Goodbyes Are Bittersweet

By Katie Barreira
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

To all the Newbie readers, whether you’ve tuned in for one blog or all 121 (thanks, Mom!) I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, and hopefully cooking along, as much as I have enjoyed sharing.

Today will be my last post, but continue to follow Special Fork’s blog – I promise you won’t be disappointed by the the next act! I must say, I’m sad to go, so like any good cook, I’ll balance out the bitter by leaving you with a little something sweet to remember me by.

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Having a “Temper” Tantrum?

By Katie Barreira
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Tempering chocolate can be one of the more intimidating, exacting and maddening culinary tasks. But it doesn’t have to be.

Why temper?
If you’re going to melt chocolate for coating, candy making, or dipping you’ll have much snappier results if you take the time to temper.

When heated above 90 degrees the fat in chocolate (cocoa butter) separates and forms streaky grey crystals when cool if not first recombined.

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Nutty for Nut Milk

By Katie Barreira
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Happy 2013! As I think back over the past year of eating, there are a few culinary encounters that stand out because they revolutionized the way I eat.

As a foodie and a food professional, I’m always getting hyped-up about some hip trend (home brewing, from beer to kombucha) or novel restaurant item (toast oil), but few of these marvels actually stick, become part of my routine eating habits and working themselves into my everyday way of being.

Here’s one that did.

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Easy Chocolate Peppermint Truffles

By Katie Barreira
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Cookies, cookies and more cookies…even St. Nick could get sick of them over the holidays. This Christmas, break out of the baking rut and leave Santa a treat that’s full of sweet surprises.

How long it took to make them, for one. These decorative confections may look like they require a workshop of merry elves, but really, all it takes is a zap in the microwave and some time to chill out (the truffles, not you – you will be stocking up on last-minute stuffers, wrapping presents, watering the tree or scolding the dog for giving the tree a watering of his own design.) Then it’s a quick roll in the seasonal candy and you’ve got truffles fit for a Klaus.

And shhhh…don’t tell Santa that these chocolates have half the fat and calories of a traditional truffle. He’ll never know the difference and neither will you! In fact, replacing heavy cream with almond milk amplifies the chocolate flavor.

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What to do with Broccolini

By Katie Barreira
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

While picking up a bunch of broccolini at the farmers’ market, a fellow shopper asked me how to go about preparing the bright green veg. She had seen a recipe that called for par-cooking the slender stalks in a pot of boiling, salted water before plunging them into an ice bath – a culinary technique known as blanching and shocking. It seemed like a big production for a little vegetable. Was it really necessary? My answer: not necessarily.

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