The Diwali dinner was a huge success, thanks in no short part to the many wonderful friends that were present. The menu became greatly reduced since I was unable to prepare anything a day early. But I think a good time was had by all.
Image from Gilt Taste During my last trip to India, I discovered what the Bengalis call patali gur. It is sugar extracted from the sap of date palm trees. It's darker in color and richer in flavor. Sumit's aunts brought a large chunk of the stuff from Kolkata and made traditional kheer (Indian rice pudding) with it. I'd had kheer in the past and was never a huge fan. People love it, but to me it was usually just warm, sugary rice milk. Nothing too memorable. The kheer made with patali gur, however, was something very different. The gur imparted a caramel-ly, smoky flavor to the kheer. It was intensely rich, incredibly delicious, and definitely memorable. At the time, I was lucky enough to bring some of it back with me. I used it sparingly and made kheer only for special occasions. But eventually, it was used up. I had been searching for it in vain on the internet and in Indian grocery stores ever since, and only recently came across it on Gilt Taste . When I discov...
Deb Perelman at Smitten Kitchen shares and writes recipes I return to over and over. I make the buttermilk pancakes almost every weekend, and they're a huge hit with anyone who has ever had them them (I've been asked to share the recipe repeatedly). I usually make the base and then add whatever flavor we fancy. My husband and daughter love a banana, coconut pancake (throw in some macadamia nuts or walnuts if they're around). The chocolate chip pancake is hugely popular, and I'm definitely partial to the blueberry. There's this potato salad recipe that I forgot all about, but the summer I discovered it, I must've made it at least four times to take for BBQs. I've tried plenty from the site, and am rarely disappointed.
I've recently decided to rejoin the ranks of the gainfully employed. Unfortunately for me, this means a long commute. I'm going to use this space for menu planning and great recipes again. More to come soon. But some food sites I've been using heavily lately: The Kitchn Surprisingly: Williams-Sonoma Recipes David Lebovitz Food & Wine recipes NYT Cooking Food Network (the ads kill me and I almost always want to stop visiting because of their obnoxiousness, but what can I say, Ina and Alton have lots of recipes here)
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