Ben Starr

The Ultimate Food Geek

Category: Recipes

  • Dandelion “Honey”

    Either you love dandelions, or you hate them.  If you hate them, it’s probably because you spend so much time trying to rid your lawn of them.  If you love them, it’s because the big, soft, bright yellow blossoms and supremely blow-able puff balls bring you back to childhood.  Or perhaps you’re one of the…

  • Multi Grain Sweet Potato Muffins

    We don’t eat enough sweet potatoes in this country.  And when we do, they usually are slathered in sugar, butter, marshmallows, and maple syrup.  (*gag*)  What a horrific way to ruin a healthy, delicious food!  (No offense to those of you who adore sweet potato casserole.) I had a few sweet potatoes left over in…

  • Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

    I’m no fan of chain restaurants.  And I am happy to announce that I’ve NEVER eaten at a Red Lobster.  But any time Red Lobster surfaces in conversation, I’m always puzzled by the response that I universally hear from people who have eaten there. “ZOMG, their cheddar biscuits are SO GOOD!” It’s like Olive Garden…

  • 1-Hour Hazelnut Cranberry Sticky/Sweet Rolls

    When I’m making a very special breakfast, I often choose my Overnight Cinnamon Rolls because they get rave reviews.  Any kind of yeast-risen roll for breakfast is a winner…but sometimes you can’t prep the night before, or don’t have HOURS to prep that morning.  So I’ve been developing a series of 1-Hour yeast risen recipes…

  • Buttermilk Cardamom Coffee Cake

    We’ve lost the coffee cake, somehow.  I rarely see it on menus at breakfast restaurants.  And it’s such a yummy and easy thing to make.  I’ll make an attempt at revitalizing interest in coffee cake by coming up with some new, inventive flavors, and this is my first…featuring my favorite spice, cardamom.  So many fans…

  • Cheesecake-Stuffed Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

    Just when you thought breakfast couldn’t be more decadent, I bring you my legendary Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins…but stuffed with cheesecake.  Yes…cheesecake.  It sounds complex, but it couldn’t be more simple.  These muffins come together in about 15-20 minutes and bake in another 20.  Less than an hour of work, and you’ve got what many people…

  • How to Cook a Pumpkin and Turn it into Puree

    In the fall, we’ve got pumpkins coming out our ears, and it just pains me to think that 95% of the pumpkins grown in this country are simply carved for Halloween and then tossed into the trash.  Sometimes people buy 4 or 5, carve only one, and let the rest sit on their front porch…

  • Pumpkin Cardamom Souffle

    Souffles are one of those things you see on cooking shows and MAYBE you’ll make one or two throughout the course of your life.  I’m not sure why this is the case.  Perhaps it’s because there is an old myth in the kitchen that souffles are temperamental and impossible to get right.  This is malarkey! …

  • Smoked Mozzarrella, Eggplant, and Mushroom Fritters

    The inspiration for this recipe came from the book Artisan Cheesemaking at Home, which is a FABULOUS way to get hooked on a new hobby.  Before I even started making my own cheese, though, I had to try this recipe.  The only problem was that I didn’t have most of the ingredients it called for,…

  • Scotch Eggs

    I had never heard of a Scotch Egg until I watched MasterChef season 1 and Ramsay was bemoaning the lack of a Scotch Egg appearing in an egg challenge.  When I heard what it was…a boiled egg wrapped in sausage, breaded, and deep fried…I was bound and determined to offer up a Scotch Egg to…