cooking the cover

recipes

Cooking the Cover: Saveur's Stuffed Peppers

Last weekend when I asked my sister what she wanted for dinner, she said, "something stuffed."

Last weekend when I asked my sister what she wanted for dinner, she said, "something stuffed." I started to throw out options like grilled, ricotta-stuffed chicken and rice-filled, baked tomatoes, but she grabbed the Saveur that was sitting on the coffee table and said excitedly, "let's make these stuffed peppers!" Since they looked absolutely amazing, I happily obliged. The recipe is pretty straightforward and simple. The filling is a creamy, tangy, and tart mixture of feta, Greek yogurt, and lemon zest. The ingredient list calls for Fresno or Anaheim chiles, which are more sweet than hot, so you can serve this vegetarian dish to people who don't like spicy foods. It's a wonderfully scrumptious appetizer and I highly recommend you give these feta-stuffed peppers a try; here's the recipe.

summer

I Want My Baby Back Ginger-Glazed Ribs

Summer is not Summer without enjoying a finger-licking good rib dinner where you go through numerous napkins.

Summer is not Summer without enjoying a finger-licking good rib dinner where you go through numerous napkins. Although I'm a sucker for traditional ribs covered with barbecue sauce, after seeing the cover of a recent Bon Appetit, I was dying to try their Cambodian rib variation. Rather than the traditional tomato-based sauce, this recipe uses a combination of fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, and a lot of fresh ginger!

The marinade is quick to make, especially if you employ a food processor. I marinated my ribs for six hours, but overnight would be even better. Fresh off the grill and covered with lime juice, the ribs burst with sweet and sour flavor. The ginger glaze is much lighter and more refreshing than a typical barbecue sauce. If you want to sink your teeth into these ginger-glazed ribs, keep reading.

sandwiches

Cooking the Cover: Gourmet's Grilled Cheese

There is nothing as simply delicious as melted cheese and crispy bread.

There is nothing as simply delicious as melted cheese and crispy bread. There are thousands of variations of cheese, bread types, and tasty extras, but recently I was dazzled by the grilled cheese on the cover of Gourmet magazine's February issue. Presented on a clean white plate with a pretty blue background, their uber grilled cheese features escarole, onion jam, and tallegio.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find onion jam nor tallegio, but luckily the recipe states the next best options — fig jam and fontina — both of which were at my local market. I cooked the sandwich over low heat to maximize the melt in the melted cheese. The final result was a divine treat with the sweet jam perfectly complementing the pungent cheese and bitter greens. For the plating, I used a simple white plate like Gourmet, but thought a pink placemat was more me. To see how I made my version of this super scrumptious sandwich, read more

pancakes

Cooking the Cover: Bon Appétit's Blueberry Pancakes

I have been drooling over the cover of the February Bon Appétit cover ever since it landed in my mailbox a few weeks ago.



I have been drooling over the cover of the February Bon Appétit cover ever since it landed in my mailbox a few weeks ago. On a stark white background sits a huge stack of whole grain pancakes topped with blueberry syrup. Yesterday evening, YumJimmy and I finally decided to curb our pancake cravings by whipping up our own batch. So imagine our surprise when we found out that today was actually National Blueberry Pancake Day! Talk about a fun coincidence.

So, how did ours turn out compared to theirs? Find out, and get the recipe so you can try it at home, just read more