We love a tall New York-style cheesecake but there’s no denying it’s a bit of a project. It’s also incredibly rich and decadent. Sometimes we want the essence of a cheesecake with less fuss, and we want the tang of a cream cheese-based cake without the weight—something lighter and creamier to finish a meal.
Spicy, smoky Jamaican jerk is one of the world’s great barbecue traditions. Meat (traditionally chicken or pork) is rubbed with an intensely flavoured liquidy paste made from fiery Scotch bonnet chiles, allspice berries, herbs, and spices, and then it is smoked over pimento wood.
Vegetables on their own can be a great option for grilled kebabs, because they cook quickly and, when done right, offer a crisp, charred exterior and a juicy, tender interior.
A combination of pasta and summer squash results in a light, flavourful dish that’s full of colour.
We decided against peeling the squash, as the skin helped to keep the pieces intact throughout the cooking process. Because summer squash contains so much liquid, we salted and drained it to keep our sauce from ending up watery and bland.
Sometimes simple is best, and for quick weeknight burgers or a backyard barbecue for a crowd, store-bought ground beef is certainly convenient. But with so many options available in supermarkets, we knew we would need to find the right cut of beef with the ideal amount of fat to produce tender, juicy burgers.
Most artichoke dips could justifiably be called mayonnaise and cheese dips, given what goes into them.
In theory, barbecued chicken kebabs sound pretty great: char-streaked chunks of juicy meat lacquered with sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. But without an insulating layer of skin, even the fattiest thigh meat can dry out and toughen when exposed to the blazing heat of the grill—and forget about ultra-lean skinless breast meat.
Brownies are controversial territory to chart: Some like them cakey and light in flavour—more of a snack than a rich dessert; some like them moist and chewy; and others, the biggest chocoholics, like them to be purely decadent—almost as dense as fudge and deliciously dark.
Portobello mushroom burgers are no longer just a sad substitute for beef burgers; they are -legitimately delicious choices on their own.
For charry grilled portobellos that wouldn’t leak moisture and make the buns soggy, we decided to try scoring them, a technique that works well with oven-roasted mushrooms. It worked like a charm on the grill.
While raw and roasted vegetables certainly have their place, braising is a great technique for cooking even the most delicate vegetables.
You may think braising would turn verdant spring vegetables drab and watery but, in fact, braising can maximize their freshness and make them taste more like themselves.
