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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How to Peel and Devein Shrimp

By David Hu

Shrimp is one of the fastest cooking proteins – and while it often comes shelled and deveined, sometimes you have to do it yourself. If you’ve never done it before, don’t fret, it’s very simple. And besides, you’ll have a tastier dish because shrimp that has been pre-peeled and deveined loses some of its flavor by the time you get it home and cook it.

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How to Beat Egg Whites

By Colleen Boyd

Whipped egg whites have numerous applications. Some of the more common uses are to lighten cake batters, bake airy meringue cookies and to top pies.

But it can be intimidating when a recipe calls for whipped egg whites. You might find yourself asking one or all of these questions: Why do some recipes call for soft peaks and other for stiff peaks? When should I add the sugar? Can you over-beat egg whites?

Well don't worry, with a little inside information, the help of a few simple tricks and this video demo, you too can master this versatile technique!

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Mom’s Super-Easy Avocado Sherbet

By Sandy Hu

When we were growing up in Hawaii, avocados were virtually free. If you didn’t grow them, a neighbor did.

To “put up” extras when we had more than we could eat, my mom created this simple, refreshing avocado sherbet. It takes just four ingredients and a few minutes, and it’s really quite wonderful.

Avocados are high in fat, making sherbet of a creamy-rich consistency. The fat is primarily the “good” fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. And you can feel virtuous about eating avocados; they are a nutritional powerhouse.

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Salmon en Papillote

By Zoe McLoughlin

This is my go-to recipe at least once a week. The term "en papillote" is French for cooked in parchment paper. It's simple, yet elegant, and this dish is packed with flavor. All the ingredients cook together in the same amount of time and the parchment paper locks in the flavor. It’s super-fast, super-easy and leaves you with virtually no clean up.

I have made this dish countless times, changing the ingredients, depending on what I have on hand. This version is Mediterranean in its inspiration, but I often make it with Asian flavors using shiitake mushrooms, scallions, ginger and soy sauce. I used salmon fillets for this recipe but any type of fish such as halibut, sea bass, sole or snapper are great alternatives.

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