Category Archives: Techniques

My Mom’s Best Pie Crust

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Maureen Abood
Pie cooling under the window, Maureen Abood

Everyone who knows my mother knows that the hallmark of her character is grace. Pure grace. This is reflected in her face, her home, her kitchen, her conversations. And her pie. I love watching people taste my mom’s pie for … Continue reading →

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Technique: How to form dough balls

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Maureen Abood
Ka'ik dough balls from dough, Maureen Abood

When pulling beautiful pieces of risen dough to form smaller balls, there is a technique involved to remove the folds that naturally occur in the dough from being pulled and shaped. Those folds don’t bake properly and have to be … Continue reading →

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Technique: Hard boiled eggs, and how to peel them clean

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Maureen Abood
White eggs under the window, Maureen Abood

There are few more irritating moments in the kitchen for me than when a boiled egg doesn’t peel properly. You know what I’m talking about: The shell pulls off bits of egg along with it and what you end up … Continue reading →

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Technique: An easy way to sort lentils

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Maureen Abood
Lentils sheet pan POST

Yes, we are talking about lentils. Chocolate will be on the docket again soon enough… It may seem like a step you can skip, sorting through the lentils before cooking them. But once you discover that not all that is … Continue reading →

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Technique: How to temper chocolate (and ourselves)

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Chocolate melt off spatula POST

Here’s the thing about chocolate: it’s a little more complicated than it seems. The more I’ve come to understand it, the more I get that we two are kindred spirits. My chocolate-making teacher, Chef Bob Hartwig at the French Pastry … Continue reading →

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Technique: Tips for Making Caramel

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Caramel in a bowl POST

Caramel is like the fraternal twin of chocolate when it comes to making the kind of sweet you cannot, and will not, resist. Caramelization—the toasting or deep-golden-browning—of just about anything you cook, from Brussels sprouts to nuts to bread, takes … Continue reading →

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Homemade yogurt: straining for laban, labne, and labne preserved in oil

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Labne balls with za'atar POST

Now that we’ve got down the basics for making our own yogurt, we’re going to take it to the next level. Your yogurt becomes its finest once it has been strained some (or quite a bit) to remove the whey … Continue reading →

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Homemade yogurt: a few tips about ingredients

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Laban with thermometer POST

Once you get the hang of making your own yogurt (a.k.a.: laban), you will do it without thinking. You’ll do it as a matter of course, the same way you start the week off with all kinds of habits. While … Continue reading →

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How to make your own pumpkin puree

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Pumpkin puree 2 POST

The whole time I’ve been working with fresh pumpkin in the kitchen recently, I’ve been astonished that I’ve never done it before. We are traditional pumpkin pie eaters at Thanksgiving, and though my mother would like to have it more … Continue reading →

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Technique for a warm bowl of soup

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Maureen Abood
warming bowl POST

I suppose this isn’t so much about how to warm a bowl for soup as it is a persuasion to warm a bowl. At Tante Marie’s, it was a student’s job every day to warm the bowls and plates for … Continue reading →

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Technique: How to brown butter

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Brown butter hardened POST

If I could write a single culinary aria and sing it all the rest of my days, that love song would be to brown butter. It’s a bold statement, given the many contenders that are deserving of such devotion. It’s … Continue reading →

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Postcard from Up North

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Deer at Birchwood POST

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ? Victor Borge (There were three, and they had just run out in front of me across M-119. They smiled for the camera, we laughed together, and then they moved on.)

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Technique: How to core and peel an apple

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Apple halves with knife POST

This week I’m asking a favor. This favor involves some work, the work of coring and peeling a whole lot of apples. I wish the fruit would just split apart with ease like an apricot so we could mindlessly slip … Continue reading →

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Technique: How to Slice, Roast, and Peel a Red Pepper

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Roasted red pepper POST

The seeds in a pepper are annoying on lots of levels. In a hot pepper, they are the heat. You can love them or leave them. In a neutral pepper, they are not useful at all. When you cut your … Continue reading →

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Technique: How to slow roast tomatoes

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Roasted romas POST

The slow roasting of tomatoes is something that I’ve admired for some time…but never did myself until recently. I remember the role of the tomatoes at a particular lunch at a little café on Washington and Fillmore Streets in San … Continue reading →

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