Blake Royer, Serious Eats

Blake Royer

Serious Eats

Toronto, ON, Canada

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Past:
  • Serious Eats

Past articles by Blake:

How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally, Without a Store-Bought Kit

Like most people, I grew up on Paas eggs, glowing with chemical dyes and artificial colors. But my wife followed an Easter tradition of wrapping eggs in onion skins and boiling them. Last year while living in Estonia, we dyed the eggs this way, laying sprigs of dill, bits of rice, and whatever grass or leaves we could find in the yard inside the skins. You can also experiment with easy-to-find… → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Curried Red Lentils with Coconut Milk Recipe

I don't cook with dried lentils often, but every time I do, I vow to use them more. A legume just like beans, they're a cheap, healthy, low-fat source of protein and fiber--but unlike beans, you don't need to plan... → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Here's the idea: grab some produce, seasoning, and perhaps some protein, throw it on a sheet tray and roast until golden and tender, then mash it up into a rustic, warming soup. Roasting adds a depth of flavor to this Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup that simmering will never provide, and it also makes for a low-fuss dinner that tastes like it took a lot more effort than it did. → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Fusilli with Sausage, Kale, and Sungold Tomatoes Recipe

One of my pasta staples in the fall and early winter is the combination of sweet Italian sausage and earthy kale. So what was I doing cooking this in August? Because I have a Sungold tomato plant in the backyard, which is considered by some to be the best of all cherry tomatoes, and inspiration struck: The sweet, intensely bright flavor of tomatoes would be the perfect acidic foil in this dish. → Read More

Martha Stewart's Chicken and Kale Casserole Recipe

Baked pasta dishes should be hearty, but sometimes they turn out heavy, too—and those two things don't necessarily need to go hand in hand. Sure, it's easy enough to load up a baking dish with pasta and cheese and meat and whatever else, but this recipe from Martha Stewart is a little more delicate. There's plenty of kale to stand in for some of the pasta, and an airy ricotta to keep things… → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Kale, Onion and Cheddar Frittata Recipe

I am going to start cooking more frittatas—they are quite affable about taking whatever leftovers you throw at them, without complaining. Meat, cheese, vegetables, the egg will wrap it all in its creamy self. With luck, it will taste fine... → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Salmon with Citrus Dressing Recipe

[Photograph: Blake Royer] It's hard to go wrong with grilled salmon. I'm often content to just throw it on the grill with a little salt and pepper and serve it with a quick sauce made out of nothing but plain... → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Slow-Roasted Salmon with Cabbage, Bacon, and Dill Recipe

The slow-cooking of fish is meant to turn the flesh particularly succulent—even custardy—so that it doesn't become dry or crumbly, which happens at higher heats. Poaching in oil is meant to accomplish the same thing, but I'm sure of one thing: Throwing it in a low oven is a lot easier than using cups and cups of oil. → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Pasta with Corn, Tomato, and Asparagus Recipe

This dish was inspired by two things: a trip to a restaurant called Finch's in Bloomington, Indiana, and a later trip to the farmer's market. At the restaurant, they served me a rich pasta with corn, crisp snap peas, and... → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Summer Salad with Tortellini Recipe

In the summer, my cooking seriously improves. As long as I can get to a farmers' market and not mess up royally, dinner doesn't take much more effort than chopping everything up, throwing it into a bowl, and covering with... → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Black Bean Soup with Fried Egg Recipe

I recently ate a bowl of phenomenal black bean soup at Bonita in Brooklyn and I've been on the hunt for a good recipe since. The soup was rich and deep with a healthy punch of spice and a mouthwatering... → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Grilled Pork Chops Marinated in Mojo Recipe

This "mojo" sauce has nothing to do with the word for magic touch, but you could have fooled me: this is one of the most delicious marinades I've had in ages. The recipe comes from Our Latin Table, and describes... → Read More

Dinner Tonight: West Indian Rice and Beans Recipe

Staples like beans and rice are staples for a reason. Whether Cajun-style red beans and rice, arroz con frijoles negro from Mexico, or gallo pinto from Central America, sometimes two foods just go together. Beans and rice as a dish... → Read More

Miso-Ginger Marinated Salmon Recipe

This easy salmon recipe is adapted from Bobby Flay. → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Vegetarian Chili Recipe

[Photograph: Blake Royer] I'm not sure I really have any business cooking a recipe for chili that's not only vegetarian—making it a contradiction in terms—but also pulled from Patricia Wells' The Provence Cookbook. I think we all agree that the... → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Migas, Tex-Mex Style Recipe

Migas is the Spanish word for crumbs, and refers to the leftover bread originally used in this traditional Spanish dish, which was crumbled and sautéed in olive oil, perhaps with garlic or onion, sometimes peppers, and topped with a fried... → Read More

David Tanis's Pasta with Squid and White Beans Recipe

I first encountered the combination of squid and white beans in the famous tapas bar Bar Pintxo in the Boqueria market of Barcelona. There, tiny white runner beans are the bed for squid seared on a screaming hot flattop; a sauce of olive oil and the squid's ink gives the whole plate a round, salty tang. In a country of incredible food, it remains one of the best things I've eaten. → Read More

Scallops with Pea Puree and Vermouth Sauce Recipe

It's been said before that even in pea season, frozen peas are perfectly acceptable, and sometimes better than their fresh counterparts. Which means that this recipe is pretty much always in season. Like many of the dishes in Rozanne Gold's Radically Simple, this recipe packs a ton of flavor into a short ingredient list, and tastes like it was a lot more difficult to make than it actually was. → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Pesto Trapanese Recipe

I'm usually suspicious of any alterations to traditional basil pesto—those fancy, misguided ideas like trading out pine nuts for pistachios. "Don't mess with perfection," is my feeling. Except in many cases, these other pestos aren't trying to mess up a... → Read More

Dinner Tonight: Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe

While at the market this weekend I picked up a giant handful of garlic scapes, the rather beautiful garlic flower that looks a bit like a pig's tail—they were too inexpensive and attractive to pass up. I knew I wanted... → Read More