The French macaron has become trendy in the past few years (my favorite flavors are earl grey, rose, and pistachio), leading to an occasional need for clarification between that cookie and the coconut macaroon. The similarity is in more than just the name; the two cookies are derived from a common almond-based ancestor, and both… Read More Chocolate-Drizzled Coconut Macaroons
Tonight was a good night. We had been hoping for eggs, and we found four dozen (and broke three of them) and four large tubs of yogurt (though unfortunately, none of it was plain) between us, as well as a number of other nice things, many of which there were exactly two of. Here’s what… Read More January 14, 2019
This is the third time we’ve found burrata. I had never had burrata until I started dumpstering, and it was something my friends spoke of it as though it were a mythical artifact; the ancient golden sword of cheeses. I believe one of them mentioned stuffing a whole one inside a hamburger patty, but maybe… Read More Burrata and Arugula Salad
Last night I found some tortillas (they say they’re low carb and high fiber, probably good considering I’ve been eating a lot of pasta lately, but they’re a little tough compared to regular tortillas) and a tub of avocado tzatziki dip, which made it pretty much a given that I ought to pull out the… Read More Falafel Tacos
It’s been over three weeks since we last went dumpstering and though I had enough food to last a while, it was starting to get a little lacking in variety. My friend was too sick to go out, which saved him the disappointment of finding the dumpsters almost empty of food. I’d been inside all… Read More January 9, 2019
While dumpstering I get a surprising amount of dried fruits and nuts. Initially I thought I would take some apricots and figs and almonds and mix them with spices and brandy to make pan de higo, a Spanish fig cake I’ve made a couple times before. I still have a chunk in my freezer (it’s… Read More Apricot Chicken Tagine
I never wound up eating most of the baguettes I made last week. I left them out in a paper bag and by the time I came back to have some I found that they were so dry that they crumbled upon being touched. So I decided to grind them up into breadcrumbs. I could… Read More Pesto with Chicken
Last week I found a box of frozen crab. I thought at first it was unopened, but one of the packets was missing. I knew I wanted to make crab cakes, but I only had 4 oz of crab, enough for about two cakes. I had found one frozen crab cake once while dumpstering but… Read More Crab Cakes
A few months ago while I was taking a web development course I saw another student walk into the building with a large bag labeled “BRAZILIAN CHEESE BREAD.” I became fascinated. What was Brazilian cheese bread? Was it something like khachapuri? I researched it and found that they’re little puffy rolls made of something sort… Read More Pão de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread
Two weeks ago I found naan. I love naan and wanted to make some kind of Indian dish to go with it, and my favorite is palak paneer; spinach and cheese. I have a few bags of frozen spinach and other ingredients. What I don’t have is paneer. Paneer is a pretty basic cheese and… Read More Ricotta Salata Palak Paneer
Good Dumpster Cooking 