Blog Posts by Zester Daily

Homemade marshmallowsBy Charles Perry

When you hand people homemade marshmallows, they're always dazzled. These are actual marshmallows, but with a lush, moist texture you never find in store-bought versions.

If you want your friends to keep thinking you're a wizard, don't tell them how simple it is.

RELATED: Try some old-school spiked cream for dessert.

Basically marshmallow is a meringue made with gelatin instead of egg white, so it just takes longer - egg white cooks almost immediately, while gelatin has to stiffen for 12 hours or more in the refrigerator - but the ratio of dazzle to effort is enormous.

RELATED: The best butterscotch pudding recipe.

In the 18th and 19th century, confectioners extracted a gluey substance from the roots of marshmallow plants and used that where we use gelatin today. They also hedged their bets with egg white. In fact, some modern recipes add some egg white, I really can't say why.

RELATED: Make your own cannoli with an authentic Italian

2010 When We Dance Chianti comes from the Tuscan estate of Sting and Trudie Styler.By Elin McCoy

Dozens of celebrities have become vintners in the past decade or so, but only a handful are making wines as interesting as the three reds from rocker Sting and his producer, philanthropist wife Trudie Styler. The latest debut from their Tuscan estate, Il Palagio, is fresh, charming 2010 When We Dance Chianti, which has wonderful aromas of cherries and lilies, a bright, lively taste of red cherry fruit and a very down-to-earth price.

RELATED: Celebrate rum with a Cruzan coconut old fashioned.

I think of it as a go-to everyday Chianti, one that is perfect with summer pastas with fresh heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic, the best olive oil and chopped basil from the garden. Made in a fruity, drinkable style and fermented and aged in stainless steel, When We Dance is a blend of mostly Sangiovese, Tuscany's signature grape, with dashes of Canaiolo and Colorino for color and tradition. This red has no resemblance to the many over-oaked, overripe, global-style

Fresh broccoli is not just a healthy; it's flavorful.By Clifford A. Wright

Everyone has a food they dislike or a least favorite food. I don't mean a food allergy, which is something else entirely. Food dislikes come about for many reasons, but the ones that interest me are the ones that I believe come about because of poorly chosen or cooked food.

RELATED: Tips for cooking any cruciferous veggie to perfection.

Broccoli is one vegetable people quite often claim they don't like, and I believe their dislike is based on how the food was improperly cooked or served the first time they ate it.

RELATED: 3 ways to go beyond cabbage with cole slaw

Don't overcook it: Broccoli, and all cruciferous vegetables, must not be overcooked, otherwise chemicals in the plant break down and release sulfurous compounds, such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, and interact with the chlorophyll in the plant, which causes the broccoli to turn an unappetizing brownish-gray color and to have a very unpleasant smell.

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Toasted coconut adds a rich, nutty layer to great cake.By Charles Perry

Why don't we toast coconut? I mean, everybody knows macaroons are way more aromatic than raw coconut.

So after pondering this, I made a chocolate cake with a toasted coconut frosting, and it was my best-received cake ever: a plush white frosting furred over with fragrant golden bits of coconut, enclosing a rich blast of chocolate.

RELATED: Once-maligned coconut oil makes a healthy comeback.

So far, all I've been doing with toasted coconut is making variations on established dishes such as chocolate cake and banana pudding. But I have the feeling I've just gotten started down this road. Dimly, I see the possibilities: Toasted coconut sprinkled on salad. Toasted coconut doing strange things to braised chicken or grilled pork chops. Or hey, to peanut butter. Toasted coconut ice cream!

RELATED: How about double coconut and ginger pumpkin pie?

And now I'm wondering, can you toast Brazil nuts?

RELATED: Chocolate cake with a real boozy kick.

Make the most of the options at the farmers market.By Zester Daily Staff

Farmers markets are overflowing this time of year with a seemingly endless supply of familiar produce like tomatoes, beans and greens and exotic heirloom veggies that you've never seen before.

Confronted with all the great options at the vendors' stalls, it can be tough to think of recipes that will use up all that great garden produce.

Here are three recipes to inspire your next farmers market shopping trip and make your summer dinners a little more interesting.

RELATED: Tips for cooking straight from the garden.

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PASTA WITH EGGPLANT AND SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

Contributing: Martha Rose Shulman

Serves 4

Small round eggplants are delicate and cook quickly. This is based on an Apulian dish.

Ingredients

2 small round eggplant, cut in ½-inch dice
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced
A generous pinch of red chile flakes
2 large

Summer burgers benefit from the perfect sauce.By Charles Perry

This is the prime season of the year for throwing burgers on the barbecue, and there's nothing I like better. Except maybe these exotic burgers with sour cream sauce.

RELATED: How about a compound butter sauce to dress up your steak?

You don't have to fire up a barbecue to cook them, so they're an all-year recipe. You certainly can grill them, but they're even a little more flavorful if you fry them (not that there has ever been a law against putting a frying pan on a grill). They're irresistible on a bun or toast, but they would also be at home at a candle-lit dinner with flowers and the good napkins, accompanied by a mixed green salad.

RELATED: Tips for better grilling.

The Franco-Russian recipe makes a pan gravy from that ultra-Russian ingredient sour cream, and then, at least in the French version, it makes it more haute-cuisine-y by diluting the cream with a bit of stock.

Stock? Huh. Try Dijon mustard. Sour cream and Dijon are flavors

Refreshing watermelon.By Susan Lutz

I have my own criteria for choosing watermelon, but this season I thought I'd consult a watermelon grower to see how my criteria stack up against an expert opinion. After talking to Sarah Nolan, CSA Coordinator of South Central Farmers' Cooperative, I've realized that I'm pretty much on target, with a few notable exceptions.

Choosing a watermelon

1. Don't buy a watermelon before summer is in full swing. Sarah recommends buying watermelon that was harvested "during summer's peak," because watermelons need heat and sun to grow well. "Peak" of course will vary from region to region. July 1 is my personal choice, mostly because I love having watermelon for Fourth of July even if it's not yet at the summit of perfection.

2. Buy watermelons that are as locally grown as possible. It's good to buy locally-grown produce for a variety of reasons. I think it's especially important for watermelon because buying locally increases the chances of getting an adequately

The Julia Child classic Editor's note: Julia Child's 100th birthday would have been August 15. In honor of the occasion, Zester Daily looks at must-read for Child's fans.

By Barbara Haber

Julia Child certainly needs no introduction or any prompting about her place in the annals of food history, especially since Meryl Streep's performance in the "Julie and Julia" movie reminded us of why we all love Julia. Much has been said about her television work, the fun-loving Julia, hellbent on getting her viewers to enjoy food as much as she did. And most acknowledge that "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," though truly a masterpiece, is an impeccable manual with no trace of the beguiling presence that Julia's television series introduced. Another of her books, "From Julia Child's Kitchen," is a far more personal book about food that includes touching and amusing anecdotes, and photographs and drawings by her husband, Paul. This is not to say that the book is less caring about proper instructions for