Charles

Homemade Sea Salt Caramels

July 17, 2011 by Charles 170 Comments

These are amazing caramels!

When Caitlin and I were in San Francisco last month, we stopped in the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero. It was around 11:00 a.m. and, even though had lunch plans in an hour, we thought it would be fun to wander through the marketplace. We shared a sorbet from the Ciao Bella stand and then went across the hall to a small food store to find (something else) to hold me over until lunch.

At the checkout stand, there was a tin bin, filled with several varieties of caramels. I can’t remember the different kinds, but I do know that we grabbed two or three to have “later.”…

Low-Fat Vanilla-Pistachio Caramels

July 16, 2011 by Charles 12 Comments

After making my cream caramels, I decided it would be fun to experiment. In particular, I was curious to know if the recipe would work with low-fat milk instead of cream. Unfortunately, my adherence to the scientific method was somewhat lackluster. Instead of introducing a single variable, I introduced two: pistachios and low-fat milk.

These caramels were not as soft as the plain ones, but they were not altogether hard. I suspect, though, that it was the chopped pistachios and not the absence of cream that made these caramels a little harder. On the topic of taste, I’m happy to report …

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

July 10, 2011 by Charles 4 Comments

Veggie burgers have a come a long way.

I can remember going to a BBQ and watching the hamburgers and hot dogs come off the grill. That moment where the football game ends and the conversations stop, and people line up to grab their meal, before shuffling over to the condiment bar. And then, like some back-alley, black-market transaction, someone casts their eyes over the party, slips a furtive hand into their purse, and hands the chef a frozen pattie from plastic baggie. The veggie burger.

But no more. …

Sweet Potato Home Fries

July 9, 2011 by Charles Leave a Comment

These sweet potato home fries make a perfect side dish as part of a warm breakfast. They also go well with a…

Roasted Beet Salad

June 30, 2011 by Charles 3 Comments

It seems like most of the restaurants we’ve been to lately offer a beet salad. And I really like them. There’s just something about the vibrant red colors and that soft, sweet taste that I find mesmerizing. So, as with any good dish I’ve seen on the menu, I asked myself if I could make it at home. The answer, resoundingly, was…