Ben Starr

The Ultimate Food Geek

Category: Vegetarian

  • 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,…

  • Guava and Cream Cheese-Stuffed Pumpkin Muffins

    It finally got cool in Dallas, and even though it’s still mid September, pumpkin season is calling me.  One of my local markets finally started stocking sugar pumpkins (I didn’t get any planted in time in my garden this year), so I stocked up yesterday and made some puree.  And since I have a friend…

  • How to make “calaveras” or Mexican sugar skulls without meringue powder

    The net is an incredible place, because 10 years ago, if I wanted to make “calaveras,” which are those sugar skulls that kids and lovers give each other for the Mexican holiday El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), how on earth would I have figured out how to do that without…

  • Oatmeal Sweet Potato Pancakes

    This morning Christian said he wanted some hearty pancakes for breakfast, so I decided I’d make oatmeal pancakes.  But I had two ageing sweet potatoes sitting on the counter above my sink, and thought…why not make oatmeal sweet potato pancakes?  They turned out superb.  Sweet potatoes are so healthy for you.  And as an added…