Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

How it Works: Ice Cream Ingredients

The key to making perfect ice cream (with or without a recipe!) comes down to an understanding of the primary ingredients and what purpose they serve. The basic ingredients for ice cream are milk, cream, sugar, flavorings, and sometimes eggs. There are two basic types of ice cream. Custard ice […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

How to Measure Half an Egg

At the CIA, each kitchen classroom is equipped with several scales for measuring ingredients, and we are firm believers in scales for home cooking and baking. Not only are weight measures more accurate, but they can make for quick and efficient measuring (not to mention less dirty dishes to clean […]

Chef's Notes Plus, Family Fun

How To: Scramble Eggs

A person’s favorite food is not necessarily the food a person eats every day. After all, donuts aren’t dinner…most of the time. But if you’re lucky, your favorite foods might be something that you can enjoy often and in a lot of different ways – like baked potatoes or scrambled […]

Salads, Side Dishes

Insalata di Riso (Rice Salad)

Serves 8 to 10 Make this with whole grains such as brown rice, spelt, or barley if you prefer. Increase the cooking time for these grains and cook them long enough to be tender to the bite. Ingredients Kosher salt, as needed 1 lb (2 2/3 cups) Carnaroli or Arborio […]

Cakes

Italian Buttercream

Makes about 6 cups Italian buttercream starts with a very stable meringue, making it creamy and light, but also very sturdy. It is almost impossible to mess this recipe up, so don’t panic. If your buttercream appears melted, it means it’s too warm. Place the whole mixing bowl in the […]

Main Dishes, One-Dish Meals

Kimchi Fried Rice

Makes 4 servings Fried rice is the perfect quick-and-easy way to use leftover white rice (you can freeze it until you have enough for this dish!), and adding kimchi gives it an extra punch of flavor and just a touch of heat. For something a little extra savory, render about […]

Desserts

Lemon Curd

Makes about 1 1/2 cups A curd is a fruit juice-based custard. Though lemon is popular, you can replace the lemon juice in this recipe for lime juice, clementine juice, or any other slightly tart fruit juice. Ingredients 6 large egg yolks 3/4 cup sugar (divided use) 3/4 cup (1 […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Making Cheesecake

Deliciously dense cheesecake is a cross between custard, pie, and cake. It can seem troublesome—from cracking tops to dry crusts—but with a great recipe (we happen to like ours quite a bit!) and some patience, you can make a perfect cheesecake each time. 1. Making a crumb crust Crumb crusts […]

Main Dishes

Malaysian Stir-Fried Rice Noodles

Makes 6 servings Char kwey teow is probably one of the most iconic noodle dishes in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Commonly sold at the hawker centers of the region, the recipes for char kwey teow vary from vendor to vendor. Most feature wide ribbon–style rice noodles, Chinese sausage, eggs, and […]

Breakfast and Brunch

Matzo Brei

Makes 4 servings Matzo brei is a simple Jewish comfort food that’s popular at Passover, or really any time of year! Every family makes this dish a little bit differently, and while we like to fry the matzo until it is crisp and toasty, you may prefer to leave it […]