For maximum heat, leave the seeds and membranes in the pepper; habanero will be much hotter than serrano. Ever touched your lips or eyes after chopping hot peppers? Avoid those burns by wearing gloves to prevent the pepper's heat from penetrating your skin.
Chef Way Austin's The Mighty Cone food trailer has become famous for its Hot-and-Crunchy Cones: fried chicken coated in an ingenious mix of cornflakes, slivered almonds and sesame seeds, then wrapped in a tortilla with a mango-jalapeño slaw and a spicy ancho "paint."
Nutty sautéed chicken dipped in a creamy mustard sauce delivers nicely varied textures and flavors. Using cornstarch rather than flour makes the crust especially crisp.
“My husband is not a soup-for-dinner kind of guy, but he loves this chunky, stick-to-your-ribs soup,” laughs Nancy Tafoya in Fort Collins, Colorado. “I always serve it with a warm loaf of homemade bread.”
Large, plump shrimp are marinated in a savory sauce of lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning, olive oil, dried basil, and brown sugar, then grilled to highlight the flavors.
It's hard to find a French bistro menu that doesn't serve up classic steak frites (or fries). Letting the steak rest after cooking keeps it juicy by allowing the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
Canned beans and corn bread/muffin mix speed up the prep on this crowd-pleasing main dish that’s perfect for busy evenings and carry-in dinners. —Jill Pokrivka, York, Pennsylvania
This came from my mind when I was a student at The Culinary Institute of America. We had to create a menu item based on where we lived. Since I am from New England I created this burger with ingredients that you can find or originate in New England. This was a hit at both the CIA and at the restaurant I worked at. - Chef Jason
