Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

A No-Rules Guide for Rich Chicken Stock

Whether you’re facing cold and flu season or are simply craving a rich and hearty soup, preparing a high-quality chicken stock (or, bone broth as it’s sometimes called) is an essential kitchen tool. There are plenty of guidelines and ratios to help you make the perfect stock, and while these […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Best Water for Bread Making

Bread dough is made from very few ingredients, and each one counts. This includes the most basic, likely least-considered ingredient: water. The rule of thumb here is that if you enjoy drinking it, you can use it for baking bread. However, there are three important ways water quality can affect […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus, Family Fun

Colorful Easter Eggs, Naturally

Dying colorful Easter eggs is such a fun craft (yes, for adults, too!), but if you aren’t a fan of store-bought artificial dyes, you may have been avoiding it. But, like, everything, there’s a way to use food to make the experience better! Namely, making your own dyes from colorful […]

Side Dishes

Corn Tortillas

Makes 32 tortillas Homemade tortillas may not seem worth the trouble, but if you haven’t had a fresh tortilla, you are truly missing out. A super-simple mixture of masa harina, water, and a bit of salt combine to form the dough, which you can press with a tortilla press (you […]

Appetizers, Hors D’oeuvre, and Snacks

Cured Sardines

Makes 1 1/2 lb If you love tinned fish, these easy-to-prepare homemade sardines will be your new go-to. Serve with lemon juice or with bread and a green salad. Ingredients Kosher salt, as needed 12 oz fresh sardine fillets, skin on 1 1/4 cups white vinegar Zest of 1 lemon […]

Desserts

Easy S’mores Ice Cream Bars

Makes 16 bars These bars can be as homemade as you like, from the ice cream to the hot fudge and marshmallow cream. Higher quality ice cream will freeze firmer, making the bars easier to handle, but don’t hesitate to refreeze the bars as many times as needed to make […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Flavoring Homemade Ice Cream

As the summer settles in, there is no greater joy than a scoop of ice cream on a hot day. No matter your favorite flavor, from simple vanilla to the rockiest rocky road, an ice cream cone is the ultimate way to treat yourself. Near our San Antonio campus, where […]

Appetizers, Hors D’oeuvre, and Snacks, Side Dishes

Flour Tortillas

Makes 1 dozen Ingredients 2 cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 cup hot water, or more as needed Directions In a food processor or blender, combine the flour and butter until the flour has a texture of a coarse meal. Transfer […]

Breakfast and Brunch

Gravlax

Makes 10 servings Serve this with dill mustard sauce (we’ve included the recipe below) and some hearty brown bread with good butter. Ingredients 1 salmon fillet (3 to 3 1/2 lb), skin on 1/4 cup coarse sea salt 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons crushed black peppercorns Zest of 1 lemon […]

Chef's Blog

How-To: How to Store Fresh Herbs

Adding fresh herbs to any dish adds that special touch that dried herbs or spices just cannot give. The color, aroma and flavor of fresh herbs is something everyone wants in their cooking but is sometimes hard to achieve when you are in a pinch and your last bit of […]