CANDY CANE MARSHMALLOW RECIPE: 1/4 cup finely crushed mint candy canes3/4 ounce gelatin (3 small packets)1 1/2 cups granulated sugar1 cup corn syrup1 cup water2 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp kosher saltPowdered sugarVegetable cooking spray Optional: Red and green food coloring In your stand mixer bowl, add 1/2 cup cold water and your gelatin and…
Author: bennionjw
Tomato Galette
In Montana where I live, we cherish local produce from our short growing season. Each year it seems like our farmers’ markets around the state get bigger with more people seeking out vegetables and herbs grown locally. I even hear of more friends taking a shot at growing their own produce in their backyard. There…
Pici Piccanti
PICI PICCANTI When you think of romantic movies, one of the most famous is an animated film where two dogs enjoy a plate of spaghetti and meatballs together. As they chow down on the pasta, their mouths unexpectedly meet when the one noodle they are eating bring them together in the most famous doggie kiss…
Scratch Rigatoni with Homemade Sausage
Stepping up your game in the kitchen requires a leap of faith into unknown territory. Yes, the risk of food failure is always a real possibility, but the payoff for pushing your skills to higher levels is worth the culinary gamble. For one, you know 100% what is going in your food – fresh, top quality…
Fresh Semolina Pasta 101
I have met very few people who don’t like pasta. As you read this post, you probably have a minimum of three or four boxes of different pastas in your pantry to throw together a dinner in a pinch. And there are plenty of tasty boxed pasta recipes on notecards in your little recipe box,…
Are You an Intermediate Chef?
Do new adventures in the kitchen excite you, but culinary school is not an option? Are you the primary cook in your household? Have you been watching cooking shows on TV for years? Do you follow celebrity chefs on social media to see their latest creations? Have you collected a healthy stack of favorite cookbooks…
Fresh Egg Pasta 101
“Making fresh pasta may seem to be a complicated process, but it is truly just a celebration of a few ingredients with some important steps along the way.” A few years ago, I made it a goal of mine to learn the fundamentals of fresh pasta. That included both eggless semolina pasta and its silkier,…
Pretzels 101
Several countries try to claim they invented the pretzel, but it was clearly the Germans who took this tasty, twisted, salted bread and perfected it. But stadiums, malls, theaters, gas stations, and frozen food sections have marred this yeasty treats reputation some. A true Intermediate Chef can learn how it was meant to be assembled,…
Hummus 101
Over the past few decades, the West has discovered something well known in the Middle East for centuries – hummus is a simple and spectacular spread. The name is derived from an Arabic word for “chickpeas,” the main ingredient in an hummus. An Intermediate Chef knows how to take humble, dried chickpeas and make something…
Intermediate Chef 