Even the most casual of Top Chef fans know that attempting to make risotto usually does not end well for the cheftestants, though there have been a few exceptions. Some notable ones I remember include: Season three premiere: Howie actually makes a successful risotto with uni, but forgets to plate the other required component (frog’s…
Edward Lee’s piggy burgers with sun-dried tomato ketchup inspired by the San Sebastian McDonald’s.
In a city such as San Sebastian that is so gorgeous and filled with such amazing local food, the thought of eating at a McDonald’s or a Burger King might seem a little odd, but I can understand the appeal of trying one of the regional menu items that you’d never find at your local…
Boqueria’s grilled pineapple sangría, and how it prompted me to make the somewhat-obscure Tiki liqueur Falernum.
With cooking still being our main form of entertainment these days, I went all out for Michael’s birthday weekend: piggy burgers from Ed Lee’s Smoke and Pickles, miso corn from Momofuku, poached eggs and mushrooms on toast with hollandaise from Hawksmoor at Home, cheesecake via Alton Brown, ceviche inspired by CVI.CHE 105, and this grilled…
Upping my pasta game with Truffle Shuffle’s live fresh pasta carbonara class.
Truffle Shuffle invited me to attend one of their classes and sent me a meal kit for two in exchange for coverage. All opinions are my own. If you’re interested in attending their next class on Sunday, September 6th, you can sign up here and the code FOODIE10 will give you a discount. For much…
Reflections on completing my cookbook project, and where my collection goes next.
Roughly at this time three years ago, still very much in the midst of my first go at this cookbook project, I was feeling pretty smug because by then I had figured out a way to have crossed off three of the more complex books in my collection: tomes from the likes of Massimo Bottura,…
Alton Brown’s The General’s Fried Chicken with Michael’s hot sauce pickles and green papaya and mango slaw.
Growing up, the only time I’d ever eat fried chicken was the Maryland fried chicken that was usually part of the platter I’d order at Phillips down in Ocean City. I remember it being really good, but because it was something I ate so seldomly, it wasn’t something that I had a strong emotional tie…
Mezcal-cured gravlax with chipotle-lime cream cheese: revisiting an old favorite with a fresh twist.
Something I really, really miss right now is the feeling of anticipation that would come after a really good Sunday workout when I knew we’d be going out for brunch. I’d rinse off, put on a fun little outfit, cover myself with sunscreen, and Michael and I would take a walk either to someplace local…
A tale of two tomato salads: cherry tomato and red plum salad with Meyer lemon and almond vinaigrette, and Catalan Food’s peach and tomato salad with goat cheese.
July felt interminable to me, and I think that’s because we haven’t done anything aside from eating out a handful of Friday evenings, taking the water taxi to check out the new Whole Foods location, and traveling to PA for our nephews’ birthdays. I still have four books left in my cookbook project, and I’ve…
Fried calamari and marinara from The Grand Central Oyster Bar Cookbook.
Few things make me as nostalgic for New York like the Grand Central Oyster Bar. Especially when we lived in Stamford and would take the train into the city, we’d often stop on our way back for a couple of beers and a dozen oysters, usually selecting a few East and West coast selections from…
Padma Lakshmi’s sweet and sour shrimp with cherry tomatoes from Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook and her new show Taste the Nation, worth watching right now.
A very long time ago, back when we lived in New Haven, day trips to Manhattan were a pretty regular occurrence for us. One of these trips included good friends of ours and we spent the day visiting the MoMA, doing a little shopping at Barney’s New York, getting a drink at L’Orange Bleu…
