Valentines Day
Food is love, and we think every meal is an opportunity to let someone know you care. But Hallmark Cards needs their cut, and so we're contractually obliged to get especially lovey-dovey on February 14th. Whether you're a singleton, a couple, or in some other kind of timey-wimey wobbly-wobbly relationship and want to demonstrate your affection in food form, we've got you covered. PS We love YOU!
Rhubarb Gin Sour
The perfect summer drink! Homemade rhubarb syrup is paired with botanical gin and tart lemon juice, balanced by a little shake or two of bitters and a foamed egg white.
Clover Club Cocktail
A pretty drink but one with serious depth, the Clover Club, with gin and raspberry syrup, is staging a comeback.
Half-Baked / No-Bake Blackberry-Vanilla Swirl Cheesecake
Even though this cheesecake just has a single bake for the base, there’s nothing half-baked about the flavor: whipped vanilla and blackberry batters swirled into a beautiful pattern.
Summer Berry Tart with Lemon Mascarpone Cream
This Summer Berry Tart with Lemon Mascarpone Cream is supermodel gorgeous, rich and creamy, balanced by the bright citrusy flavor of lemon curd. And super-duper easy to make!
Blood Orange and Hibiscus Curd Tart with a Gingersnap Crust
Our ruby-hued blood orange and hibiscus curd makes a delicious and luscious filling for this beautiful seasonal tart. The crust is made from crushed gingersnap cookies, and couldn’t be simpler. With a great balance between sweet, tart and spicy, this is a real showstopper of a dessert.
The French Tart – Grapefruit and Rosemary Cocktail
This vodka, grapefruit and rosemary cocktail is tarted up with elderflower liqueur and has a refreshing taste perfect for cocktail hour.
Roll in the Hay: A Valentine’s Day Cocktail with Vodka, Grapefruit, Thyme and Rosé Champagne
Fall in love with our Valentine’s Day cocktail, Roll in the Hay: vodka, grapefruit, thyme, topped with Rosé Champagne.
Blueberry-Lemon Curd Tartlets with Almond Crust
The perfect use for our gorgeous pink blueberry lemon curd, these pastry tartlets are flavored and decorated with almonds. Each tartlet is a miniature delight, yet sufficient to share with a loved one (or keep to yourself, of course, you gannet).
Easy Baked Brie With Honey And Pistachios
Offering maximum impact with minimal effort, a baked Brie turns a mild-mannered cheese into the superhero of a gathering: a warm, gooey communal comfort food. This version keeps things easy and delicious—it’s baked simply, then topped with pistachios and honey. Serve it with crackers, sliced apples or good bread.
Baked Brie en Croûte With Apple and Pear Compote
Offering maximum impact with minimal effort, a baked Brie turns a mild-mannered cheese into the superhero of a gathering: a warm, gooey communal comfort food. This version wraps the cheese in a shell of flaky puff pastry, along with two sweet-tart layers of apple-pear compote.
Baked Brie en Croûte With Thyme and Fig Jam
A warm, gooey wheel of brie or camembert cheese, topped with sweet fig jam and wrapped in golden brown, flaky puff pastry.
Baked Brie – A Primer
For maximum impact with minimal effort, a baked brie turns a mild-mannered cheese into the superhero of a gathering: a warm, gooey communal comfort food.
Seared Scallops with Leek Risotto and Lemon-Brown Butter Sauce
Seared Scallops with Leek Risotto and Lemon-Brown Butter Sauce – Romance is all about making great combinations. Scallops and risotto are two dishes that many people are nervous about making, but take the plunge. Trust us: it’s easier than you think.
Braised Short Ribs with Honey, Soy and Orange
These braised short ribs are cooked low and slow in a delectable sauce flavored with soy, honey, orange and Chinese 5-spice powder. A hearty cold-weather recipe!
Thanksgiving Recipes Round-Up!
Cooking for a big holiday is hard enough without having to search for and keep track of a million dishes. So here are our favorite Thanksgiving recipes.
Smothered Pork Chops with Cipollini Onions and Grapes
Tender, thin-cut pork chops smothered in a rich, savory sauce, with sweet cipollini onions and grapes. This is a dinner party-worthy dish quick enough to whip up after work.
One-Pot Thai Curry Mussels with Rice Noodles
Briny, sweet mussels in a spicy Thai red curry broth. Served with rice noodles to make a quick and delicious meal.
Tartines with Herb Cheese and Smoked Salmon
A stellar, top notch brunch doesn’t need to take hours to prepare. These Tartines (toasts) with Herb Cream Cheese and Smoked Salmon and Salmon Roe take only 15 minutes!
Seared Scallops with Chili-Lime Butter, Pea Purée and Crispy Pancetta
Britain is a big old seaside with a few towns in the middle, and while we were there, we often had excellent seared scallops when we ate out. This is our attempt to recreate this dish, served over pureed peas with crisped pancetta. In the spirit of curmudgeonliness, here’s the real history of Valentine’s Day. On February ……
Blood Orange Salad with Shaved Fennel and Pistachios
Blood orange salad is a colorful, tangy and healthy way to remind yourself that winter will not last forever. As a bonus, it also wards off scurvy!
Hasselback Potatoes with Easy Garlic Confit
This post is sponsored by US Potato Board. Thanks for supporting Nerds with Knives’ sponsors! Get ready for a new holiday tradition: crispy-skinned Hasselback potatoes studded with soft, meltingly tender cloves of confit garlic (like roasted garlic, but even more delicious). – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ……
Bourbon Pumpkin Mousse Tart with Candied Pecans
Light and airy pumpkin mousse, with a good splash of bourbon, in a rich chocolate cookie shell topped with whipped cream swirls and crunchy candied pecans. Yeah, you need to make this.
Thanksgiving Recipes Round-Up!
Cooking for a big holiday is hard enough without having to search for and keep track of a million recipes. It’s hard to organize all that stuff! Believe me, I struggle with that too (which is why I have a “Thanksgiving Timing Spreadsheet” that has events on it like, ‘dog probably needs to pee’ and ‘remind Matt that he ……
Apple Tarts with Rosemary-Lime Sugar
These crisp and tasty apple tarts are a great way to use up your fall bounty; using frozen puff pastry makes the whole process a lot easier, and they’re finished with rosemary-lime sugar. It happens every year in the Hudson Valley, where we live. As soon as the leaves on the maple trees turn a ridiculous ……
Grilled Steak with Blue Cheese and Chive Compound Butter
Grilled steak ramped up with a tangy, creamy blue cheese and chive compound butter – watch out, steak night, the bar just got raised.
Balsamic Roasted Red Onions with Thyme
Sometimes I think I would probably be fine just having condiments for dinner. A few pickled grapes, maybe some chive Hollandaise licked off a spoon. And these. A whole bowl of these, please. I wanted something a little sweet and tart to go along with our Grilled Steak with Blue Cheese and Chive Compound Butter and as ……
Kumquat-Ginger Rose Cocktail
Inspired by this Saveur recipe, we adapted our drink to use the Kumquat-Ginger Syrup instead of a kumquat-infused gin. One benefit is that the syrup can be used as soon as it’s cool, whereas the infusion can take a couple of weeks.
Crispy Duck Breasts with Sherry and Figs
In today’s episode of Nerds with Knives (aka Goons with Spoons, aka Dorks with Forks), we explore the many ways you can trick people into thinking you are a much fancier person than you actually are. Sure, you can buy a classic open-top Bentley, like a real-life Mr Toad, and have your chauffeur drive you around town making parping ……
Three Layer Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream
When you love someone enough to make a cake with not just TWO layers, but THREE, and slather it with salted caramel buttercream. Lucky devil!
Buckwheat Blinis with Salmon Roe and Crème Fraîche
These buckwheat blinis have become our go-to new year’s eve appetizer – topped with creme fraiche and salmon roe, they taste as fancy as they look. I’m sorry, did you not know that we Nerds (with Knives) are not only skilled in the art of playing video games and discussing whether the 10th Doctor was ……
Crispy Spiced Duck Legs with Thyme
Ultra- crispy duck legs are much easier to make than you might think. Spiced with fennel and thyme, they’ll make your dinner party guests very happy. Last week we threw a little dinner party. Nothing fancy, mind you. Matt’s lovely sister Hayli and her delightful husband Tristan* were visiting us from France for a couple of ……
Chocolate Truffles
Yes, these chocolate truffles are decadent and luxurious but they’re also dead simple to put together and they make an impressive dessert for a group or an intimate dinner for two.
Salted Caramel Brown Sugar Pots de Crème
Go ahead, call me a curmudgeon, a cynic, an eye-roller. A grump, a sourpuss, a grumbler. A killjoy, a grouser, a mutterer. A crab, a sorehead, a miserablist. A gloomy Gus, a doubting Thomas. Go on, I can take it. The truth is, I think Valentine’s Day is a crock of $&@%. I think it’s a made-up holiday designed ……
Chicken Liver Pâté with Thyme and Brandy
This pate – aka chopped livers – is a really versatile appetizer or party snack … and may even convert the non-liver-lover.