Scientists will tell you that there’s no way eating pork, beans, and/or greens at the beginning of a new year can bring you good luck and great fortune; but our lab-coated, left-brained friends are missing one very important fact: People who think they’re lucky, are lucky.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
We’ve posted chocolate truffle-like confections before, but I’ve always taken the coward’s way out, and just finished them by dusting in cocoa, which, while technically acceptable, isn’t even close textually to what we’ve finally done here. A proper truffle needs to feature that irresistible contrast between the soft ganache center, and a crispy, pure chocolate shell. Don’t worry – it’s easier than it sounds.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
This amazing Moroccan-spiced pork recipe is actually adapted from a classic North African technique for roasting leg of lamb. And while the spice-rub is incredible with either meat, by using this approach, we’re not only saving a few dollars, but also, your average American holiday dinner guest is probably more likely to prefer roasted pork to the slightly more exotic lamb. And yes, in case someone asks, that’s our official reason, verses the saving money part.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
I’m a big fan of meatballs, and a really big fan of really big meatballs, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard about something called Lion’s Head Meatballs, which were described as not only extra large in size, but also supposedly looked like the head of a lion. As it turned out, only half those claims were true, but they were so tender, and so tasty I quickly forgave any visual exaggerations.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
This crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, Italian meat and cheese stuffed loaf is a party waiting to happen. "Festive" doesn’t even begin to describe this visually stunning loaf. Use the easy technique as shown, or switch up the ingredients to create your own personalized party bread.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
There are so many creative, and delicious ways to use up the last of that holiday bird, but this super simple turkey rice recipe might be my favorite. This is easy, comforting, and won’t remind you that you’re eating leftovers. That’s what turkey sandwiches are for.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
I didn’t invent cooking turkeys quickly, using high heat; and I didn’t invent cooking turkeys upside-down; but I might have inventing doing both at the same time. Regardless, if you want a moist, and juicy turkey in half the time, that will also confuse your guests, then this is the video for you.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
To many people, “smashed potatoes” are just another more violent name for mashed potatoes, especially when the skins are left in, but those aren’t real smashed potatoes. These are real smashed potatoes, and they’re spectacular.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
Let me state for the record that this Russian Honey Cake was probably the best cake I’ve ever eaten, and certainly the best cake I’ve ever made. It’s not an especially fast, or easy bake, but believe me, as you’re enjoying this, there will be no regrets. Not about the effort it takes, at least. The calories might be another story.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
When you get to a certain age, you think you’ve seen and
done it all. Whether we’re talking professionally, romantically, or culinarily,
by your mid-fifties, any real surprises are few, and far between, and this is particularly
true when it comes to egg recipes. What can you possibly do with eggs that you
haven’t already done many times over? Well, these Turkish eggs, that’s what.
If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
If you’re not familiar with the word kismet, it means fate,
or destiny. It’s one of those old, beautiful words that you never hear, until
you do, and then you hear it all the time. It also happens to be the name of a
property in the wine country where Michele and I will soon be moving the show,
and eventually our lives.
That’s right, after filming more than 1,800 recipes in
San Francisco, over the past 12 years, we’re heading to a little slice of
heaven just outside Sebastopol. To hear the story of how this all came to be, is
to understand the true meaning of kismet.
The seasonal pond at "Kismet," as it looked several decades ago.
While we both adore San Francisco, for the past few years
we’d talked about finding a nice, quiet place “in the country,” where we could work,
relax, and enjoy fruit and vegetables grown on our very own tiny farm. It was a
wonderful dream, but with northern California real estate prices such as they
are, we feared that’s all it would ever be. Yet, we persisted in our search,
driving out of town almost every weekend to attend open houses for any and all of
the fixer-uppers in our budget.
These homes always looked great in the photos, but deep down
we knew as we drove through the picturesque valleys of vineyards and fruit
trees, that it probably was too good to be true. And, it always was. There are
great houses in the wine country, and there are affordable houses in the wine
country, but there are no great, affordable houses in the wine country. It was
during one of these particularly disappointing trips that fate and destiny
smiled upon us, and we learned about a local property, which would eventually, somehow,
against all odds, become ours.
There are grapes.
After driving up from the City, on a beautiful autumn day,
we arrived to a locked, open house. I don’t know much about real estate, but I
do know the house is supposed to be unlocked, with someone in it to show you
around. Anyway, while waiting outside for the realtor, we started chatting with
a lovely woman who mentioned she might be putting her mom’s home up for sale in
the spring. In case you’re wondering, the realtor finally showed up, and the
house was predictably terrible. Anyway, she said that since we were already in
town, we were welcome to swing by and take a peak. She gave us the address, and
told us to look for a large wooden sign over the drive that said, “Kismet.”
These are called Naked Ladies, and they are flaunting themselves in front of our persimmon tree.
Yes, believe it or not, the way we’d heard about “Kismet,” was
literally the definition of kismet, and as we pulled into the drive, and looked
up at the sign, we both knew instantly that this was the spot. Our euphoria was
short-lived however; as we realized that even the most dilapidated fixer-upper in
this area, on two-acres this gorgeous, was probably beyond our means. Actually,
not probably – it was beyond our means, which will help explain the rest of the
breaking news in this post.
For the first time in Food Wish history, I’m going to try to
generate some extra revenue from the channel. And no, that sponsored instant
mashed potato video doesn’t really count. I could have, and maybe should have, done
this a long time ago, but I honestly never felt like it was something I had to do.
Now, I do. You may have already noticed we’ve just started hawking t-shirts and other swag underneath the videos, and that’s part of this effort, but the much bigger,
and way more important part is that we’re going to start offering a premium Food Wish membership for viewers who want to enjoy some additional content, and
other fabulous perks.
This is the pear tree under which I saw a tarantula hawk wasp.
I’ve never really done this kind of thing before, but I’m told
by people who have that a certain part of the audience might get upset. No one
can explain why. If you’re one of these people, don’t be. Not only will all the
free content you’ve come to know and love still be free, you’ll also be getting
something viewers have be clamoring for since the channel started… a link to a fully
formatted written recipe, with ingredients AND detailed instructions! This link
will be included in the description box under every recipe upload going forward,
whether you’ve joined as a member or not.
I’d like to think that after sharing free videos for a
decade plus, a certain number of people would join no matter what these extra
offerings might be, but that little bit of passive-aggressiveness aside, I
really do want those of you who are able to support this effort, to get your money’s worth. So, besides the obvious karmic benefits, here's what the membership gets you.
All About the Recipe
with Chef John: While everyone will have access to the written recipes, the
blog posts that accompany the recipe videos will be moving to the membership
platform. I realize that only a small percentage of people who watch the videos
actually follow the link back to the blog post, and most of them are just there
to get the ingredient amounts, but still, I really do enjoy writing these
posts. I love being able to provide some additional, and hopefully entertaining
background info about the recipes, along with assorted tips and tricks, and so having
access to this content will represent the most significant perk of joining as a
member.
Live Chat Q&A’s:
Twice a month, I'll do a live chat with members, where you’ll get to ask me
anything. Literally anything. Of course we’ll talk about food, music, and
sports, but I’ll also answer your questions about life and love. What could go
wrong?
Embarrassing Outtakes
and Bloopers: Who doesn’t enjoy listening to, and/or watching other
people’s disastrous failures? Whenever things go terribly wrong, I’ll post the
raw footage for all to see.
Keeping Up on Kismet:
Come along with us, as we embark on this great adventure! We’ll share videos
and photos of the new kitchen studio progress, as well as our attempts to landscape,
garden, and possibly farm things. Not only will you be able to see what we’re
doing, and criticize it, you’ll also be able to offer us much needed advice,
and guidance, since there’s a good chance you know more about this stuff than
we do. For example, how do I keep wasps out of my carpenter bee traps?
Let me finish by saying I hope you find these perks
compelling enough to join, but even if you don’t, I hope you join anyway.
Whether it’s long term, or just for a month or two, your support will make a
big difference. By the way, I’m going to need this week to set up the
membership platform, as well as the new system for providing written recipes,
so we won’t be able to upload any new videos until next week, when all this goes
live. Thank you for your consideration, and, as always, enjoy!
They say that these Swedish chocolate balls, known as chokladbollar,
are the first thing a Swedish child learns to make, which makes a lot of sense.
They’re easy to do, there’s no baking required, and mixing the “dough” together
is just as fun as making mud-pies. What doesn’t make sense is that these aren’t
the first thing an American child learns to make. Maybe this video will help
change that.
It’s not like these are pure health food, but they sure are a
lot better than eating a candy bar when those hangry feelings flood over you in
the middle of the afternoon. The fat and whole grain in these keep you
satisfied much longer than you’d think, and the little pick-me-up from the
coffee, sugar, and cocoa doesn't hurt either.
I used quick-cooking oats in these, but I’ve also made them
with regular rolled oats, and they seemed to come out just fine. Of course,
some folks might have trouble eating raw oats, but that can be solved if you do
the optional pan-toasting step. Above and beyond making these easier to digest,
I like the very subtle toasty notes it provides. Either way, I really do hope
you teach your kids how to make these chokladbollars very soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 14-16 small Swedish Chocolate Balls:
1 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats, very lightly toasted
1/2 cup white sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of cayenne
1/4 cup soft unsalted butter
1/4 cup room temp coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brewed coffee or espresso
finely shredded unsweetened coconut for rolling balls
In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ve never had a Popeye’s
fried chicken sandwich, but since I’m so familiar with their work, I thought I
could figured out a decent copycat version of their very hard to get sandwich
anyway. Which I sort of did, as far as the taste of the chicken goes, but texturally, I ended up with something much closer to Chick-fil-A, which by the
way, I’ve been to exactly once.
So, if you’re one of these people that enjoy Popeye’s and Chick-fil-A,
this is going to be like eating at both places at the same time. The secret
here, and there, is working in a little MSG into the marinade and breading. And
by little, I mean a lot. Monosodium Glutamate is famous for its ability to make
food taste better, which is certainly does, but it’s also what makes fast food
so highly addictive.
Personally, I’ve very sensitive to this aspect of MSG
consumption, and as soon as I finish eating fast food that’s laced with it, I’m
already intensely craving more, which is why I don’t eat too much of it any
more. It’s also why I don’t stock any MSG in my pantry. I don’t trust myself
with it, which is why the occasional packet of salad dressing mix works so well
for something like this.
As I mentioned in the video, you really want to do this with
a smaller, flatter breast than the one I used. The meat to crunchy coating
ratio should be more like 2 to 1, and not the 4 to 1 that I featured here. Which
reminds me, even though I only did two, the amounts below should be enough for four
fast-food-sized portions. Anyway, no matter how large your breasts, I really do
hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
For 4 Fried Chicken Sandwiches:
For the chicken and marinade:
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons kosher salt
hot sauce to taste
1 tablespoon ranch dressing powder
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 5-6 ounces each
Believe it or not, the first place I ever had dirty rice was
Popeye’s fried chicken. They were out of the red beans and rice. I’ve never
been a huge fan of liver, especially in my younger days, but I figured, what
the heck, let’s give this stuff a try. Much to my surprise I really enjoyed it,
and I’ve been a fan ever since.
In fact, not only did I come to love dirty rice, but I
started to crave it with even more “dirt,” by which I mean more liver, pork,
and aromatic vegetables; and so that’s how this redundantly named dish came to
be. Beyond using more of everything, except rice, I also changed the
traditional method, which calls for the rice to be cooked first, and then “soiled.”
Here, we’re adding all the “filth” at the beginning, and cooking it into the
rice.
This method did produce a more flavorful product, but also a
slightly stickier one. When you cook rice in a thick sludge like this, verses
just water or broth, it will always come out a bit starchier, which may bother
certain dirty rice aficionados, but I like this texture even better. So to
recap, this is dirtier, stickier, and tastier, which is why I really do hope
you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 portions:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 ounces pork shoulder, diced or roughly chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced green peppers, or jalapeno 6 ounces cubed spicy smoked pork sausage, like andouille
When people think comfort food, they generally think of
classic, iconic recipes that are made the exact same way every time. No one
likes change, and it’s this timeless consistency that in large part makes these
dishes so comforting. However, as much as I love a traditional beef stew, or
braised beef short ribs, once in a while, I enjoy using these same techniques
with a few non-traditional ingredients, just to shake things up.
Speaking of which, if you’re not familiar with miso, it's a fermented soybean and rice paste, and it just
makes everything taste better. It’s
relatively easy to find in your larger grocery stores, and a few spoonfuls will add
an extra element of savoriness to these already savory dishes. To balance that,
among other things, we’re also adding a touch of maple syrup, which helps give this even more of an autumnal feel.
I kept things pretty simple with the vegetable additions,
going with just mushrooms and onions, but the classic beef stew array of carrots,
celery, onions, and potatoes would also work as well. And I wasn’t kidding
about the King Trumpet mushrooms being as good as the beef. They really were
amazing, and this would make for a fantastic meatless meal using those alone.
Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 portions Miso Braised Beef:
2 tablespoons peanut, or vegetable oil
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, or boneless beef short ribs, cut
into 2-inch thick strips or chunks, seasoned with salt, freshly ground black
pepper, cayenne
1 tablespoon butter
3 or 4 King Trumpet mushrooms, halved, or any mushrooms
There is nothing quite like a batch of old-fashioned peanut
butter fudge, especially when it’s freshly made by your Grandma. Which is why I
really wish my Grandma would have made peanut butter fudge. Oh well, she gets a
pass because of the other delicious things she fed me.
This old-fashioned style of peanut butter fudge is not that
easy to find. Admittedly, I’ve not looked that hard, but the times I have run
across some, it always seems to be the soft, creamy version, which is not the
kind I’m into. If it’s going to feel like peanut butter in my mouth, then
what’s the point? No, I want something that feels dense, and firm in my
fingers, but will almost instantly liquefy in when it hits my tongue.
As I mentioned, you’ll want to cut this when it’s just cool
enough to get a clean slice. If you leave it in the fridge, and then cut it
ice-cold, it will tend to fragment. The good news is that peanut butter fudge
shards are delicious, so it’s not really that tragic of a problem. And yes,
this technique will work with other nut butters, like almond, or cashew, just
in case someone around you is allergic, but regardless of what you use, I
really do hope you give this peanut butter fudge a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 64 small cubes of Peanut Butter Fudge:
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon fine salt)
It’s getting close to that time of the year when we spoil
our guests by making them extra-fancy, labor-intensive, time-consuming meals.
Or, we can make them something like this bacon-wrapped cranberry walnut pork
tenderloin instead, which just seems like it would be all those things. Yes,
the hardest thing about this gorgeous recipe is not spilling the beans about
just how simple it was to do.
This is really more of a technique video, than a specific
recipe, since you can fill it with whatever strikes your fancy, but as far as
seasonally appropriate ingredients go, I loved how this came out. Beyond being
able to adapt this to your tastes, another advantage is that we can prep it
ahead of time, and just pop it into the oven when we’re ready to rock, and by
“rock,” I mean impress our guests.
One thing to be aware of is that pork tenderloins do vary a
bit in size. The one shown here was on the smaller side, and weighed in at just
about one pound. They’re generally closer to 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds, and if
that’s the case for yours, be sure to add a little more roasting time, and
double check things with a thermometer.
Also, if you’re going to be doing more than one, make sure
you’re buying tenderloins that are all about the same weight. The butcher will
be more than happy to weigh a few, and get you what you need. Other than that,
not much can go wrong, except of course, after a few glasses of wine you admit
how simple and easy this really was. Either way, I really do hope you give this
a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:
1 trimmed pork tenderloin (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 or 2 teaspoons freshly minced rosemary
1 or 2 teaspoons
finely sliced fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon bread crumbs, or enough to lightly coat surface
1/4 cup chopped, lightly toasted walnuts, or as much as you
like
1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries, or as much as you like
4 strips thinly sliced bacon, or enough to wrap the pork
- Roast at 450 F. for 25-30 minutes or until the bacon is
browned, and you’ve reached an internal temp of at least 145 F.
They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but that’s mostly
because people just don’t remember exactly what happened. Happily, that’s not
the case with this incredible Potatoes Romanoff recipe. About 10 years ago, I
took a trip to Las Vegas with a group of food writers, and while I don’t recall
much, I do remember learning how to make this ingenious potato gratin from Chef
John Schenk, at his restaurant, Strip House.
He credits his Mom for the recipe, but the shallots and
white pepper scream, “This was adapted by a restaurant chef!” Which reminds me,
if you do use shallots for this, be careful. Since they go in raw, a little
will go a long way. To play it safe, you can always sauté them in a little
butter to take off the sharp, raw edge. Besides shallots, some thinly sliced
green onions would be great, as would sautéed leeks, or even just finely minced
yellow onions.
This would be a great side dish for those large holiday
gatherings, since it can be made the day before, and then baked when needed. And
as I said in the video, you can embellish this with all sorts of stuff, including
such obvious choices as bacon, or fresh herbs, but no matter how you
personalize it, I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 portions:
3 very large russet potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), scrubbed
clean
1/4 to 1/3 cup minced shallots, raw, or sautéed for a milder
flavor
3 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons fine salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or freshly ground
black pepper
pinch of cayenne
2 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese
1 3/4 cups sour cream
- Bake at 425 F. for 30-35 minutes, or until browned and
piping hot.
The holidays are almost here, which means “show-off” baking
season is almost here, and these pumpkin-shaped dinner rolls are just the thing
to impress your guests, and more importantly, drive your culinary rivals mad
with envy. Sure these take about 20 minutes longer to make than your already
perfectly fine dinner rolls, but that’s nothing when you consider all the
compliments that will be coming your way.
This very Instagram-friendly roll is the perfect thing to
bring to that holiday gathering, and can be made using your favorite dinner
roll recipe. The key here is well-oiled string, and being careful not to tie it
too tightly. If the string gets embedded too deeply into the dough, it will tear
the roll when you try to remove it, and there’s nothing that stops something
from being cute, quite like a jagged tear.
By the way, if you don’t feel like tying all those knots,
you can try and do this with one long piece of string, winding it around the dough
ball, as you turn it, but I find that method harder, and less successful.
Faster yes, but not as visually appealing once baked.
If you do a video search for this type of roll, you’ll also
see people simply cutting slashes around the outside, which sort of works, but
it just doesn’t come out as adorable. But, regardless of which roll recipe, or
shaping method you use, I really do hope you give these pumpkin-shaped dinner rolls
a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 “Pumpkin” Dinner Rolls: (be sure to save a few tablespoons of dough for the stems)
1 cup warm milk
1 package dry active yeast
1 or 2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups flour, plus more for kneading
1 teaspoon fine salt
kitchen string
vegetable oil for strings
- Bake at 375 F. for 20-25 minutes
- Feel free to give these an egg wash before baking if you
want a shinier look.
