Poached Shrimp with Aioli

By Jennifer Knapp

As a caterer, I’m often asked to prepare shrimp for my clients. It’s always one of the most popular items on the menu, and most guests gravitate towards the shrimp on the buffet table or as a passed appetizer. Kids and adults seem to love it equally. Versatile and fast-cooking, shrimp is delicious on its own or served with any number of sauces. It can be prepared in several ways such as sautéing, broiling, grilling and poaching.

Poaching is one of the easiest ways to prepare shrimp and it requires no added fat. Poaching is also a great cooking technique because it results in a nice, moist texture.

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Chinese Scallion Pancakes –One of My Favorite Things

By Andrew Hunter

Chinese scallion pancakes are one of my favorite things on earth to eat. If given an ultimatum, I would give up potatoes, rice and yes, even traditional bread in favor of my beloved pancakes. I love them so much that last night I made them for dinner and woke up early to eat the leftovers before Benny got up. Imagine, stealing food from my own child… yes, they’re that good.

They’re like Chinese quesadillas, but instead of cheese and beans, they’re filled with ginger, garlic, sesame seeds and lots of green onions. If I’m really ambitious, I’ll stuff them with sticky slivers of hoisin-glazed short ribs and top that with a tall pile of cilantro, fried ginger threads and even more green onions. The boys eat them by the stack too, and don’t even realize they’re loaded with garlic.

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Game Night calls for Chicken Wings

By David Hu

I always look forward to game night. Sometimes it’s Scattergories, Taboo, poker or games on the Wii. While the games change, the one constant, besides fun, is food. Finger foods are the way to go – just make sure there are ample napkins.

One of my favorites for game night is Peanuts and Beer Chicken Wings. While people often think of using beer in batter-fried foods like fish and chips or onion rings, beer is a very versatile ingredient that can be used in stews, marinades and even dips.

After the wings are baked, the liquid will be thin so it’s important to reduce it by boiling to get a thicker, sauce-like consistency, making for deliciously sticky wings.

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Easy Chinese New Year Dish Starts with a Bottled Sauce

By Sandy Hu

Special Fork food editor Linda Lau Anusasananan found herself in the Chinese sauce business quite by accident. She happened to sit at a food professionals’ meeting next to a food manufacturer who produced food products for other company’s brands.

Linda, an accomplished Chinese cook and a long-time member of the Sunset magazine food editorial staff, reflected, “I used to cook mostly Asian food at home and I found making the sauces took most of my time. In 1983 there weren’t many sauces available that were very good.” So she and her husband Terry took the plunge.

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Try This Easy Party Appetizer

It’s always useful to have a great, fool-proof party hors d’oeuvre recipe, especially at this time of the year.. But it can be daunting to find something that can feed many, doesn’t take all day to make and won’t break the bank. We’ve got the perfect dish – Curry Chutney Deviled Eggs. The curry and chutney add big flavor so these eggs are sure to be a hit at the party!

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