Quick Pickled Jalapeños

As summer is winding down, you may have an abundance of peppers from your garden. What to do with all those jalapeños? You could, of course, make pepper jelly. But, you could also pickle some of those peppers.

If you've never pickled before, don't be afraid...this is surprisingly easy. And with jars of pickled jalapeños in your fridge, you have a reason to make nachos for dinner!

Quick Pickled Jalapeños 
recipe from Eats Well With Others

1 cup white vinegar *
1 cup water
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
16 jalapenos, stems trimmed and sliced

* I used apple cider vinegar.

In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, coriander seeds, and garlic. Bring to a boil, dissolving the sugar and salt. Add the sliced jalapenos to the pan and push down on them so they get submerged in the liquid.

Cover, turn off the heat, and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Transfer the jalapenos and garlic to a mason jar. Pour the pickling juice over them until the jar is full. Cover tightly with the lid & let cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.

Fall 2015 Cooking Classes

Kitchen Conservatory's fall schedule is now available online and runs through December.

I'm teaching a few demonstration classes: Girls' Night Out classes out on August 29, October 17, & December 19 (this one is a champagne-laden menu). I'm also teaching a menu featuring sweet & spicy food on September 19.

My Date Night for Couples classes include a beer pairing on December 7, sushi on November 15, and an ultimate cocktail party on December 20.

One new class that I'm particularly excited about is a sweet & savory brunch on September 6.

I'll also be teaching a couple gingerbread house classes for adults and kids in December.

Below is my schedule. To register, call Kitchen Conservatory at 314-862-2665 or register online.

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT: THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE  - Saturday, August 29 @ 6:30-9:00 pm (demonstration)

• Enjoy a prosecco cocktail, antipasti with marinated mozzarella and citrus-roasted olives, shrimp scampi with fennel, seared scallops on balsamic-tomato risotto, plus individual limoncello tiramisù.

SUNDAY FUN DAY - Sunday, September 6 @ 1:00-3:30 pm (hands-on)

• Before we say goodbye to summer, let's celebrate the holiday weekend with exciting sweet and savory dishes. This class will make bourbon kettle corn, chicken and waffles with cornflake-encrusted chicken and bacon-chive waffles served with maple pan gravy, Monte Cristo sliders with strawberry-tomato jam, smashed sweet potatoes with lemon-garlic aïoli, plus apple pie with a cheddar-vodka crust.

ORIGINAL CIN - Saturday, September 19 @ 12:00-2:30 pm (demonstration)

• Sip on a ginger champagne cocktail, and enjoy Sriracha caramel popcorn, roasted carrot-red quinoa salad with spiced lemon vinaigrette, kung pao shrimp and scallop noodles, plus chai tea cake with cinnamon ice cream.

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT: COLOR ME AUTUMN - Saturday, October 17 @ 6:00-8:30 pm (demonstration)

• Sip on a maple Manhattan cocktail, then enjoy roasted fennel hummus with red pepper oil and baked pita chips, Brussels sprouts and pear panzanella salad with creamy pomegranate dressing, coq au Riesling, fresh cavatelli pasta with green apple pesto, plus pumpkin gooey butter cake with white chocolate sorbet.

DATE NIGHT FOR COUPLES: ON THE TOWN FOR TWO - Sunday, October 25 @ 5:00-7:30 (hands-on)

• We will prepare classic French onion soup, Caesar salad, show-stopping jaw-dropping brandy-flamed steak Diane, roasted garlic-mashed potatoes, plus triple chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce.

Shrimp Shumai

I've been wanting to make dim sum at home for a while now. I've made steamed pork buns and potstickers before, but I wanted to try my hand at other kinds of steamed dumplings. So, last night, Nick and his daughter Maggie came over to prepare dinner with me. 

Maggie was in charge of making sesame chicken potstickers, and she did a fabulous job! She also made a spicy peanut dipping sauce (recipe at the end of this post) to go with them.

I was in charge of the shrimp shumai, a recipe that I wanted to test so that I can use it in an upcoming cooking class. 

I was very happy with both of these recipes, and I will definitely make them again. They were much easier and not as tedious as I'd expected. 

Today, I'm using the leftover chicken filling (it makes way more than 20!) to make meatballs that I'll eat with rice and veggies. 

Shrimp Shumai


adapted from Mark Bittman

Blueberry-Lemon Pound Cake

Here is another dessert I made recently that was also a big hit. 

I made some food to take to the lake cabin for July 4th weekend....sesame soba noodles, curried chicken salad, and this blueberry-lemon pound cake.

This is a very moist cake, so it's best eaten within a day or two. Also, I highly recommend baking it in a bundt pan instead of a regular cake pan. The first time I made it, in a round cake pan, the middle just didn't quite set before the rest started to burn. You could also divide the batter between 2 loaf pans. 

Blueberry-Lemon Pound Cake

S'mores Pie

I love all things s'mores. But, that's face it...nothing "s'mores inspired" (like cupcakes, tarts, cookies, etc.) come close to the real thing.

Except for this pie.

This pie is easy to make and is decadently delicious. It's a very sophisticated way to cure your s'mores craving...especially when it's too rainy (like it was here last month) or too damn hot & humid (like it is now) to build a campfire.

This award-winning recipe comes from Butter & Scotch, a New York bar and bakery, and I made in in a Girls' Night Out class recently at Kitchen Conservatory. It was a hit.

Be sure to use a good quality MILK chocolate; semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate just doesn't replicate the s'mores taste me all know and love. Don't be intimidated by the homemade marshmallow creme. It's very easy to make...and so much better than the jarred version. Trust me.

S'mores Pie