Recipes and Cooking

Starfruit Ay, carambola! Or, in plain English, "Hey, starfruit!" This golden, tropical fruit gets its name because, when sliced, each slice is shaped like a star. Commonly used as a snappy-looking garnish at fine restaurants,...

Tahini  Tahini frequently appears in recipes throughout "Jerusalem," as well as in Mr. Ottolenghi's other cookbooks, "Plenty," "Ottolenghi," and his latest, "Plenty More," out this week. "Its creamy, smooth nuttiness makes it as wonderful drizzled over a...

Boysenberry What is a boysenberry? Rudolph Boysen, a SoCal amateur horticulturist, developed the flavorful boysenberries, a mix of blackberries, raspberries, or loganberries. Walter Knott made them popular by selling them fresh at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena...

Winter Melon The winter melon is available all year, but its peak season is in the summer. The name is a mystery. Bruce Cost's book "Asian Ingredients" explains that the name comes from mature green skin's "waxy,...

Juneberry What is a juneberry? It's a dark purple berry that is slightly larger than a blueberry but has a more apple-cherry taste, firmer texture, and tiny seeds inside that impart an almond essence. In midwestern...

Christmas Hat Cupcakes You'll be busy with holiday parties, cookie exchanges, gift shopping, party hopping, and trimming the tree. It's easy to feel exhausted from all the tasks involved. You can make Christmas desserts that...

Chives The chive (allium schoenprasum) is the smallest of the alliums, the family that includes onions, scallions, leeks, garlic, and shallots. With a mild onion flavor (lighter than scallions or garlic chives), the plant is...

Tomatillo The tomatillo looks like a tomato. It tastes like a tomato that's been sprinkled with lemon juice. Its name means "little tomato" in Spanish. But even though its monikers include the husk tomato, Mexican green...

ZACAHUIL and TAMALES Words like zacahuil, chimichangas, and chanchamitos are heard as something fun; however, its definition lies in dishes of Mexican gastronomy that we will take care of explaining what they are. Mexican cuisine is full...

Gardettos Gardettos savory snack mixes are meant to be eaten as are. But they also can be used in recipes. Consider Gardetto's Caesar Salad, Mozzarella Marinara, Shrimp Gardetto's, Zesty Cod Bake, Chicken Oriental, and Crunchy Au...