Gingerbread House, the brand’s second seasonal flavor, hit retailers in November and will remain on store shelves through the end of the year.
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Recipe Mutiny steals recipes from food blogs and recipe sites. Then we publish them. With credit (Naturally).
Monday, November 27, 2017
Cocoa Butter Cookies With Chocolate Chips
Unrefined cocoa butter is a solid oil with an unbelievable richness and delicate chocolate aroma. As the backbone of this cookie dough, it lends a chocolaty essence that pairs well with mellow milk or blond chocolate, which won't overwhelm its unique fragrance. Get Recipe!
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Sunday, November 26, 2017
What Is the Difference Between Alfredo and Carbonara Sauce?
The origins of Alfredo and carbonara sauce can both be traced back to Rome when decades ago they were invented by Italians who had grown weary of their trademark red tomato based sauces. The origin of Alfredo sauce is more straightforward than that of carbonara, but both share a trademark creaminess and white color base that tempts hungry diners seeking the kind of inviting Italian comfort that both of these sauces evoke.
Alfredo sauce was invented in 1914 by Alfredo di Lelio, owner of the Roman restaurant Via della Scrofa and loving husband, whose goal was to create a pasta dish for his wife who was in pain and discomfort from her pregnancy. Fettuccine Alfredo did the trick and soon the rich, simple dish was a menu staple, not only in Roman restaurants but in American restaurants too where the recipe was brought back to the states from Hollywood film actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. They fortuitously dined at Alfredo di Lelio on their honeymoon and fell in love with his fettuccine Alfredo.
The story of carbonara is not as straightforward. The recipe itself first appears in the Neopolitan cookbook “Cucina Teorico Pratica,” written by Ippolito Cavalcanti in 1839. The author does not provide an origin backstory but the name alla carbonara provides a few clues. The term is defined as “coal-worker’s style” but even that is not as straightforward as it seems.
Some culinary historians connect it to coal workers themselves who needed an easy-to-prepare lunch during their work shifts. Others claim the name denotes the black flecks of pepper in the dish itself that resemble specks of coal. Still others say the dish was invented by Italians during World War II who were starving until Allied Forces liberated them and offered the populace powdered eggs and bacon which were transformed into the now iconic dish.
These are only a few of the tales attributed to carbonara but whatever the truth, one thing is certain: Carbonara and Alfredo are beloved mainstays in the culinary repertoire of not only Italian cooks but for professional and home cooks throughout the world. These two sauces might appear similar at first but there are significant differences between them. Let’s explore what sets them apart.
Ingredients
Carbonara is generally comprised of pancetta, egg yolks, heavy cream, garlic, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. A hard Italian cheese is also added during the cooking process with sharp Pecorino Romano being the first choice but salty and mellower Parmesan filling in whenever necessary. Alfredo sauce relies upon a combination of butter and heavy cream as its base. Garlic is typically added and parsley is also a frequent Alfredo dancing partner.
Texture
Alfredo and carbonara both have a velvety texture but there are marked differences between how they feel on the tongue. Pancetta adds a crunchy note to carbonara’s silkiness whereas Alfredo sauce is a luxurious one-note textural masterpiece that never stops singing in the note of buttery velvet.
Color
The primary difference between the color of Alfredo versus carbonara sauce are the dark pink flecks of pancetta tucked between into carbonara. Bright green parsley also differentiates the two sauces when it is tossed into Alfredo after it is cooked. The overall cream colored base is also slightly different between the two since carbonara includes egg yolks that offer it a bolder yellow hue than the gentler tawny hue of Alfredo.
Preparation
The first step to preparing a carbonara sauce is to prepare the pasta. Once it’s ready, pancetta and garlic are gently sauteed in olive oil. Egg yolks, heavy cream, and shaved Pecorino Romano or Parmesan are whisked together. The pancetta is sprinkled into the bowl and plenty of freshly ground black pepper is added before everything is tossed together with the pasta.
Alfredo sauce is a simpler affair: After the pasta is ready, garlic is sauteed in butter before the heat is turned to its lowest setting and heavy cream is added. It’s stirred gently until the sauce thickens. Once this starts to happen, the pan is removed from the heat and Parmesan is added along with parsley if it’s being used. It’s poured over fettuccine and tossed lightly until the pasta is glistening.
Flavor
The addition to pancetta in carbonara sauce is the main reason the flavor of Alfredo and carbonara sauce differs to such a degree. Pancetta gives carbonara an earthy, funkier edge whereas Alfredo sauce relies solely upon its buttery virtues to seduce its way into your mouth.
Pasta and Ingredient Pairing
Fettuccine is the pasta of choice for Alfredo sauce and while this is also a frequent partner for carbonara, spaghetti is the first choice for this porky sauce. Linguini is another common pasta preference for either sauce. And while both dishes can stand on their own, Alfredo often becomes the base for proteins like chicken or shrimp. The pancetta in carbonara gives this sauce a more finished feel and it’s most likely to find its way to the table unadulterated by additional ingredients.
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Snowman Chocolate Icebox Cake
This chocolate icebox cake was a standby at my grandmother’s house. She made hers in a loaf pan, turned it out, and covered it in icing. Then she served it sliced paper-thin, on the diagonal, which showed off all the delicious layers.
It is no surprise that later in life, with a family of my own, I started making this same cake as a holiday treat.
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Saturday, November 25, 2017
Candy Cane Cookies
Practically everyone has lived through one of those crazy roommate situations — the kind that provides fodder for endless cocktail stories. These stories that are amusing in retrospect, but never fun when they are actually happening. (One of mine actually involved a missing python snake in our apartment.)
But every now and then, something decent comes from all the insanity. One of my favorite memories from an otherwise mismatched roommate situation is learning how to make candy cane cookies.
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Meal Plan for November Week 5
I don’t know about you, but here in Central Texas it’s getting cold. With the cold and the hustle-and-bustle of the holidays, I always feel like everyone gets really short tempered. Better to stay indoors!
Since I’m trying to keep the number of times I have to venture outside to a minimum, that means making sure my pantry is stocked and my recipes are versatile enough to handle a change of plans. I’m also doubling up several dishes so we have plenty of leftovers.
Alas, I’m saying “See you later” to my grill until warmer months, but it also means having more time with my toasty oven!
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The Ultimate Guide to Knives: When and Why We Use Each Type
The other day, I was in my kitchen cooking a meal and I needed to chop an onion. Indiscriminately, I picked up my go-to knife and started chopping away. Midway through, I glanced up at my knife block. I began to take a mental inventory of what knives I had and how often I used them. The truth is, despite having several differently shaped and sized knives, I predominately use only two of them. So, I decided to look into my different knives, how they should be used, and whether there were knives I didn’t have that I should get. Since knife work is such a crucial part of cooking, I thought I’d share my discoveries to help others in their preparations, ensuring both safer and higher quality cooking. Here’s what I discovered:
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If you’ve bought or received a silverware set, you have table knives. Housed in the silverware drawer with matching forks and spoons, these basic knives are used with a traditional place setting. With mild cutting power, and some serration, they are run-of-the-mill instruments used for getting food to mouth after it’s been placed on the table.
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These oddly shaped blades aren’t used for cutting. More of a hard spatula than a knife, these non-essential, but nice-to-have tools are great for butters, jams, cream cheese, and anything else of similar consistency/softness. They perform better than table knives for such things because they often have shorter blades—perfect for spreading butter without destroying your bread.
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I love steak. As a result, I know the regular-old table knife described above isn’t going to cut it (pun alert!). When you need something a bit more powerful to handle your table side meat-cutting needs, you use a steak knife. Often serrated but not always, steak knives ensure an easier cut so as not to frustrate you while meat eating. They’re perfect for steaks, chops, and chicken breasts.
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Around the holidays, turkeys, hams, and roasts are ultra popular. In order to properly serve meal-sized portions to your guests, you’ll need to slice up the meat. To do this well requires an implement up to the challenge of slicing even, thin, long pieces. Your best bet is to use a slicing or carving knife with a carving fork. Their long, non-serrated blades are perfect for churning out perfect slices of turkey or pork roast.
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There aren’t many carbs better than fresh-baked bread, and there aren’t many more unappetizing carbs as a smooshed piece. With a hard outer-crust and warm, soft inside, you’ll need a knife that can handle its versatile cutting needs. Bread knives appear similar in size and shape to carving knives, but they differ in their serrated edges. This serration allows you to easily cut through crust without smooshing the loaf, thus preserving the airy quality and volume of a perfect slice.
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This knife is typically pretty large—around an eight-inch blade. If you see a knife in your set that looks like it could be used in a slasher film, that’s likely your chef’s knife. These blades probably get a ton of use. They’re great for chopping and mincing. They can even slice wonderfully if you don’t have a carving knife handy—particularly for something like a pork or beef tenderloin.
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As the name suggests, these are pure utility. This versatile knife can slice and chop quite well. Admittedly, this is the one that gets the most use in my house. It’s not as large as the chef’s knife, and might not have the same balance and rock for chopping or dicing that a chef’s knife has, but it’s great for slicing up a small roast, cutting up a cucumber, or halving that monster sub you just made.
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If you ever need to do some precision prep work involving the removal of meat from a bone (think deboning a ribeye steak prior to cooking it for fajitas), I highly recommend using a boning knife. These shorter, thinner, curved blades help you get the appropriate control, angles, and cuts a larger blade won’t.
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Another precision tool is the paring knife. Shaped like a utility knife, but with a shorter blade, these are great for detail-work, like peeling a zucchini or slicing smaller fruits like berries, cherries, and grapes.
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These massive, heavy, semi-scary looking things are surprisingly versatile. If you’re dealing with large, bone-in cuts of meayt you need to cut down before cooking, the meat cleaver will be your best friend. These are great for vertically halving ribs, or cutting up a bone-in prime rib, for instance. Your other knives aren’t made for cutting through large bones, and using them could be unsafe and damaging to the blades. Additionally, because of their weight and varied non-cutting edges, meat cleavers work as great makeshift meat tenderizers too.
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I hate slicing tomatoes. Their skin is so tough. The same can be said for peaches and plums. Using any of the knives above could mash the fruit on the way to an unappetizing slice. Luckily, there are knives up to the task. These oddly shaped blades are given away by their twin-horned-looking tips. But this shape, along with their serrated edges make cutting through the tough skin and soft fruit a breeze.
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I always wondered what the deal was with the kitchen shears. I just used them to cut open packaging, and things like that. However, if you work with dough, especially thinner dough, for pizzas and pies, kitchen shears come in handy! Additionally, cutting up basil, or something like it, is a snap with these.
After this little exercise, I know I’ve underutilized the vast majority of cutting tools in my kitchen. I also know that I should pick up a few more items (like bread and tomato knives). Hopefully you’ve gotten some ideas that can help make your meal prep a bit easier too.
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