Honestly, the real deal, the fancy little dumplings in nearly translucent wrappers are more than a little intimidating. I know how they are made, but I am not ready to dive off the cliff of perfection required to get them right. This is a good first step, but doesn't hold a candle to the delicate little dumplings that really made dim sum such a fantastic experience.


Unless I am thrust into a Dim Sum kitchen or asked to participate in a Dim Sum pot luck, I doubt I will ever make these again. Sure, there is justice and satisfaction in abusing a staple of the southern kitchen (white bread), but these little buns land on my table with about the same impact as fried empanadas. That said, here they are. I obviously need to make those beautiful little dumplings now. [More]

There are plenty of recipes for Café Du Monde beignets. They all share a common flaw - they are way too large. Unless you are planning to make doughnuts for the 9th Ward, you really want a recipe that makes a half dozen beignets, not 5-6 dozen. This recipe takes care of that problem in two ways - frozen dough and a bread backup. The dough is made ahead of time and frozen in whatever portions you like. If you split the dough in two, you will end up with enough dough (after you've made your beignets) to make a loaf of sweet bread or yeast rolls. This recipe assumes you have divided the dough recipe into two portions, but you can just as easily do many smaller batches and skip the bread altogether. [More]

The real challenge to making Gallo Pinto outside of Costa Rica is the added sauce - Lizano Salsa. Sure, you can substitute Worcestershire sauce, but its just not going to be the same. I've tried to make it work with simple Worcestershire and there is something missing. Perhaps equal parts mustard and Worcestershire sauce would do the trick, but Lizano is easier to come by than you might imagine. Just hard to find at the corner store. In Tamarindo, sure... [More]

I think the best way to do this is to stack a sunny-side-up fried egg on the rice. Then you can manage the warm yolk as it mixes with the rice and meat. You'll notice something missing in this recipe - the beef tapas. I use day old carne asada. In fact, tapsilog is the perfect way to use up highly seasoned meat left over from a day of grilling. Fajitas, carne asada, kebabs - they all work wonders. Not to mention it makes for a fantastic breakfast. I might eventually figure out how to make beef tapas, but this is such a great compliment to an afternoon lunch of carne asada, it really seems like a waste. [More]