Setting the Easter table is always a challenge when looking for something new to add to the menu that doesn’t compromise tradition. It’s a dilemma home cooks ponder each Easter, wondering what can to do beyond the spiral-sliced ham, colored eggs and a lamb shaped cake. This year consider baking one of three Easter specialties, Hot Cross buns, rabbit-shaped Easter Bunny bread and orange flavored Easter Egg Nest. The Easter Egg Nest and Hot Cross Buns are among the first specialty breads I learned to bake when working as a test home baker for Fleishmann’s new Rapid Rise Yeast back in the 1980s…

Experiencing Mardi Gras in New Orleans not in your plans this year? No problem, St. Louis has plenty of good times and great Cajun food to keep the good times rolling through the entire carnival season. St Louis Soulard Mardi Gras' estimated half-million plus attendance makes it the largest Mardi Gras celebration in the Midwest, which officially kicked off on Twelfth Night/January 6 and concludes this year on Fat Tuesday (Feb. 12) with its signature evening parade through downtown.  Yet, beyond the planned parades and tons of beads visitors come to Mardi Gras to eat the platefuls of Cajun and…

Winter cold temps have arrived. Time to cozy down and enjoy recipes featuring those root vegetables we once traditionally stored in the root cellar. Root vegetables such as potatoes, onions and carrots that helped “winter us over” until spring.  Our South Side St. Louis truck farm yielded bushels of potatoes and onions each fall, which when stored correctly would last until March. Those potatoes and onions would surface throughout the winter months, appearing in soups, stews, and as the value-added sides cooked with mother’s Sunday beef roast.  While root cellars are gaining in popularity …

Christmas 2012 is over. And the relatives who came home for the holidays are planning to stay until New Years. The dilemma: What to do to keep your visitors entertained beyond shopping after holidays sales and touring neighborhood light displays. How about taking your guests for dinner and a show? For 30 years, the Fabulous Fox Theatre, renown for bringing the best Broadway shows to its stage, have paired its shows with a dining experience. It’s an option often overlooked according to Fox Food and Beverage Director Thom Johnson, who says there’s nothing else like the Fox’s dinner and show …

Setting the seasonal table with a little originality can be a challenge. This year  I took inspiration from the Hermann Wine Trail vintners and the St. Louis Originals – St. Louis’ independent restaurateurs. Each has created unique recipes designed to give the holiday menu a gourmet touch using traditional favorite ingredients such as cheese.   Cheese is a popular element in holiday recipes and is the theme of the recent  Just Say Cheese Holiday Wine Trail. The annual event produced by the Hermann Wine Trail presented a collection of unique cheese dishes paired with wine. For example, Chef …

Chilling out this summer hasn’t been easy. With record breaking temperatures still forecast for the remainder of summer, your bartender has a suggestion -cool off with a trendy summer cocktail. Summer cocktails are typically lighter concoctions that can be mixed with or without alcohol. Fruit flavored wine punches such as sangria has been a favorite for decades as well as wine spritzers and sparklers made with sparkling wines. “My favorite sparkler is made by taking a sparkling wine like Proceso and placing frozen raspberries in the drink. It's something different and refreshing on hot summer…

Grilled Onion Cheeseburgers 1 pound ground beef 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 large white or yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (Vidalia onions, if available) 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil Salt and pepper 4 white or whole-wheat hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls, split 3 ounces crumbled or shredded cheese (such as smoked mozzarella, feta, blue cheese) Combine ground beef, thyme and garlic in medium bowl, mix lightly but thoroughly. Lightly shape into four 1/2-inch thick patties. Brush both sides of onion slices with oil. Place patties in center …

Locavores rejoice. May marks the opening of area farm markets.  Counted among this year’s market crop is the Arnold Farmer’s Market, located on the grounds of Fox Middle School, that opens May 5, the official opening date of most Missouri farm markets.  Arnold’s Farmers' Market joins the growing list of urban farm markets that now number more than 140 statewide.  This rise in popularity is a result of the “farm to fork” moment, encouraging one to eat greener and better by filling one's plate with foods grown locally - thus the term locavore. Yet, while farm markets may seem trendy, they’re …

Ask an Irishman what makes his Irish eyes smile and he’ll likely say it’s the brew in his glass. “I love checking out all the Irish beers this time of year,” said South Countian Mark Cobb who spent time this weekend comparing the Irish beer selections featured at Fenton’s Friar Tuck.  “My favorites are the Irish red ales. They have a nice malty flavor that tastes great with a plate of corned beef.” Irish red ales and Ireland’s renowned dry, dark stouts will be the featured drink on countless St Patrick’s Day tables. Each brew processes rich flavors worthy of consideration as an ingredient in …

Beyond the beads, parades and masks, Mardi Gras celebrations are all about the food.  A few weeks ago this was again proven with the annual Crystal Creole Cajun Cook-off. The event gathered 20 finalists in two divisions (professional and amateur) to cook for the coveted title of best dish and cook to reign during the remainder of the carnival season.  Crowned the 2012 winners in the amateur category was Julie Roy for her Blue Crab Stuffed, Pecan & Panko Encrusted Redfish with Crawfish Crème and Upside-Down Bananas Foster Cake with Bourbon Street Whipped Cream.  John Johnson and Stephan …

Here are some fresh takes on building a healthy salad courtesy of Chef Candice Kumai and Glad Products Company: Spicy Tequila Lime Shrimp Salad For the shrimp: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin Pinch red pepper flakes 1 pound medium shrimp, deveined 3 tablespoons high-quality tequila Salt, to taste 1 teaspoon dried chipotle powder 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped  For the salad:  4 cups dark, leafy mixed greens 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced thin 1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed 1 avocado, sliced thin For the dressing 1…

Toasting the New Year tradtionally begins with sparkling wine; universally referred to as champagne. “Everyone calls it champagne but out of respect to the French we don’t call our sparkling wine champagne,” said Chuck Dressel, owner and president of Mount Pleasant Wineries, Augusta, noting that those cellars that use the term American champagne do so only because they fall under a grandfather clause; having done so for decades. Mount Pleasant has a rich tradition of wine making dates to 1859 and has been a leader in Missouri wine production since its reopening after it closed as a result of …

Consider toasting the New Year with an elegant dinner paired with a Mount Pleasant Winery sparkling or still wine. To help with the menu, the following recipes are compliments from Mount Pleasant Estates Executive Chef Dana Liljequiest. See related article: Missouri Vintner Makes the New Year Sparkle With Sparkling Wines Oysters Rockefeller (Pairing recommendation: Mount Pleasant Brut Imperial) 12 Raw Oysters 2 cups Spinach 1/2 cup Panko 2 Scallions Stalks – chopped 1 teaspoon Parsley – chopped 2 Bacon Slices – cooked and chopped 2 Garlic Cloves – minced Anise Seed - pinch 1/4 cup Butter 1/2 …

Julia Usher is one smart cookie, especially when it comes to baking Christmas cookies.  “I love to bake Christmas cookies, but cookie-baking and cookie swaps are something I think people should do all year round,” said Usher, of Webster Groves, whose love for cookies served as the inspiration for her two cookie cookbooks, The Cookie Swap and her latest release, The Ultimate Cookie, both published by Gibbs Smith Publishing. Usher began commercially baking cookies and other sweet delights after relocating to St Louis several years ago. She opened a confection company here after working first as…

Finding the prefect holiday gift doesn’t have to depend on grabbing a doorbuster sale or an Internet deal. Often, the best gifts are those handmade from your kitchen.  The tradition of baking and gifting cookies may be the first culinary gift that comes to mind, but I urge you to think beyond the cookie jar. Get creative. Bake tea breads or muffins using seasonal flavors as pumpkin, cranberry or dates. More experienced bakers can bake fruit stollens or cakes; both are a welcome change from the usual holiday cookie box. I'm a fan of cheese, gourmet mixes and sauces. Consider making a flavored …

Gingerbread has been a tradition throughout Europe for centuries, especially in Germany. “Gingerbread houses are what Christmas is all about for me,” said Stephen Schubert, executive pastry chef at River City Casino, who was raised in Hamburg, Germany. “My family always made gingerbread houses together when I was little. It was such fun and a big attraction for us when we were kids. Christmas without gingerbread wouldn’t be Christmas at all.” Schubert continues his family’s tradition of making gingerbread houses with his kids at home and at work, where he recently constructed, with his team …

Chef Stephan Schubert's Gingerbread Dough 4 ounces brown sugar 6 ounces shortening   pinch of salt 1 pound 4 ounces all purpose flour 8 ounces molasses 1 ounce warm water 1/2 ounce ground ginger pinch baking soda Mix and cream together the brown sugar, shortening, salt, flour and molasses. Add in remaining ingredients and chill dough overnight. Roll out, cut into shapes and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before house construction. * Dough can be used to make gingerbread men to hang for decorations on the Christmas tree. See related article on …

"Visitors to Plimoth Plantation are often surprised when we don’t look like a Hallmark card, dressed in big hats and with buckle shoes," said Kathleen Wall, who oversees Plimoth Plantation’s colonial foodways programs. "They’re also surprised to learn that the 1621 Thanksgiving doesn’t resemble the holiday that’s celebrated today." In 1621, Thanksgiving was a harvest festival in the early fall, probably October. It celebrated the economics of having enough to eat, a serious concern for the settlers who nearly starved to death during their first year. Plimoth's harvest festival never was a day…

The Thanksgiving countdown has begun. Time to tackle the turkey. It’s a task many avoid, since the thought of preparing a whole turkey seems to be an unattainable culinary feat. However, cooking turkey isn’t difficult, it just takes a little planning. Begin by deciding on the cooking style: traditionally roasted, brined or fried. For those looking to save time, consider fried turkey. Frying takes about 60–90 minutes as compared to the hours it takes to roast a stuffed whole turkey. If you’ve never deep-fried a turkey, here are the basic rules. Follow the operation directions on the fryer/…

Penne Alfredo with Green Peas, Basil & Sun-dried Tomatoes 1/2 cup butter 4 cups cream Kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste 1 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1 cup green peas 11/2 cups Asiago or Parmesan cheese In a large sauce pan, melt butter with cream, season with the salt and the pepper; cook till thickened. Add cooked pasta, basil, sun-dried tomatoes and green peas. Toss in cheese and cook for a few minutes to heat through peas. Makes 4 – 6 servings Italian Wedding Soup 2 cups thinly sliced escarole 1 medium …