I can remember eating Chex Mix by the handful as a kid.  Seems like wherever there was a birthday party there was bound to be a bowl of the stuff lying around, just waiting to get picked over by the ravenous scores of children in attendance.  I mean, the mix was usually devoured within moments of being put out on the table, which meant that by the time I had a chance to do my own digging, the only things left were those dehydrated, brown croutons and a few broken pretzel pieces lying at the bottom of the bowl — certainly not anyone’s favorite components, but damn good, salty snacking nonetheless.

These days, I’m not being invited to as many five-year-old’s birthday parties as I once was, and by default, haven’t been eating as much party mix.  However, after coming across a recipe for an updated, Asian riff on the classic snack mix in a recent Food & Wine Magazine, I decided it was time to get back in touch with my inner child and get down 0n s0me party mix.

This stuff is as addictive as the mix sold in bags at the grocery store, only with a whole lot more of the items you’ve always wished you’d find inside of them.  Cashews, almonds, pistachios, pretzels, sesame sticks, Asian rice crackers and Chex cereal all get coated in a mix of pure maple syrup, soy sauce and fragrant Thai curry paste for spicy, salty-sweet flavor combination that will leave you craving a refreshing beverage to wash it all down with. The perfect compliment to a nice, tall glass of homemade lemonade and an even better match to a frosty-cold beer, you’ll find few snacks as enjoyable to munch on while watching the big game as this uniquely delicious party mix.

ASIAN-STYLE CHEX MIX

Adapted from Grace Parisi, Food & Wine Magazine

There’s really not much to this recipe, but a few good techniques will keep you from producing overly soggy or burnt crackers in the end.  Here, you’re looking to slowly toast/dry the mix using low heat — if you smell anything burning, lower the oven temperature and stir the mix immediately to distribute the heat.  Keep a watchful eye on the mix without opening the oven door too often or you’ll experience heat loss that can lengthen the cooking time significantly.  When it comes time to season the mix, remind yourself that this is a salty party mix and should be highly seasoned to avoid bland, cardboard-like flavor.  Even though the nuts, soy sauce, pretzels and sesame sticks all have salt, a few healthy pinches of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper with take the mix to the next level — trust me.  Finally, a couple of large rimmed baking sheets and a big spatula will make this recipe so much easier to deal with, as you won’t have to worry about picking cereal, crackers and nuts off of your kitchen floor when it comes time to stir the stuff.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups Rice Chex cereal (6 ounces)
  
• 1 cup roasted, salted cashews
• 1 cup roasted, salted pistachio nuts
  
• 1 cup roasted, salted almond
• 1 1/2 cups Asian rice cracker mix (I used Hapi Snacks Tokyo Mix)
• 1 1/2 cups sesame sticks (4 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups mini pretzels
• 3/4 cup Arare Iso Maki (optional)
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup grade B pure maple syrup
• 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste or sambal olek
• Sriracha hot sauce to taste (optional)
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 275° F.
2. In a large bowl combine the cereal with the nuts, rice cracker mix, sesame sticks and pretzels,
3. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, maple syrup, soy sauce, curry paste/sambal olek and optional sriracha  and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until everything is dissolved.
4. Pour the mixture over the snack mix and toss/fold gently to coat completely.
5. Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper and spread the mix out on 2 to 3 large baking sheets.
6. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring 2 to 3 times and rotating/shifting the sheets, until nearly dry and toasted.
7. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally.  Serve in a large bowl along with plenty of cold beverages.

Makes 13 cups, enough for 10 people

If there’s anything better than the perfect baked potato, it would have to be a twice baked potato. I’m sure everybody’s Mom, Grandma or next-door neighbor has a recipe for double-stuffed potatoes; afterall, if you can bake a potato and make mashed potatoes, you’re pretty much halfway there. See, it’s not so much about how you make them, as it is about what’s inside.

Having eaten delicious versions that included blue cheese, fresh herbs, roasted garlic and even wasabi, it wasn’t until a recent trip to Cowgirl Creamery that I became inspired to make a slightly more gourmet version of a recipe I saw on PBS’s, Cook’s Country.

It was a taste of Cowgirl’s housemade, light-as-air, herbed fromage blanc that set me off. While the Cook’s Country’s version saw the addition of Boursin cheese to their super-stuffed baked potatoes, the bright tasting, herb-packed fromage blanc seemed like it might be able to produce a more sophisticated version of the dish. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of both Boursin and Rondelé cheese, but after eating it by the tub full on crackers as a kid, the lighter texture and slightly tart flavor of herbed fromage blanc seemed to taste a bit more grown up.

Needless to say, the end result was delicious. Topped with fresh chopped chives and a sprinkling of crispy bacon bits, the flavor was ironically reminiscent of savory sour cream and onion potato chips. So much for gourmet, I suppose. But what do you think? Is a homemade dish that recalls the flavor of your favorite packaged snack or fast food meal a good or bad sign? I’m leaning towards the former!

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

Adapted from Cook’s Country’s, Super-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Baking an extra potato will ensure that each finished spud is stuffed to max capacity. Because potatoes vary in size, you might need more or less half-and-half to reach your desired filling texture. As always, taste the potato-cheese mixture before filling the shells and adjust the seasonings to your own preference. If you’re strapped for time, you can always microwave the potatoes on a paper towel for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
  
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons melted for brushing
  
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 6 ounces herbed fromage blanc or Boursin/Rondelé cheese
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pieces smoked bacon, or more to fold in with cheese mixture as desired, cooked until crisp and coarsely chopped
• Fresh, chopped chives for garnish

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Prick potatoes all over with with a fork, place directly on the rack of the oven and roast for 50-60 minutes or until tender and cooked through.
   
2. Carefully slice off the top quarter of each potato and allow to cool slightly for about five minutes. Scoop out the flesh of each potato into a large bowl being careful to leave behind a 1/4 inch layer of potato on the inside to form a shell. Brush each shell inside and out with the melted butter and sprinkle the insides with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
3. Raise the heat of the oven to 475°. Place the buttered potato shells on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until they begin to crisp.
4. While the potato shells are baking in the oven mix the half-and-half with 1/2 of the cheese. Cook the remaining butter and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until garlic is lightly golden and aromatic, about 3-5 minutes. Add the half-and-half/cheese mixture to the garlic butter and mix thoroughly. Heat until just warm.
5. Press the reserved potato flesh through a ricer or food mill and gently fold in the warm cheese/butter mixture, remaining salt and pepper until well combined.
   
6. Remove the potato shells from the oven and fill them with the potato-cheese mixture. Carefully spread on the remaining cheese and bake for 15 minutes, or until warmed through and golden brown.
7. Sprinkle with chives and bacon bits and serve immediately.

Serves 5

I usually do the cooking in my house, but on a recent trip to the farmers market, my girlfriend stumbled upon a vendor selling what looked to be the last of this season’s tomatoes and was instantly inspired to make this soup. A little overripe, she decided that the still beautiful specimens would taste especially good after roasting in the oven to concentrate their flavor.  Now, I myself am not the biggest tomato soup fan, but I was blown away at how delicious and flavorful the end product became. Somewhere between a tomato bisque and an earthy, slow-cooked tomato sauce, this soup had me sopping up the leftovers from the pot with a piece of toasted sourdough. Perfectly seasoned and especially comforting on a foggy San Francisco evening, my place in the kitchen might be in jeopardy if my girlfriend continues to turn out such satisfying fare.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

When roasting the tomatoes and bell peppers keep in mind that you want them to both soften and take on a bit of color. Once the tomatoes were in the pot, Lauren used a spatula to scrape in the residual carmelized bits from the sheet pan and added that as well. To make this more refined, just strain it through a fine mesh sieve before serving.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. ripe tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on the size
  
• 2 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. herbes de provence
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3 to 4 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• salt & pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat over to 375°.
2. Coat the tomatoes and bell peppers in a drizzle of olive oil and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from the oven and give the bell peppers a rough chop.
3. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a small pot. When hot, add the onions and saute over medium heat until golden. Add a pinch of salt, the garlic, the herbes de provence, and the pepper flakes. Stir until fragrant.
4. Using a spatula lift the soft tomatoes from the sheet and add to the onion mixture. Toss in the bell pepper and cook for a minute or two with the tomatoes and onions.
5. Pour in the chicken stock. You’ll want just enough to cover the tomatoes and onions. Bring to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Once the soup as come together use an immersion blender to blend the soup to your desired consistency. If necessary, feel free to add more chicken stock.
7. Taste for salt and pepper and allow to simmer 5 more minutes.
8. Serve with fresh basil and a drizzle of crème fraÎche or sour cream.

serves 2

I love good pickles. I’m not talking about your run-of-the-mill, limp Claussen or Vlasic supermarket variety. What I want is a crisp, refreshing bite of a tangy, homemade dill pickle. As a true lover of all sandwiches, sometimes lunch just doesn’t seem complete without a delicious pickle to munch on between bites. Recently inspired by the spectacular whey pickles at Point Reyes’ Cowgirl Creamery and the delicious dill variety accompanying all sandwiches served at The Sentinel, I figured I was past due to join the pickle and preserves revolution and have a go at making my own. Having never pickled anything outside of onions for some tacos, I set out to make a batch using a recipe from Grace Parisi in a recent issue of Food and Wine Magazine. The results were better than expected.

SPICY DILL QUICK PICKLES

Adapted from the August, 2009 issue of Food and Wine Magazine

Unlike the traditional pickling process in which sugar is turned into lactic acid during fermentation, quick pickles are literally ready to use after 24 hours thanks to their vinegar-based surroundings.  Make sure to look for kirby or mediterranean cucumbers at the market and remember to scrub them well before packing them into your impeccably clean jar. The amount of heat you like is really up to you. I substituted 6 thai chiles for the 4-6 long red or green chiles called for in the recipe and found the results to be quite mild, but still noticeable.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 ounces kirby cucumbers, quartered or thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, lightly toasted in a small dry skillet over moderate heat
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 4 to 6 long red or green hot chiles, halved lengthwise
• 16 dill sprigs

METHOD

1. Pack the cucumbers into a clean, 1-quart glass jar tucking in the dill sprigs and halved chiles between the layers.
2. In a bowl, combine the salt, sugar, vinegar, coriander and garlic. Whisk the ingredients until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add two cups of water to the mixture and pour over the cucumbers making sure the garlic cloves are well distributed.
3. Add enough water to keep the vegetables submerged.
4. Close the jar and refrigerate overnight or for up to 1 month.

Makes 2 quarts