Get the most out of your bacon. In the episode, Juliette explains the proper technique to render bacon fat and create perfectly crisp, flat bacon. Learn how to store the rendered fat and use it to infuse vegetables, baked goods, stews and more with the wonderfully smokey flavor of bacon. The featured recipe is smothered green beans, a wildly flavorful side dish that uses just four ingredients and the easiest cooking technique ever.

Smothered Green Beans

Ingredients:

12 ounces bacon, diced

3 Tbl bacon fat

1 shallot, thinly sliced

12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and black pepper

Action:

1. Add diced bacon to a room temperature large skillet with high sides. Turn heat to medium-low and allow bacon lardons to slowly cook. Only stir occasionally to prevent charring. Fat will be rendered and lardons will be cooked in 15-20 minutes. Remove lardons with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Reserve 3 tablespoons of rendered fat in pan. (Once cool, extra rendered fat can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a year.)

2. Heat bacon fat over medium heat. Add shallots and stir. Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp black pepper (depending on taste) and add a pinch of salt. Cook 5 minutes, until shallots are soft and nearly translucent. 

3. Add green beans and stir to coat with fat and shallots. It is okay if green beans overlap in pan. Pour chicken stock over beans, fully covering beans with liquid and scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow beans to simmer on medium-low heat, uncovered, until the stock is nearly evaporated and a thin reduction remains to coat beans, about 1 hour. Stir, and taste for seasoning. Top with reserved bacon lardons and serve.

Lighten up a comfort food favorite with green olives. Learn how green olives provide bright and buttery flavor to a variety of dishes, including featured recipe Roast Chicken with Green Olives and Herb Sauce. This simple, weeknight recipe is bursting with flavor. Get expert tips on how to perfectly cook a roast chicken and make an easy pan sauce in one hour, using everyday pantry ingredients.

Roast Chicken with Green Olives and Herb Sauce

For Chicken:

1 lemon|
1 head of garlic|
1/4 cup clarified butter (ghee) or unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup warm water
1 3½–4 lb. whole chicken
1/2 cup pitted green Castelvetrano olives
Salt and black pepper

For Sauce:

Pan drippings, including roasted garlic and lemon
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 Tbl. Cold butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh tarragon, parsley, and chives
Salt and black pepper as needed

Action - Roast Chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut lemon into quarters. Cut 1 head of garlic in half crosswise. Melt butter or ghee in a small saucepan or microwave.
3. Remove giblets from bird and discard. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season liberally all over with salt and pepper. Place one lemon quarter and 1/4 cup of olives into cavity of bird.
4. Place chicken breast-side up in a large oven-safe skillet. Arrange remaining lemon and olives around bird. Add garlic cut side down to pan.
5. Pour 1/4 cup warm water into pan.
6. Drizzle melted butter or ghee over chicken and move pan to oven.
7. Roast for 45 minutes, or until chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and allow to rest 15 minutes before cutting.

Action - Sauce

1. Remove lemon, garlic, and olives from pan and reserve. Skim fat off surface of pan drippings.
2. Roughly chop roasted olives. Squeeze cloves from roasted garlic and mash with a fork to make a paste. Add olives and garlic paste to sauce pan. Squeeze roasted lemon juice into pan.
3. Stir to incorporate into pan drippings. If pan looks a little dry, add a few tablespoons of warm water and heat over medium. Add heavy cream, whisking constantly. Allow to simmer gently until slightly thickened.
4. Whisk in 1 Tbl. cold butter. Add 1/2 cup chopped herbs and stir. Taste, season with salt and pepper as needed.
5. Carve chicken. Serve with pan sauce.

Perfect tofu is easy to make when you know the right technique. On this episode, you’ll learn about the different types of tofu, as well as exactly how to prepare extra firm tofu for an unconventional riff on classic New Orleans yakamein. This spicy ramen bowl features seared tofu and all the vegetables in a savory and spicy broth. Additional tips and explanation demonstrate how to make this dish come together in 30 minutes.

The recipe

Tofu and Vegetable Yakamein

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu
Assorted vegetables, chopped small or thinly sliced (such as bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms, fresh baby corn, peas, asparagus, and broccoli)
2 tablespoons sesame oil, more as needed
4 shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbl black vinegar (substitute rice vinegar if black is unavailable)
2 Tbl fish sauce
3 Tbl honey
2 Tbl chili paste
2 Tbl water
2 squares ramen noodles

Approximately 1-2 cups of heated low sodium broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable) OR water

Garnish: Lime juice, Louisiana hot sauce, soft boiled egg, toasted peanuts, sesame seeds, green onions, and chopped cilantro

Action

1. Prep extra firm tofu: Drain block and wrap in paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place a cast iron skillet (or similarly heavy, flat-based item) on top to press out water. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Remove towel. Cut into small cubes and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Make sauce: Whisk soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, chili paste, 2 Tbl water, five spice powder, and black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat stock or water in a separate pot just to boiling. Keep warm.
4. Heat sesame oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add tofu cubes and let cook, undisturbed, approximately 5 minutes. When a golden crust has formed, flip tofu pieces and continue cooking, tossing as needed until all sides are lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
5. Reduce heat to medium. If pan looks dry, add an additional tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the shallots and cook until the shallots begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño and continue to cook stirring often, 3-5 minutes.
6. Add vegetables and stir to coat with aromatics and oil. Cook just until vegetable are warmed through, but still firm, 3-5 minutes.
7. Return tofu to pan and stir with vegetables.
8. Pour in soy sauce mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When mixture is boiling, place ramen squares in pan. Pour warm stock or water over ramen until liquid reaches halfway up the sides of the ramen. It is not necessary to submerge the ramen.
9. Allow liquid to boil for several minutes, flipping the ramen and separating the ramen strands with a spoon as it cooks. The dish is ready when ramen is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Toss to incorporate the vegetables with ramen.
10. Garnish with cilantro, lime juice, green onions, and Louisiana hot sauce. Other garnishes can be added as desired. Serve.

Anchovies are not the punchline they’ve been made out to be. These delicate, flakey fish fillets bring delicious salty flavor to a variety of dishes. Learn how to use anchovies in a way that highlights their flavor without the overt fishiness. Featured recipe is a creamy baked pasta, a simple dish that uses only two pots and makes for an easy weeknight meal or an ideal addition to a feast of the seven fishes holiday experience.

Baked Anchovy Pasta

Adapted from Bon Appetite: Baked Pasta with Anchovy Cream by Chris Morocco

Ingredients:

1 box of short pasta (like rotini or penne - whole wheat pasta will work well)

Kosher salt; black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large leeks, cleaned, white and pale green parts only, sliced thin

1 jar or tin of anchovies (about 15 filets), drained (rinsing is optional per taste)

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2-3 Tbl. for topping

1 bunch asparagus, tops trimmed and stalk chopped in pea-sized rounds

Action:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Add asparagus tips and stems to pot with pasta and cook for 2 minutes. Only cook pasta to very al dente. Pasta and asparagus will finish cooking later in oven.
3. Heat oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium. Add leeks and season with salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Uncover and add anchovies, garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until anchovies are disintegrated and garlic is tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Add cream and 1/3 cup Parmesan. Bring to a gentle simmer and allow to thicken; taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed. 
5. Add drained pasta and asparagus and toss gently to coat. Top with reserved Parmesan. Transfer to oven; bake for 8-10 minutes, then broil under high heat for an additional 4-5 minutes to lightly brown and crisp top. Optional: Top with chopped parsley and/or chives. Serve.

There’s no need to set off the smoke alarm in your home when cooking. Learn why clarified butter is ideal for high heat cooking and how it ensures the classic Paul Prudhomme recipe for blackened fish turns out perfectly. Juliette explains how easy it is to make your own clarified butter, provides tips on how to use it, and breaks down a favorite Creole recipe for best results.

Blackened Fish
Adapted from Paul Prudhomme

Ingredients

6 Tbl clarified butter (or ghee), melted

3 Tbl blackening season mix

6 (8 to 10-ounce) fish filets (firm-fleshed fish such as red snapper, catfish, redfish, salmon or tuna steak), at room temperature, cut about 1/2-inch thick

Action

Heat a large cast iron skillet over very high heat until it is extremely hot.

Spread melted clarified butter (or ghee) on each side of the fish filets. Sprinkle each side with blackening season mix.

Place the filets in the heated skillet (do not crowd pan) and cook, approximately 2 minutes per side. Serve each filet while piping hot. If cooking more than one batch, wipe excess liquid and seasoning out of skillet before starting new batch.

Get spicy! Chinese Five Spice powder is the one thing to bring ALL the flavor to your favorite meals and desserts. Juliette explains the components of five spice powder and how they update the flavor of chocolate brownie cookies. Learn how to get a deliciously chewy, brownie-like texture to your cookies through butter choice, properly creaming butter and sugar, and utilizing the fluff and scoop technique to measure dry ingredients.

Chocolate Five Spice Brownie Cookies

Assembly

2 1/4 cups AP flour

2/3 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Chinese five spice powder

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 12-ounce package milk chocolate chips

Action

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and Chinese five spice powder in a small bowl.
3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips.
4. Drop batter by well rounded tablespoon onto uncreased baking sheet.
5. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until centers are just set. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks for cooling. Yields about 2 dozen cookies.

Dry vermouth isn’t just for martinis. Discover why dry vermouth makes the perfect - and less expensive! - alternative to wine in braises, stews and pan sauces. Juliette provides expert tips on how to properly deglaze a pan to create a delicious sauce for strip steak, and includes useful insight on steak preparation, pan selection, and emulsifying butter.

This recipe is Adapted from Food & Wine: Garlic Butter Steak Bites by Marianne Williams.

Assembly

• 1-2 pounds beef New York strip steak cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 Tbl. vegetable oil
• 5 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ⅓ cup dry vermouth
• 4 Tbl. cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and black pepper

Action

1. Cut steak into 1-inch cubes. Blot dry with a paper towel and allow to come to room temperature (about 45-60 minutes).
2. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season steak cubes with salt and pepper. Add half of the steak pieces to skillet and cook, undisturbed, until browned and crispy on bottoms, about 1 minute. Flip steak pieces, and continue cooking until browned on other side, about 1 minute. Stir pieces and cook until most sides are browned and steak is almost medium-rare, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer steak to a large bowl. Repeat cooking process with remaining steak pieces, transferring cooked steak to bowl with first batch. Set aside. Do not wipe skillet clean.
3. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add vermouth, and scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove from heat; add 1 Tbl. cold butter, and stir until melted and creamy. Repeat with each cube of butter, stirring after each addition until sauce is emulsified and velvety. Pour mixture over steak pieces in bowl, and toss to coat. Transfer steak to a serving platter, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

The best macaroni and cheese doesn’t have to come from fancy, expensive cheese. Learn how adding miso to cheese sauce enhances the flavor of your favorite everyday cheeses, like cheddar and jack. This mac and cheese recipe features tips and tricks to make light blonde roux, which acts as a thickener to a wonderful, velvety cheese sauce. Be sure to watch the companion YouTube video to see the complete dish.

Miso Macaroni and Cheese

Assembly

1 box of short-cut pasta (like penne or bow ties)

1 tsp salt, plus more for salting pasta water

1 16-ounce carton of half-n-half, room temperature

2 Tbl. white miso

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

4 Tbl. unsalted butter

4 Tbl. all purpose flour

1 lb grated cheese (like American, sharp cheddar, and jack)

1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water

Action

1. Cook one box of pasta according to package directions in liberally salted water. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.
2. Mix half-n-half, salt, miso, garlic powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl until fully incorporated. Allow to come to room temperature.
3. Melt 4 Tbl. unsalted butter in a medium pot with heavy bottom over medium heat. Make a roux by whisking in 1 Tbl. of flour at a time until fully incorporated, stirring continuously to avoid burning. Continue to stir as roux cooks; the butter-flour combination will smell nutty and darken slightly. Do not burn.
4. Slowly incorporate half-n-half mixture, whisking to prevent clumps. Mixture will thicken as it cooks. Cook at medium heat 5-7 minutes, stirring often.
5. Fold in cheese in small batches, adding tablespoons of the reserved cooking water as needed to help melt cheese and create a thick glossy sauce. Stir often to ensure smoothness until ready to add to pasta.
6. Pour pasta into a large serving bowl or casserole pan. Pour cheese sauce over pasta in small increments, folding to coat pasta fully. Add as much or as little cheese sauce as you like. Serve.
7. Optional garnish: Crumbled baked prosciutto.