Nothing colors your world like cooking something new. Whether it’s a new recipe, a new technique or new Le Creuset color, bringing variety into the kitchen brightens the daily grind. That’s why Guest Editor, cookbook author and culinary instructor Amanda Haas is a believer in eating the rainbow—and for more than just the health benefits. Even experienced cooks can slip into a cooking rut now and then, but embracing an array of flavors, colors, textures and techniques is the secret to truly enjoying meals. If you’ve been feeling a little uninspired in the kitchen lately, it’s time to ROYGBIV your dinner routine.
Long a champion of eating colorfully and joyfully, Amanda blends beautiful, nourishing recipes with tips for a holistic lifestyle in her most recent cookbook The Vibrant Life: Eat Well, Be Well. Her passion is equipping cooks of all levels with the knowledge they need to live well and cook confidently. She joins us in the kitchen to share five essential techniques for making a rainbow of recipes paired with her favorite Le Creuset colors.
True Blue Baking in Brilliant Azure
Homey, delicious and convenient to stir together from pantry ingredients—baked fruit crisp just might be the most perfect all-season dessert. Once you master the oat crisp topping, you can swap in different ripe fruits for the base as seasons change through the year. Amanda pairs berries with stone fruit in this Blueberry Nectarine Crisp baked in a Sauteuse for a made-for-each-other duo that captures late summer’s peak sweetness. Serve the warm crisp with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and if you really want to treat yourself, save a few bites to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee the next day.
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Spice Up Grilling with Red-Orange Cayenne
Light on effort, heavy on flavor—that’s the magic grilling brings to food. Of course, firing up an outdoor grill isn’t always possible, but a grill pan makes an excellent alternative. The fat and juices released when food is cooking on a ridged grill pan drop down onto the flat surface, producing smoke similar to an outdoor grill—and ultimately delivering delicious grilled flavor and sear marks. In her crave-able recipe for Grilled Shrimp with Fresh Summer Succotash, Amanda uses our Rectangular Skinny Grill pan to intensify the corn’s sweetness before combining it with the tomatoes in this colorful, satisfying supper.
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Keep it Mellow Yellow when Frying in Nectar
If it’s not a regular part of your routine, frying can feel a bit intimidating at first. But with this recipe for Pan-Fried Schnitzel with Crispy Lemons and Capers, Amanda demonstrates the simplicity and speed of shallow pan-frying. “Make sure all of the ingredients going into the pan are very dry to avoid oil splattering,” Amanda advises. Pounded ultra-thin before dredging, chicken becomes irresistibly crispy on the outside and juicy within after a quick fry in our Signature Skillet. The lemon-caper sauce that finishes the schnitzel takes the dish to the next level, but lucky for you, this straightforward dinner is easy enough for a weeknight. Who knew frying could be so effortless?
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Go Green for Braising in Artichaut
Sturdy vegetables like cauliflower and kale really sing after braising, a versatile cooking method which slowly applies steady heat and moisture after browning to infuse meats and vegetables with deep flavor. To make this Cauliflower Kale Soup, Amanda uses the same Dutch Oven first to roast the vegetables in the oven, caramelizing their natural sugars, before adding stock and aromatics into the pot to finish the vegetables with a gentle braise. After a quick pureé, the final result is silky and remarkably flavorful, thanks to the power combo of roasting and braising. You won’t have any trouble getting your greens in with a technique this transformative.
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Seeing Red when Roasting with Cerise
When you think about a Roaster, you might picture a Thanksgiving turkey or hearty platters of roasted root vegetables. But here, Guest Editor Amanda uses roasting as the foundation for a lovely salad. Her Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens, Pistachios and Goat Cheese demonstrates just what an essential tool roasting is for any cook. “The beauty of roasting food is that it enhances the flavor of most ingredients,” explains Amanda. “And because it is a dry heat, it’s easy to obtain crispy skin on a chicken or perfect caramelization on your vegetables.”
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