"culinary in the desert" news and stories

There is no reason why foods like pancakes and waffles should be saved for Sunday brunch, especially when they look as delicious as the Banana-Oatmeal Hot Cakes that Joe, at Culinary in the Desert, made recently. The pancakes are hearty, and include cooked oatmeal, which gives them a satisfying denseness that will fill you up at least until lunchtime. The best part about this breakfast was probably the spiced maple syrup that was served to top the cakes. It was made by steeping cinnamon and whole cloves in pure, buttery maple syrup, which was poured (while still warm) over the fresh stack of pancakes. Who wouldn't want to start their morning that way? The only way that these pancakes could look better is if they were sitting in front of me right now.

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I have to confess that I don't really care for fish tacos, but I imagine that if I could taste these that they would change my mind. Joe, at Culinary in the Desert, whipped up a batch of these very colorful Fish Tacos based on a recipe from Cooking Light magazine and if they taste even half as good as they look, they're probably outstanding. They use cod, fresh tomatoes, green onions, lime and cilantro, along with a little chili powder for some heat. The cod is cooked quickly in a skillet, so this sounds like it would work well as a summer dinner when you don't want to heat up the kitchen too much. Check out the recipe if you're interested in making them at home!

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Yesterday's New York Times food section was all about cocktails and ways to make refreshing summer drinks. It put me in the mood for something cold and refreshing, but since I read the food section before breakfast and most of the recipes were alcoholic, the urge had passed long before the heat of the day was beating down. It returned when I saw Joe's post about Watermelon Agua Fresca at Culinary in the Desert. It has watermelon, sugar, lime juice and seltzer and is something that I can actually indulge in early in the morning as well as when the California sun is beating down. Now, if only I hadn't just used up the rest of my watermelon...

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Easter is just about my favorite holiday. I know this is the holiest week out of the Catholic year and that I should be reflecting and doing some serious soul searching, but in all honesty I'm thinking about food and decorations. I can't help it. I am giddy with Easter fever. So imagine my delight when I recently ran across a recipe for Easter Biscotti that uses jelly beans. What a beautiful union of colors to dip in my caffeine.

I found it on a site devoted almost entirely to recipes and food experimentation. The author, Joe, has had a lifelong love of food exploration and has created Culinary in the Desert to his wanderings and discoveries. Joe mentions that he had to somewhat modify his typical biscotti recipe to accommodate the jelly beans. He used butter, which made the recipe somewhat more sticky than usual, but by wetting his hands he was able to easily shape the loaf. He also states that the loaf must cool somewhat after baking so that the jelly beans can harden to prevent any sticking when cutting the bicottie pieces. I very much appreciate his tips about the stickiness because the sticky factor is what typically prevents my forays into cooking and baking endeavors. Biscotti is one of the few recipes I have successfully created in my kitchen so I am definitely going to give this one a try.

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There are many elements of Joe's photograph that make his Coffee Cupcakes with Espresso Syrup an excellent example of food porn. The wintry backdrop with its illustration of falling snow perfect pairs with the dusting of confectioners sugar that he used to top the cakes, making it look as though they really are snow-covered! He expertly captured the melting center of the cupcake, created by placing a large, chocolate-covered espresso bean in the center of the batter right before baking. Of course, you can never really go too far wrong with the combination of coffee and chocolate, so the taste of the cakes is sure to equal their visual appeal.

[photo: Culinary in the Desert]

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