If you crave the crunchiest calamari, put the wheat flour aside and think tempura. We’re not talking about anything heavily coated here, but a light golden brown crispy coating using rice flour. Many recipes for fried calamari call for a light dusting of flour. However, if you want calamari to take on color and crispiness, […]
Handmade Cheese Ravioli
Aside from being utterly delicious, ravioli are fun to make. Here is a pillowy three-cheese version. They freeze perfectly, so make enough for another meal. Basic Egg Pasta (yield: 1 ½ lbs. dough) 3 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour 4 large eggs 1 T water ½ t salt Place flour, eggs, water and salt […]
More Digital Food Photography Book
For those of you who may have been wondering what happened to cook, shoot eat a food photographer’s journey, the blog it’s been a while. Where have I been? I have been writing a book. I was commissioned to write a book called More Digital Food Photography. The original title Digital Food Photography was written […]
A National Treasure: The Classic American Burger
Can there be a better burger than the good old classic American? Sure, a hamburger can be gussied up to a towering height with bacon, avocado, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, and toppings ad infinitum, but can the classic hamburger really be improved upon? Sometimes it’s best to stick with the simple and time tested. The most important step in assuring a great burger is using the right ground beef. Ground chuck or a combination of ground chuck and sirloin, 80 % lean, is good. Handle it gently. Don’t compact it. Form 3 patties from each pound of ground beef.
Cook on a medium hot grill or, if using a stove top skillet, sprinkle with salt. Cook for about 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Salt and pepper, of course. Don’t press down with a spatula. A lightly toasted potato roll goes well. A slice of ripe tomato, red onion and leafy lettuce are not amiss. Cheese—a warm melt of cheddar can’t hurt. Pickles, ok, but don’t add more than you can get your mouth around, that is, unless you don’t mind the burger slipping out the other side or requiring the knife and fork treatment. Open an icy cold beer and enjoy!
A Classic Burger Sauce (Double or triple recipe as needed)
2 T mayonnaise
1 T ketchup
½ t sweet pickle relish
1/2 t sugar
½ t white wine vinegar
¼ t black pepper
Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl.
Recipe by Phyllis Kirigin <<…>>
Photography by Bill Brady
Look for my new book on food photography titled More Digital Food Photography available May 9th.
These Dogs Are Hot!
Hot dogs are funny things. No matter how sophisticated your tastes are, you still crave them – especially this time of year. After all, they are a mainstay at baseball games and backyard barbecues. We New Yorkers also have our hot dog street vendors. Two-to-go as you stroll Midtown on a sunny day – nothing […]
Series: Still life with Gauze
