent cake, I needed to add some acid. Continue reading →

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged Baking, buttermilk, Cooking Tip, Kemp's Kitchen | 1 Comment

Make Your Own Butter and Buttermilk

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

As if I haven’t extolled the virtues of authentic buttermilk enough in my article “Crazy For Kate’s Real Buttermilk” in this week’s issue of Gourmet Live, let me add another one: At less than 1 percent milk fat, it’s lower in fat than some of the commercial brands of “buttermilk” that are actually cultured skim milk!

Not only is Kate’s a delicious product to drink—it’s cultured to give it a delicious tang—it also makes baked goods so tender, you’d swear they had gobs more butter in them. I know, because I’ve tested a standard yellow cake recipe with the cultured skim milk product, whole milk yogurt, and sour cream, and none of those cakes could match the texture and flavor of the one I made with the bona fide buttermilk.

But if I’m frustrated I can’t get Kate’s Buttermilk where I live in New York City, I’m sure many of you are, too. So this morning, I made my own butter and buttermilk according to a recipe on Epicurious.com. Call me a food geek, but it was so thrilling! Within less than ten minutes—I made mine in two batches—I had a total of 1¼ pounds of glorious, fresh butter, and 3 cups of genuine buttermilk. Both the butter and buttermilk are going into a 20th birthday cake this weekend for my younger daughter, and I know it will be the best chocolate cake I ever made!

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged Baking, butter, buttermilk, Kemp's Kitchen, recipe | 2 Comments

Five Tips For Egg-cellent Scrambled Eggs

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: CN Digital

In the computer age we live in, when speed is gold, the fastest way to cook eggs is to scramble them. The French wouldn’t agree. They like theirs cooked very slowly, over a double boiler, so that the eggs come out smooth and creamy. No thanks! I like mine cooked quickly, with big moist curds. Here’s how:

• Forget about scrambling one egg. Once beaten, it will cook within seconds of hitting the pan and you won’t have time to stir it to form those large curds. Allow two eggs per person, or 1 1/2 if you are cooking for a crowd.

• For fluffier eggs, add 1 tablespoon water for every egg and beat it until it’s combined well. For creamier, more luxurious eggs, replace the water with heavy cream or milk.

• Use the right-sized skillet, preferably non-stick. If you are only scrambling 2 eggs, use an 8-inch skillet. A 12-inch skillet will cook the eggs before you’ve had a chance to stir them.

• You need only as much butter, olive oil, or bacon fat as it takes to film the bottom of the skillet—anywhere from 1 to 2 tablespoons—and get it hot over medium heat.

• Use a heatproof flexible silicone spatula to keep stirring and turning the cooked part of the egg up and over the uncooked part.

• Take the pan off the stove while the curds are still moist. The residual heat of the skillet will continue to cook the eggs. And have your buttered toast ready!

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged eggs, Kemp's Kitchen, recipe, Tips | 10 Comments

Five Reasons to Start Braising Your Veggies

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Braised Carrots Photo

I used to be solidly in the roasted vegetable camp. I’d crank up the oven and blast my veggies to candy-like sweetness. But there’s a lot to be said for braising vegetables, too. If author Molly Stevens doesn’t convince you in her Eight Essential Braising Tips in this week’s Gourmet Live, here are five more reasons to braise vegetables.

• Economy: Roasted vegetables shrink substantially, so you’ll need to start out with more, at least 11/2 times as much. You’re concentrating the flavor, but you’re also losing water your body needs.

• Speed: The dry heat of an oven takes longer to tenderize than the moist heat of a braise. Compare 30 to 40 minutes for cauliflower florets in a hot oven versus 5 to 10 minutes on top of the stove!

• Energy Efficiency: Add up the time it takes to preheat the oven to the upper reaches of hot and then roast those veggies, and you’ve used a lot of energy. With braising, you’ll spend significantly less time over a single burner on the stovetop.

• Great Flavor: Steaming and boiling—your other top-of-the-stove choices—are boring. They can’t give you the flavor you get from a braise. The fact that you can brown your veggies and cook them in moist heat gives you the taste you crave without the shrinkage.

• Sublime Texture: Vegetables with dense fiber, such as carrots, parsnips, and rutabagas, need the moist heat of a braise to get to meltingly tender. Just watch out that they don’t turn to mush.

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged braising, cooking tips, Kemp's Kitchen, produce, vegetables |

Celebrate Chinese New Year Simply

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Romulo Yanes

Happy Chinese Year of the Dragon today! Celebrate by skipping take-out and letting Asian food authority Nina Simonds guide you in preparing Golden Scallion-Ginger Scallops that look like gold coins, which imply a wish for prosperity in the new year. Or Seared Black Bean Chicken Over Crisp Noodles because noodles symbolize longevity. Or Spicy Hoisin Pork Roll-Ups, a stir-fry served wrapped in lettuce leaves, because the Chinese word for lettuce is similar to that of “rising fortune.”

These recipes and plenty more are in Simonds’ latest book, Simple Asian Meals. Full disclosure: Simonds is an old friend from our cooking school days in Paris, but I’ve just spent the weekend with Simple Asian Meals and it’s going to stay within an arm’s reach in my kitchen.

Continue reading →

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged Asian food, Chinese New Year, Kemp's Kitchen, recipes, Stir-fry |

Non-Asian Tricks for Leftover Asian Ingredients

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: CN Digital Studio

If you cook Asian food, you’ve probably got a cupboard and refrigerator-shelf full of bottles and jars of the many different ingredients and condiments. But just because you used them in an Asian dish doesn’t mean you can’t apply them elsewhere. Here are ten non-Asian ways to jazz up your standbys:

Chili Pastes and Sauces:

Substitute for hot pepper flakes in pasta sauces, pizza, or wherever you use crushed red pepper.
Spice up Dijon mustard.

Sesame Oil:

Drizzle it sparingly over salad greens or green vegetables, then toss with a little lemon juice and salt. Some toasted sesame seeds would add a welcome crunch.
Beat a little into peanut butter cookie dough to push that nutty flavor forward.

Hoisin Sauce:

Work a spoonful into tuna or chicken salad for a dynamite sandwich.
Stir a little into unsalted peanut or almond butter for an intriguing cracker snack.

Thai Curry Paste:

Mix into chicken noodle soup for some nasal clearing action.
Mash with hard-boiled egg yolks for stuffed eggs with an exotic zip.

Miso:

Substitute miso for some of the oil in a lemony salad dressing to give it a creamy consistency; thin, if necessary, with a little water.
Stir some into mayonnaise or sour cream to make a super-savory dip for crudités.

How do you use yours?

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged Asian, cooking tips, Kemp's Kitchen, leftovers | 1 Comment

How To Measure Parmesan Cheese

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. You see it everywhere in recipes. So what’s the problem? Measuring it the American way, (i.e., cups and tablespoons) is a nightmare! There are different tools to get to grated, which result not only in vastly different textures, but also in vastly different yields when measured by volume.

Punched-out holes (a.k.a. knuckle-bleeders) on a box grater: This gives you a fine, more powdery result, similar to the pre-grated sold in stores. A one ounce chunk—in foreground in photo—yields about 1/4 cup (the small pile on the right).
Food processor: If you cut your Parmigiano into small cubes, drop them through the feed tube with the motor running, and let the blade spin for a while, you will end up with small nubbins like the pre-grated stuff. One ounce yields about 1/4 cup.
Small tear-drop shaped holes on a hand-held grater: small, yet sturdy shreds that read well for food photography. One ounce yields about 1/3 cup (not pictured).
Microplane: This marvelous tool has pushed the box grater aside and taken over the job of grating Parmigiano at home and in restaurants. And for good reason: It makes grating so easy. The airy fluff of whisper-thin shreds it produces are beautiful (see the pile on the left in the photo above), but they totally upend the task of measuring by volume. One ounce equals about 3/4 cup! If you firmly pack it, though, you’ll get to 1/4 cup.
The Take Away: To measure microplaned Parmigiano, pack it.

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | 1 Comment

Five Easy Drug-Free Tips For Better Digestion

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: CN Digital Studio

If it’s January, it must be diet-talking time. But we’d all be better off if we first talked digestion. The fundamental reason for eating is to absorb the essential nutrients we need to grow and thrive. Here are five simple, drug-free tips to enhance one of the most basic jobs our bodies do everyday:

Turn It Off: That means the TV and the phone. Put the computer to sleep. Remove the earbuds, unless you are alone with slow, peaceful music. Digestion requires a calm environment.
Get Comfortable: Find a quiet spot. Balancing yourself on the edge of a couch is not restful. Sit down in a chair with your back to the computer or TV screen (the temptation to sneak a peek, or check emails is just too strong).
Be Mindful: You don’t have to be religious to take a moment to look at what you are about to eat and be thankful that you have it.
De-Stress: Before that fork gets anywhere near your lips, take a couple of minutes to breathe slowly and deeply, to put your body in a more relaxed state.
Chew, Chew, Chew: You probably heard it all through childhood, but chewing is absolutely essential. Digestion of carbohydrates, both simple and complex, begins in the mouth, where carb-appropriate enzymes are released into the saliva. Animal protein, which is digested in the stomach, needs your vigorous molar action so that you don’t choke on it as it’s going down the hatch.

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged digestion, Kemp's Kitchen, Tips | 3 Comments

The Perfect Sunny-Side Up Fried Egg

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: CN Digital Studio

The yellow bull’s-eye of sunny-side up fried eggs is one of nature’s gifts to food stylists—it makes a colorful and instantly-recognizable image. For eating, though, the trick is to get the whites cooked through—no jiggly uncooked whites for me, thank you! That’s why I prefer over-easy fried eggs; there’s no way the whites aren’t cooked.

It is possible to prepare a sunny-side up egg to perfection (tender cooked-through white and runny yolk). Here are five tips to get there:

Squash your impatience; go zen. Sunny-side up eggs need slow cooking over low heat.
Use medium heat to get the pan hot. If using cast-iron, heat it dry, then add olive oil and butter (for nonstick, heat the pan with the fat in it).
Turn the heat low and crack the egg in. If it splutters noisily, cool the pan off the heat briefly. Cover the skillet and cook the egg slowly, about 2 minutes. No browning. Check it. If the white around the yolk looks loose, cook it, covered, another 30 to 60 seconds, but check often, because you don’t want the thin film of white covering the yolk to turn milky white.
Some pros recommend basting the whites with fat from the pan to help cook them through. That’s fine, but tilting the pan to scoop up some hot fat makes the egg slide, too.
To make landing the egg foolproof, hold the skillet over the plate (hopefully with a piece of toast waiting for it).

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged cooking tips, fried egg, Kemp's Kitchen, recipe | 2 Comments

Fried Egg-Over-Easy Perfection

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

Even if you don’t cook much, it’s not hard to fry an egg, right? Yes and no. It’s the simple things that get us pretty heated about the best technique. I’m a fried-egg-over-easy girl, and here are my five tips for perfection:

Get your toast or whatever the egg’s going on ready. Fried eggs don’t wait.
Use a cast iron skillet if you have one, and heat it first before adding a mix of olive oil and butter. (If using a nonstick, heat the pan with the fat in it). The pan should get hot enough so that the butter foams up and then subsides, but not so hot that it burns.
Crack the egg on a flat surface, not an edge—your chances for a clean break are better that way—then slide it gently from the shell into the pan.
Turn the heat down to medium and cover the skillet. Cook the egg undisturbed until the film of egg white barely covering the yolk just turns a milky white, 1 to 11/2 minutes. This makes the yolk sturdy enough to handle the flip.
Using your thinnest metal pancake turner, slide it gently but confidently under the egg and turn it over. Don’t be timid. Turn off the heat and let the egg cook in the still-hot skillet, uncovered, for 10 to 20 seconds, or until the yolk still jiggles when touched for a runny yolk. Longer for a firmer one. Now land it where it belongs.

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged cooking tips, eggs, Kemp's Kitchen, recipe | 5 Comments

The 2012 Green Power Cocktail

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

I read somewhere that it takes 21 consecutive days for a repeated behavior to become a habit. Since it’s that time of year to start anew, why not try my Chlorophyll Cocktail as your daily pick-me-up? I swear by the power of this simple green drink, full of fresh enzymes and vitamins, to keep my energy going all day.

The drink doesn’t require a fancy juicer; if you’ve got a blender, you’re in business. And it takes no longer than about three minutes to whip together, which isn’t asking a lot to add to your morning routine. Best of all, it’s a great way to use the carrot and celery tops, the radish greens, and the outer leaves of cabbage, for instance, that might otherwise end up in your garbage can. Continue reading →

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged cocktail, drink, healthy, Kemp's Kitchen, recipe | 4 Comments

Five Easy New Year’s Eve Appetizers

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

With New Year’s Eve just two days away, along with spontaneous visits by childhood chums, it’s handy to be ready with some quick-to-assemble nibbles that will impress everyone and allow you to say with confidence, “Come on over!” Here are five that I swear by:

Enlivened Olives: Olives become sensational when warmed in their brine or oil, then drained and tossed with grated lemon zest, smoked paprika, or toasted and ground cumin or fennel seeds.
Feta Fun: Blot a block of feta cheese dry, then heat some honey with some cracked black peppercorns and/or chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, and pour it over the cheese. Serve it with crackers. It’s a life-changing combination!
Party Pepitas: When toasted in a large skillet, raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds puff and turn golden within a couple of minutes—stir frequently. Toss with a little olive oil and sea salt, and watch them disappear. Continue reading →

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged appetizers, Kemp's Kitchen, New Years Eve, recipes, snacks |

Turkey Leftovers: Gluten-Free Turkey Tetrazzini

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

When it comes to holiday dinners, tradition falls into two major camps: Beef versus turkey. Although I always hoped for beef, my mother was solidly on the side of the turkey, but it redeemed itself for me later with turkey tetrazzini. Casseroles were my mother’s way of stretching the food dollars.

Turkey tetrazzini has become a tradition within my own family. The mandate this year was to make it gluten-free, not because anyone suffers from celiac disease, but because my daughters have found they feel better steering clear of gluten. It turned out to be easy thanks to Ancient Harvest Quinoa Spaghetti, created from a blend of organic corn and quinoa flours. Continue reading →

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged Gluten-Free, Kemp's Kitchen, recipe, turkey leftovers |

Make The Most of Leftover Cheese

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

Quick! Friends you haven’t seen in years just called. They’re in the neighborhood and want to drop by and you’ve got nothing to serve them, or so you think. You check the fridge and find bits and bobs of different cheeses leftover from a holiday gathering last week, but they’d look pretty sorry if you set them out on a plate.

Take a tip from the French, who know a thing or two about cheese, and make what they call fromage fort. That translates as strong cheese, but it’s as pungent or mild as your assortment of leftovers. Continue reading →

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged cheese, Cooking Tip, Kemp's Kitchen, leftovers, recipe |

The Simplest Food Gift: Classic Chocolate Truffles

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Kemp Minifie

Despite what you see in stores, the true chocolate truffle is not a fancy-schmancy bonbon. The classic French confections are nothing more than irregular mounds of ganache—a mixture of chocolate and cream—that when coated with unsweetened cocoa, look remarkably like their exorbitantly expensive namesake fungi, freshly dug up from the earth.

When I need a quick homemade food gift, I go straight to the chocolate truffles Robert Linxe, founder of Maison du Chocolat, showed me how to make. Finely chop 8 ounces of Valrhona 56% cacao semisweet chocolate and put it in a metal bowl. Bring 2/3 cup heavy cream to a simmer, and pour it over the chocolate. Let it stand 1 minute, then stir slowly until the ganache is smooth. Cool it at cool room temperature, stirring occasionally, until thickened, but still squirtable. Continue reading →

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged chocolate, food gifts, Kemp's Kitchen, recipe, truffles | 2 Comments

The Easiest Holiday Cookie Ever

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Kemp Minifie

Photo: Chris Gentile

Holiday cookie baking is meant to be enjoyable and creative, not a chore. But it can turn into one if you are pressed for time. Rest assured you have an easy way out: I call it cookie bark.

Like most great ideas, it was born from frustration. I was helping out food stylist Paul Grimes on the photo shoot for Gourmet Live’s feature, One Smart Cookie, and had some dough leftover from the Chocolate Peppermint Stars. I wasn’t about to throw it away. Continue reading →

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged Baking, chocolate, cookies, holiday, Kemp's Kitchen |

Gourmet Live Blog

Author Archives: Kemp Minifie

Five Easy Nibbles for Oscar Night

Five Ways To Cinnamon Toast

The Bay Leaf Confusion Demystified

Five Heart-To-Heart Tips for Your Valentine’s Dinner

Whoops! More About Homemade Buttermilk

Make Your Own Butter and Buttermilk

Five Tips For Egg-cellent Scrambled Eggs

Five Reasons to Start Braising Your Veggies

Celebrate Chinese New Year Simply

Non-Asian Tricks for Leftover Asian Ingredients

How To Measure Parmesan Cheese

Five Easy Drug-Free Tips For Better Digestion

The Perfect Sunny-Side Up Fried Egg

Fried Egg-Over-Easy Perfection

The 2012 Green Power Cocktail

Five Easy New Year’s Eve Appetizers

Turkey Leftovers: Gluten-Free Turkey Tetrazzini

Make The Most of Leftover Cheese

The Simplest Food Gift: Classic Chocolate Truffles

The Easiest Holiday Cookie Ever

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