Charles

Mozzarella Stuffed Tomatoes

June 22, 2009 by Charles 3 Comments

Tomatoes have long been a source of suspicion and derision.

Tomatoes were first cultivated by the Aztecs around the 8th Century, who had given the fruit the name “tomatl.” A few centuries later, the Conquistadors brought tomato seeds back with them to Europe. But despite its arrival in the Old Continent, the tomato was not yet for eating. European botanists placed the tomato alongside the Solanaceae family, a group of poisonous and narcotic plants, and came to view tomatoes as poisonous and hallucinogenic.

Even once edible, tomatoes still served as a source of derision. During the days …

Overnight Oats

June 17, 2009 by Charles 9 Comments

Most of my morning routines cannot be done the night before. Making lunch the night before would produce a rock-hard sandwich. Shaving before bed would move my five o’clock shadow to just around noon. And relying on yesterday’s hair care is simply laughable. But breakfast – that works.

Overnight oats are best done, well, overnight. Soaking the oats …

Mango Pineapple Lassi

June 14, 2009 by Charles 7 Comments

Predicting another hot weekend in Saint Louis, I decided to freeze a pineapple and two mangoes. The next day, when the mid-afternoon sun hit, I was ready. I ran each fruit under some hot water to loosen the skin, diced the fruit, and then dropped them in the blender to make a cool lassi.

Lassi is an Indian drink with a yogurt base,…

White Chocolate- and Chocolate-Chip Blondies

June 9, 2009 by Charles 9 Comments

A little while back, Caitlin and I were invited for a trivia night. The invitation was somewhat last minute, so we needed to find a dessert we could make quickly. These blondies were prepped and done in a flash. And naturally, they were great. That is, the blondies were a much bigger success than we were that evening. (People definitely had more blondies than questions we answered correctly).

The next time you need a travel treat,…

Brioche Loaves

June 4, 2009 by Charles 11 Comments

From a Croque Norvegien to an ABB&M, I’ve been in sandwich mode recently. Which got me thinking. Instead of running out and grabbing a new loaf of bread, maybe I could make my own.

I settled on brioche, a butter- and egg-enriched yeast bread, French in origin. Yet, despite its French origins, the French put their brioche in the viennoiserie basket. Unlike something in the bread basket, a viennoiserie (meaning “in the Viennese style”) boasts the addition of eggs, butter, milk, cream, or sugar, which gives it a pastry-like character.

Viennoiseries are leavened, often layered, and commonly served in the morning. Beyond brioche, …