A Lesson from MasterChef

On Fox's MasterChef, the latest in a long line of reality cooking shows, home cooks compete for cash and glory. During a recent episode, contestants who lost a cafeteria lunch challenge had to endure a "Pressure Test" by making Ravioli with Spinach & Ricotta Filling from scratch in an hour. (We know they would've loved to sneak a peek at this Ravioli recipe)

Even the most accomplished home cooks struggle to make pasta from scratch, so the FoodPair Team got together to find the best tips and recipes for making delicious fresh pasta in the comfort of your own home.

First off, what do you need? To make one pound of fresh pasta, you'll need 2 cups of Unbleached Flour, 3 Large Eggs and a 1/4 teaspoon of Salt. And that's it!

Once all your ingredients are assembled, we like to shape the flour into a mountain and then collapse the top to make a volcano. Crack the eggs into the top of your flour volcano and using a fork, gently mix the eggs into the flour until they're fully incorporated. Next you'll need to knead the dough for several minutes until it feels smooth to the touch. A quick tip: if the dough seems too dry, add a little more egg; if it's too wet and sticky, rub your hands with extra flour.

Next, form the dough into a ball and let it rest for 15 minutes while you daydream about the rolling hills of Tuscany. After that, you're ready to flatten the dough and run it through a pasta machine (or flatten it with a rolling pin). Keep flattening the dough until it's 1/16th of an inch thick, or just translucent.

Finally, cut the pasta into any shape you like and let it dry for a couple hours. Since you've just made fresh pasta, you only need to cook it in boiling water for a couple minutes until it's ready. Your batch of fresh pasta will keep for up to one week if you don't want to eat it all at once.

Don't give up! But, just in case you can't make fresh pasta tonight, just whip up a batch of Raw Vegetable "Pasta" with Tomatoes and Herbs.

With your fresh pasta, you can make any dish you like from Linguini to Ravioli to Penne, so fire up the FoodPair search engine and check out all the great pasta dishes we've collected from across the Web.

Chicken Pasta with Thyme-Mint Cream Sauce
Here's a great pasta recipe with chicken.
Ingredients: honey, olive oil, chicken, mint, thyme, sherry vinegar, lemon zest, salt, chicken stock, black pepper, whipping cream, white wine, linguine

Mom's Pasta Primavera
We love this dish because it's packed with fresh veggies.
Ingredients: eggplant, olive oil, Parmesan, zucchini, red onion, cherry tomato, green bell pepper, carrot, pasta, garlic salt, Italian spices, marinara sauce

Penne with Fresh Greens
This is a beautiful dish with hearty leaves of kale.
Ingredients: garlic, olive oil, red onion, thyme, red bell pepper, bay leaf, kale, vegetable stock, penne


Now it's time to cook and eat!

Any other favorite ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook to get helpful updates in your news feed.

Healthy Options for Celebrating Summer

We love the arrival of summer because it means many of our favorite fruits and veggies are coming into season! We've been waiting all year for those delicious heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn and squash plus blueberries, strawberries and peaches.

While we love a good backyard BBQ as much as the next person, we thought it would be great to feature light & fresh recipes using healthier ingredients. Feel free to have them any day of the week, or alongside a great burger or hot dog.

To help you find the best homemade crepe dishes, we fired up the FoodPair search engine and found a handful of great recipes from across the Web.

White Peach Summer Bellini
Make this drink with fresh peaches or canned nectar.
Ingredients: lemon juice, peach, Prosecco, simple syrup



Summer's Best Blueberry Sauce
Make this seasonal blueberry sauce for topping breakfasts or desserts.
Ingredients: lemon juice, sugar, blueberry, jelly, water, cornstarch

Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Cashew Butter Dipping Sauce
These are fun to make and great for a healthy summer snack.
Ingredients: mango, shrimp, mint, carrot, sugar, red bell pepper, lemongrass, bibb lettuce, black pepper, vermicelli, fish sauce, spring roll wrappers

Summer Squash Salad
Try this fresh salad featuring squash and zucchini.
Ingredients: olive oil, mint, zucchini, lemon juice, pine nut, black pepper, sea salt, yellow summer squash, Grana Padano

Simple Summer Spaghetti
This light pasta dish features seasonal tomatoes and fresh herbs.
Ingredients: basil, garlic, olive oil, cherry tomato, marjoram, red wine vinegar, black olive, black pepper, sea salt, spaghetti


Now it's time to cook and eat!

Any other favorite ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook to get helpful updates in your news feed.

Let them eat Crepes!

This week, we have France on the brain. Even though Bastille Day is still a month away, some friends of ours went to France anyway and had a fantastic time exploring Paris, sipping their way through Burgundy and eating their way through Michelin-starred restaurants.

While they were away, San Francisco lost its best creperie when Ti Couz, an anchor of the 16th Street Corridor in the Mission District closed. As we scramble to find an acceptable replacement for our monthly fix of buckwheat crepes and cold cider we plan to cook up a whole mess of crepes and nail down our form. As Jean Girard (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) explained in Talladega Nights, crepes "are the really thin pancakes. It's just a French word for them."

While crepes may sound difficult to pronounce and cook, the recipes and techniques are quite simple. For the batter all you need is flour, egg, milk and a pinch of salt. Then, add butter to a hot pan for cooking. The best part is that you can fill crepes with your favorite sweet or savory ingredients.

To help you find the best homemade crepe dishes, we fired up the FoodPair search engine and found a handful of great recipes from across the Web.

Lemon and Sugar Crepes
These are deceptively simple to make and clearly delicious to eat.
Ingredients: lemon, egg, salt, all-purpose flour, vegetable oil, milk, superfine sugar


Strawberry and Orange Crepes
Fresh fruit crepes are the perfect beginning or end to any day.
Ingredients: honey, egg, butter, orange, ricotta cheese, strawberry, sugar, lemon zest, salt, all-purpose flour, milk

Crispy Crepes with Apple, Brie and Prosciutto
Moving along, we found a lunch crepe with Prosciutto & Brie.
Ingredients: prosciutto, olive oil, egg, butter, Brie, watercress, black pepper, all-purpose flour, milk, Granny Smith apple, apple butter

Spinach and Mushroom Crepes
These delicious savory crepes are baked with a tangy bechamel.
Ingredients: tomato, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, egg, spinach, butter, mustard, mushrooms, nutmeg, salt, black pepper, all-purpose flour, milk, bechamel sauce, sharp Cheddar cheese

Grand Marnier Crepe Cake
Finish it off with this creative Crepe Cake.
Ingredients: egg, butter, heavy cream, salt, all-purpose flour, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, milk, orange zest, Grand Marnier


Now it's time to cook (cuire) and eat (manger)!

Any other favorite ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook to get helpful updates in your news feed.

June is National Iced Tea Month!

According to our Food Celebration Calendars, it's June, aka National Iced Tea Month! While we sometimes wilt under extreme heat & humidity, a tall frosty glass of Iced Tea always refreshes and revitalizes us.

Back in the day, we only knew about the classic iced tea- chilled and sweetened Black Tea like Lipton's. Today we reach for any number of iced tea concoctions including ones with teas ranging from Green to Hibiscus. We've also seen some inventive tea cocktails like a Green Tea Margarita and a Cucumber & Green Tea Martini.

To help you find the most refreshing Iced Tea drinks, we fired up the FoodPair search engine and found a handful of great recipes from across the Web.

Apple Ginger Mint Iced Tea
This one sounds and looks delicious!
Ingredients: honey, mint, apple, ginger, water, apple cider, ice, green tea


Green Tea Margarita
For the adults, here's an iced tea cocktail.
Ingredients: lemon, lemon juice, sugar, tequila, Cointreau, green tea

Sun Tea
Extremely simple, yet incredibly refreshing.
Ingredients: black tea, water, sugar (optional)

Lemon Verbena Mint Herb Tea
We love pairing mint with lemon.
Ingredients: mint, water, lemon verbena

Homemade Chai Tea
Make your own chai, shake with ice and strain.
Ingredients: cinnamon stick, cardamom, clove, ginger, water, milk, peppercorns, black tea, dark brown sugar


Let's get cooking and chilling!

Any other favorite ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook to get helpful updates in your news feed.