Recipe: Eliza’s Chinese Celery Salad

Posted on November 13, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers
Celery Salad

Eliza’s Celery Salad.

Eliza’s was a top-ranked Chinese restaurant in San Francisco that closed after a fire. It’s about to re-open according to this SF Chronicle article. Here’s their popular Celery Salad, with our customary tinkering. It’s a light, refreshing palate cleanser that goes well with Chinese food or pretty much anything. Plus it helps you use up that leftover celery after you bought a head of celery for tuna salad etc. and used just one or two ribs.

Ingredients:
2 c celery, sliced into 2” julienne strips
½ c carrot, similarly julienned
1 T slivered pickled ginger*
½ c slivered red onion
¼ t dry mustard
¼ t ground black peper
¼ t sugar
½ t salt
4 T white vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar
1 t toasted sesame oil
Cilantro sprigs for garnish (also consider furikake or toasted sesame seeds)

Method: the celery needs to be cut into very thin floppy strips that absorb ingredients and are easy to pick up with chopsticks. Julienne as directed, then mix with all other ingredients and toss well. It will be ready to serve in a couple of hours but will be much better the next day.

*We used leftover gari from our takeout sushi.  If you are more ambitious, Viet World Kitchen has a recipe.

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Recipe: Pork Sauerbraten

Posted on November 8, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers
Pork Sauerbraten

Pork Sauerbraten.

With even the cheapest cuts of beef priced at $7/lb or more, and pork butt frequently on sale for 99c, converting our German Sauerbraten recipe from beef to pork seemed like a no-brainer. There’s a similar German pork prep using beer as the liquid, but we wanted to preserve the sweet/sour balance. I couldn’t resist a bit of tinkering which you’ll see if you compare our two recipes. Serves 8.

Ingredients:
4-6 lb pork picnic or shoulder roast, bone in ok
Kosher salt and pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
1 ½ c red wine
1 ½ c water
2/3 c cider vinegar
2/3 c red wine vinegar
6 cloves garlic
4 or so peppercorns
2 or so whole cloves
Juniper berries, half a dozen
1 bay leaf
All purpose flour, for dredging
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 T beef or bacon fat
1 c chopped tomato (canned OK)
1 carrot, finely diced
1 T sugar

Method: Wipe meat dry with paper towels; rub with salt and pepper. Cut into 3 sections, including the bone. Place pork chunks in a large glass or earthenware dish and cover with sliced onions. Bring water, wine, vinegar, garlic, peppercorn, cloves, juniper berry, bay leaf mixture to boil and pour over the meat. Cover tightly and allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 24 hours and as long as 4 days, turning the meat occasionally. Drain off and reserve the marinade.

Aldi Red Cabbage

Aldi Red Cabbage with Apples is the perfect accompaniment to Pork Sauerbraten.

Sauté chopped onions in fat in an oven-proof casserole pan. Wipe meat dry, dredge in flour and add to onions. Add tomato, carrot, and sugar. Add 2 c strained marinade. Cover and cook in 350 degree oven for 3 hours or until very tender. Reserve the meat, discarding the bones, and reduce liquid in the pot to gravy consistency over a low flame. Serve with potato pancakes, egg noodles or other carbohydrate to mop up the delicious gravy.

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Recipe: Caponata (Eggplant Relish)

Posted on November 3, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers
Caponata with Parsey

Caponata with parsley garnish (recommended since it looks like a big pile of nothing without).

Is it possible to make a bad caponata? I don’t think so, as long as you respect the classical sweet-sour balance and the contrasting textures of crunchy celery and pudding-like eggplant chunks. Our new version follows the latest Joy of Cooking with some flourishes. In Sicily this is served on its own as a side dish; in America you are more likely to encounter it on a mezze plate or spread on a crusty cracker. Makes about 2 c caponata.

Ingredients
1 medium eggplant
¼ c olive oil
1 c celery, finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 or more garlic cloves, minced
14 ½ oz can tomatoes, chopped, with some of the juice
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T tomato paste
2 t sugar
12 or so green olives, pitted
1 ½ T capers, drained
½ t dried oregano
1 t Kosher salt
Black pepper to taste
¼ c pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry nonstick skillet (optional)
¼ c raisins (optional)
Parsley for garnish (optional)

Caponata with Parsley

Kenji has a recipe combining caponato ingredients and blanched broccoli rabe, adding bitterness to complement the sweet and sour.

Method: peel eggplant and cut into ½ inch cubes. Sprinkle liberally with salt and drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Wipe off the copious liquid which will accumulate using paper towels or a clean dishtowel. Transfer to a sheet pan and bake in a 350 degree oven until the eggplant cubes are very soft yet still holding their shape, about 20 minutes.

Sauté celery, onion and garlic in 2 T olive oil till onion is softened; reserve. Add remaining olive oil to the skillet and sauté eggplant cubes, turning, until slightly browned, 5 minutes or so. Add back the celery mixture along with tomatoes, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, sugar, oregano and salt. Correct the seasoning, adding a couple grinds of black pepper, then add capers and olives and optional toasted pine nuts and raisins. Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is reduced, about 15 minutes. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature, garnished with parsley if you like.

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Let them eat Election Cake!

Posted on November 1, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers
Election Cake with Pumpkin Pie Glaze

Traditional election cake, requiring sourdough fermentation.

Not to jinx it, but we first published our Election Cake recipe on November 1, 2016. It’s a celebration of the right to vote which is more important than ever today, and hopefully easier to do than c 1800 when people had to travel long distances to get to the polls. Back then, you might toast the occasion with a flacon of rum and spend the night at an inn before the journey home. Now, you can make election cake in your kitchen and share with friends and neighbors as you wait for the returns to come in on Tuesday, November 3.

Election Cake Prunes

Modern version made with California prunes.

There are plenty of election cake recipes online, of which this from the Culinary Institute of America looks most promising, with a patriotic bonus of red white and white dried fruits. California Prunes has a recipe featuring, guess what. Both describe Election Cake as somewhere between bread and a cake. Both recipes are relatively straightforward but they feature instant dried yeast…. which was not available at the time

To be truly authentic, you will want to make the recipe we published back in 2016, which relies on a sourdough ferment as its yeast component. We picked it up from Richard Miscovich at the 2016 Kneading Conference in Skowhegan, ME. It requires a lively starter and an extra day of fermentation, so if you want to make the original version you better get cracking.

 

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Durkee’s: Requiem for a Condiment in the Atlantic

Posted on October 29, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers
Durkee Dressing

Original (or maybe AI) art from the Atlantic article on Durkee’s, suitable for framing.

The November 2026 Atlantic has a very rich article on the demise of Durkee’s Famous Sauce, which quotes your proprietor but does not mention Burnt My Fingers by name or provide a link. Nonetheless, readers are finding us including Don Wilson who shares the following:

“Our family history with Durkee’s began when my great grandfather and his brother moved to Mississippi from Boston area to open up wood mills in the late 1800’s where the post Thanksgiving and Christmas day leftovers must include Durkee’s.   It eventually morphed into a triple decker clubhouse with a lot of Durkee’s as the base.     We don’t know exactly when the Clubhouse Sandwich tradition started but it predates my mother who is 88 years old.

“Unbelievably, I still have about 1/4 jar of Durkee’s in the fridge which I will be using to nail a copy cat recipe.  I’m using yours as a starting point.  Happy to share any discoveries along the way.”

Don pointed out that the Durkee’s pamphlet for the Chicago exhibition in 1932 mentioned a dozen herbs and spices which used to be on the description of Durkee’s Sauce. He also shared a corporate report from the Glidden Paint Company, which as we know owned Durkee’s at one time, listing the spices packaged and sold by the company. As far as we can tell, other than mustard none are present in the recently-deceased and dear departed Durkee’s Famous Sauce.

Here is a  link to the Atlantic article. We’re subscribers so are able to share paywall-free; please do consider your own subscription.

P.S. LOL this post originally did not include a link to our Durkee’s copycat recipe. Here it is.

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Top finds at Aldi

Posted on October 24, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers
Aldi Ground Wagyu

Wagyu Ground Beef is a top find at Aldi.

When Aldi first opened in the town down the road from me, it was a hard no. 25 cent deposit to use a shopping cart? Turnstiles to get out if you’re not making a purchase? If you don’t trust me as a customer, then why should I trust you as a source of my food? But a closer store has opened since without the turnstiles, and I’ve become a fan with a list of Aldi top finds.

Aldi Seedtastic Organic Bread

Aldi Seedtastic Organic Bread.

High on my list would be Seedtastic and Graintastic organic breads, for a couple bucks less than equivalent at natural food stores. We like to make healthy breads available to Airbnb guests and these are delicious plus have a long shelf life.

I am also a big fan of Southern Grove Mixed Nuts with Sea Salt, which unlike many alternatives (including at Aldi’s sister store, Trader Joe’s), have just the right amount of salt. It sets the stage for the nuts without dominating which is just what I want.

Aldi Mixed Nuts

Sotherns Grove Mixed Nuts

Speaking of salt, Clancy’s Original Kettle Chips are perfectly salted and not overpowering like their sister jalapeno and bbq chips. If I’d included them in last year’s taste test they might have been the winner!

Aldi Kettle Chips

Aldi Original Kettle Chips.

Ground waygu beef is close to an oxymoron, but it’s good for smash-type burgers and it’s just a buck more than generic ground beef. Be prepared to deal with the copious fat it will give off in the fry pan.

We’ve been making our blender gazpacho on repeat and Aldi’s tomato juice is a key component for less than half the price of Campbells.

These last two items are not currently on Aldi shelves for their website; like sibling Trader Joe’s Aldi removes out-of-stock or seasonal products as if they never existed.

Aldi Red Cabbage

Aldi Red Cabbage with Apples.

Red cabbage with apple. At 2.39 for 24 oz, this is a bargain since raw red cabbage would be the same price in a supermarket. A perfect accompaniment for our pork sauerbraten.

Potato salad with mustard. As a Texan I know good potato salad has mustard in it, and when it went on sale for $1.69 for a 1 pound tub I grabbed several, They were just as good as I expected but the next week they were gone and have not returned.

And about those 25 cent shopping carts, turns out they present an opportunity for pay-it-forward generosity. About 1 time in 4 another shopper will offer me their cart rather than turning it in for the reward, and of course I do the same when I am done with it. If no free carts are available and I don’t have a quarter, my turnstile-free Aldi’s doesn’t seem to have a problem if I bring my own reusable tote bag, load it up while shopping, then dump it at the register when I check out.

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RIP Chef Brady Duhame.

Posted on October 18, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers

Chef Brady Duhame.

We lost a good one last month when Brady Duhame passed of cancer, at age 55. He was a friend and also a major influence in uplifting the local fine dining scene, and I miss him tremendously.

Here is an appreciation I wrote about his time at 15 Church. Brady was trained at Culinary and worked at major Manhattan restaurants before coming home to his birthplace. While he was constantly innovating with side projects, Brady’s wheelhouse was taking classic recipes and taking them up a notch into something extraordinary.

At a memorial celebration, his brother Sean described the moment Brady got hooked on cooking. Brady was 14 and mowing the lawn when he cut down a stalk growing near the fence. He took it inside to his mother and she said it was rhubarb and opened Joy of Cooking to the page on rhubarb pie. They spent the afternoon making that recipe and you could not keep Brady out of the kitchen after that. Sean also shared that, though he was an experienced cook himself, he would pretend to be a novice when Brady came home from his big time gigs in NYC so he could get some time with his older brother.

Saratoga Springs is a tight knit culinary community with many restaurants clustered in a small footprint. FOH and BOH people tend to rotate among the restaurants depending on seasonal demand and other issues, so everyone knows everyone. All worked with Chef Brady at one time or another, and all loved him as a friend. There were two tearful but joyful wakes, one private and the next filling a portion of Caroline St, and it was good to come together and share our memories and our fellowship.

Brady did not go down without a fight. He was working on a line of artisanal pastas, and I got a message in July apologizing for a how-to video he had not yet completed. I said we should get together for lunch and a few days later he messaged he would need to take a rain check because his cancer symptoms were coming back. That was the last I heard from him.

Rest in power, Chef Brady Duhame.

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Recipe: Dairy-Free Chess Pie

Posted on October 14, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers
Dairy Free Chess Pie

Dairy free chess pie made with coconut milk.

We had some leftover coconut milk and an extra pie shell from our shoofly pie experiment, so we created a dairy-free chess pie based on this recipe. The taste is close to identical to Mom’s Chess Pie so you will enjoy even if don’t have lactose intolerance but do have a lack of butter or milk.

Ingredients:
1 ½ c sugar
4 ½ tsp cornmeal
Half a can of coconut milk*, about 7/8 c
3 whole eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t white vinegar
Unbaked pie shell

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar with cornmeal. Add coconut cream and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat eggs then add liquids, finishing with vinegar. Transfer bowl with sugar and cornmeal and butter and mix well. Pour into unbaked shell and bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature and serve.

*Make sure you buy full-fat coconut cream or milk, not a low-fat product, or coconut water which is a totally different thing. The universally recommended product is Chao-Koh Coconut Milk which is available on Amazon or any Asian market.

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Recipe: Grandma’s Molasses Banana Bread

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers

Grandmas Molasses Banana Bread.What to do with our leftover Grandma’s Molasses from Shoofly Pie? Make Grandma’s Molasses Banana Bread! This recipe was heavily circulated in ads in the ‘90s, according to Vintage Recipes. I’ve made a couple of practical tweaks. The bread has a tender, crumbly texture that’s closer to cake: try it heated with a pat of butter on top and eat with a spoon. Makes one loaf banana bread.

Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
½ c melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 c Grandma’s Molasses
2 t baking soda
½ t kosher salt
½ t ground allspice*
½ t grated citrus rind**
¾ c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
½ c chopped walnuts

Method: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bash egg and bananas together in a mixing bowl. Add molasses and finally melted butter and blend well with a spoon. In a second bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except walnuts and mix well. Pour dry into wet ingredients and mix well. Finally, add the walnuts and fold gently into the batter.

Pour batter into a well greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the loaf comes out clean. Cool to room temperature then remove from the pan and serve.

Penzey’s Lemon Peel.

*The original recipe called for ½ t grated nutmeg which is a lot of grating so I subbed allspice.
**The original recipe called for ½ t grated orange peel which seems too little to register as a seasoning. I used minced dried lemon peel from Penzey’s but you could also just leave it out.

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Select vs Choice brisket taste test

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Burnt My Fingers
Select vs Prime Taste Test

Select vs Choice Taste Test. Select slices are on the outside top left and bottom left.

A visitor from Arkansas complained about the brisket at a local establishment, so we took it on ourselves to prove at least some of us up here in the permafrost know how to prepare proper Texas-style meats. Here’s how that turned into a Select vs Choice brisket taste test.

This taste test would not have been possible a few years ago because Select grade beef did not make it to retail, then supermarkets started adding it to their meat cases with whimsical names like “Butcher’s Promise”. But there was no question about the 14 pounder I bought at Walmart: USDA Select was prominently printed on the Cryovac. It was $5.69/lb; the only available Choice was punitively priced at $10.69/lb in a local supermarket, out of our budget range.

But the very next day, Fred the Butcher ran a special with Certified Angus briskets at $6.99/lb. I was in my car before the pixels dried on my monitor. Time for a Select vs Choice taste test! The one I got weighed 12 lbs so the price for the packaged product was not much different from the Walmart slab. When I got home and started trimming the briskets, however, I discovered the CAB brisket had already been trimmed while the Select brisket yielded a good 2 lbs of fat (which I rendered as beef tallow). We did our usual prep in which both briskets were liberally salted with Kosher salt and dry-cured overnight, then it was time to fire up the smoker.

Briskets in Cryovac

Choice Brisket on left, Select on right.

The Walmart Select brisket was so big we had to cut it in two to fit our 18 inch Weber bullet. With two different form factors, it was hard to do a straight-up comparison. But we had a hunch Select brisket would not be tough like a Select steak because of the high fat content. To cut to the chase, we were right. After 5 hours in the smoker and 3 more in the oven following our Brisket Recipe, the flat and point sections in both briskets ranged from fork-tender to pudding-soft.

After satisfying our Arkansas traveler (who said we should advertise our brisket as a feature of our Airbnb), close to 20 lbs of smoked brisket went into in freezer to last us through our long bitter winter. It was packaged by weight so we won’t know whether we are grabbing a bag of Select vs Prime, but  it won’t make a difference.

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