Recent Projects

Creamed Chicken in Pinched-Pastry Crust Shells

Three Vinegar Salad Dressing

Paella

Cazuela al Horno de Espinaca con Queso

Baked Banana Pudding topped with Sweet Meringue

Cauliflower Gruyère Soufflé

Mini Cinnamon Pinwheels

Parsley-Ricotta Agnolotti

Sweet Potato Agnolotti

These projects will be further written about, but we wanted to post something to halt our over-extended hiatus. The Piccolo Gourmet has had quite the autumn schedule, but we are back, and happy to start posting again!  As you can see above, yes, we have been busy (and in a new kitchen!). We will expand further on these projects in the future, though today, we are posting tips that we have discovered during our blogging pause.

TIP ONE: As you know (we have posted this in the past), we save our cheese rinds for making vegetarian broth. This is a great alternative to using chicken bones or ham hocks. What we discovered is that when you throw in your saved cheese rinds, keep a fair amount of the cheese on the ends. We recently made a new batch and I had noted that (this time) I had kept a greater amount on the ends as a test. Yes! It makes an enormous difference in flavor. Just keep an eye on it. The rinds (this is experience talking) can stick and burn to the bottom of the pot. You cannot see this because they are covered in broth, so keep a mindful watch on the pot. 

TIP TWO: When making salad dressing, add more than one vinegar and you will be blown away. This sounds simple, but what a surprise in the taste. Try it. We combined the following: balsamic, red wine, and sherry. Wow.

TIP THREE: Try your pie before you bake it. Again, sounds simple, but one can easily loose track of sweetness when you combine other ingredients that contain sugar (i.e. crushed cookies). Now I hear you, can something being TOO sweet be a PROBLEM? Well...yes. We did not know until I had a taste... AFTER baking.

TIP FOUR: Scraps from your pastries ... save them. You can roll out almost anything and make tiny versions of big things you crave, and you know what? Not only are they adorable creations, but two or three are "just enough" when you want something homemade and sweet.

TIP FIVE: Learn to love your broiler. Not only can your broiler save you time in roasting and caramelizing vegetables, if the rack is placed close enough to the top, cheese can get those "restaurant-looking" spots on melted cheese. Patience and practice. Try it.