Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen

Another rerun - from 2004. Yes, you heard me ... pie crust. Its always a touchy subject among cooks and I can't blame anyone for using the pre-made ones in the red box (Pillsbury?). I have to admit they really are the best commercial alternative to homemade. However, this recipe is the easiest and most foolproof I've ever found. Once when Rose was making it, she accidentally added an extra 1/4 cup of water and wound up with something like a thick batter. We improvised by sprinkling extra flour in until it looked right and ... voila! A delicious, flaky pie crust with no problem. Now that's hard to beat. It is from The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffry Steingarten. Marion Cunningham, baker extraordinaire, made about a zillion pie crusts while detailing every step along the way so Steingarten could get it just right. The beauty of it is that this makes a lot more dough than you need so you don't have to worry about scrimping to get the crust just perfect when rolling

 This is from The Wall Street Journal's regular Slow Food Fast column which features a different chef each month. I clipped the recipe way back in 2019 and it doesn't show up on the WSJ website but it's from Al Forno chef Johanne Killeen. We liked it so much that I'm picking up her On Top of Spaghetti cookbook from the library. (Also, how can you resist that book's name? You can't!) It was so easy that I didn't change a thing. And it was delicious. Note: every other place carrying this recipe has these changes from what the WSJ printed: 2 c. cream, 1-1/2 oz. Parmesan and fontina, and gorgonzola, 4 oz sliced fresh mozzarella. I will try these some time also. Baked Pasta with Tomato, Cream and Five Cheeses Step 1 1 pound penne rigate Heat oven to 500°. Boil pasta until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes, and drain. Step 2 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes 1 ounce Parmesan 1 ounce coarsely grated Fontina 1 ounce crumbl

I first shared this in 2005 and it is well worth sharing again. It's one of my all time favorite recipes and really the only way that I make salmon. I've tweaked it a bit. It came from a diabetic cookbook, which is hard to believe considering how delicious it is. Step 1: 1 salmon fillet (1 pound total), room temperature, cut into 4 pieces Salt and pepper Olive Oil Brush salmon with oil and season. Bake at 475° on a lightly oiled, foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake exactly 5 minutes, then turn salmon over and bake another 5 minutes. Step 2: 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2-3 teaspoons horseradish 2 teaspoons drained capers Whisk together. Top each serving of salmon with a heaping tablespoon of sauce.