BY DENISE SHAVANDY Most chefs and cooks will probably agree on this, if nothing else, Hollandaise is the most challenging sauce to master. You have to build a strong emulsion, in other words, get oil and water to stay mixed. Mayonnaise is a strong emulsion using basically the same ingredients, so why should Hollandaise be… [Continue Reading]
BY DENISE SHAVANDY There is nothing more comforting than a steaming bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day. Sometimes it’s just an easy meal- open a can and heat it up. But there are some great and easy soups you can make from scratch in just a little more time than it takes to… [Continue Reading]
By DENISE SHAVANDY Who loves tacos? Who loves Korean Food? Have you actually eaten Korean food? Everyone knows and loves the taco! Not everyone knows and loves Korean food. So think about this… if I put some Korean food inside a tortilla and call it a taco, I bet you’ll try it, because after… [Continue Reading]
by MAJID SHAVANDY Imagine this, you open up the refrigerator and take out the package of chicken and just stare at it not knowing what to do with it. You keep thinking and just don’t know what to do with it. You are burned out and tired of cooking the same old thing. Your family… [Continue Reading]
by DENISE SHAVANDY Most of us have met a few jerks in our lives, but in case you haven’t met, let me introduce you to a jerk of another type- Caribbean Jerk Chicken. Nothing would welcome spring better than a trip to the sunny Caribbean, but for those of us who can’t make the trip,… [Continue Reading]
by DENISE SHAVANDY I do adore good mustard, but there is a whole world, literally, a whole world of bold and flavorful condiments out there. What’s your favorite? Do you pour on the good ol’ stand by, ketchup? Do a dash of Tabasco? Spice it up with salsa? Slather it with mayo? Make it mightier… [Continue Reading]
by DENISE SHAVANDY That’s really spelled quinoa, but not everyone knows how to pronounce it. “Crazy for kin-o-wah” just didn’t sound as good. Not surprising that most people don’t know how to pronounce it, as quinoa is a very nutritious whole grain that dates back to the Incas. Now don’t go “yuck!” just because I… [Continue Reading]
by MAJID SHAVANDY In harmony with the rebirth of nature, the Persian New Year Celebration, or Norooz , always begins on the first day of spring. Norooz ceremonies are symbolic representations of two ancient concepts – the End and the Rebirth; or Good and Evil. A few weeks before the New Year, Iranians clean and… [Continue Reading]
by DENISE SHAVANDY My weekends are not usually something to “write home” about or, in this modern age, blog about, but this was different! The usual laundry, house cleaning, and weekly trip to the library, were replaced with an out-of-town diner, and a charity event involving fire, knives, lemongrass, and a poet laureate…. Saturday, my… [Continue Reading]
By MAJID SHAVANDY My mother is my inspiration for my passion and love for food. She is from Azerbaijan and married my father who is Iranian. She gave birth to five boys, of which I am second eldest. As a child, I loved to help mother in the kitchen. None of my brothers were interested… [Continue Reading]
by DENISE SHAVANDY Two great culinary artists collaborated to create a magnificent meal at the Buffalo Gap Food & Wine Summit this year. Steven Pyles and Najat Kaanache brought their creative talents together to create items such as Compressed Melon with Nitro Mascarpone & Proscuitto Dust, and Lamb Obulato, Osso Busso-Cocoa Cappuccino, Spring Peas, &… [Continue Reading]
by DENISE SHAVANDY Homer, a cow & a pig made for a great day at TSTC Culinary Institute. For our Meat Fabrication class, guest Homer Jones, deftly wielded his knife in a 6 hour demonstration of fabricating different cuts from a half of a cow. He slowly disassembled the hind quarter, and then the fore… [Continue Reading]