Have I mentioned to you that my brother is working in Africa for the summer? This has nothing whatsoever to do with gribiche or purple potatoes, except that in his absence, his excellent girlfriend decided to get to know the family better (!). So last week, she came armed with books to read to Jake […]
I have a grand tradition of making a deeply chocolatey dessert each year for Valentine’s Day. Because Valentine’s Day really is all about chocolate. Chocolate and more chocolate. Which is exactly what you get if you make a chocolate lava cake! A tender, dark chocolate cake surrounding a gooey, fudgy center that flows out and […]
Let’s talk about really easy, elegant appetizers. Appetizers that look like they took a lot of work, but in fact, took you about 5 minutes. Appetizers that are amazing and yummy and full of butter and cheese. Like appetizers should be. Because it’s appetizer season! (Around our house, we readily agree that the only reason […]
I am not sure how I got it in my head that I just had to make an onion tart…but suddenly, one day, it was all I could think about. This tart is amazingly delicious, a little like French onion soup with a crust. It’s got deep brown, caramelized onions, a small mountain of shredded […]
It is so Gloomy today. Gloomy with a capital G. The sky is bleak and gray, the air is frigid, and it’s raining. Not even a nice, steady rain, but pouring (which I admit, I find somewhat pleasant) for 5 minutes—long enough to make humongous puddles on the sidewalk and drown my new flowers—then spitting […]
I just had to share this dessert with you (even though I have posted nothing but sweets this whole month—I promise I’m not actually eating this much sugar all the time). Chocolate mousse is my all-time most craved dessert at this time of year. Yes, I know mousse is passé. No, a dessert practically named […]
Sometimes I get silly ideas. Like…let’s take this extra bag of kale greens I bought and turn it into soufflé. Easy peasy. I had never actually made soufflé before. Like any sensible person, I had a deep and abiding fear of soufflé. But then I figured that savory soufflé would be easier than the dreaded […]
Fall is my favorite season of the year. I love the crisp, cool air, the leaves on the ground, and giving myself permission to eat heavier foods again. The week, CSA dumped a big pile of hard, green apples into my lap—perfect for making a fall dessert! Tarte tatin! This dessert is a little nerve-wracking […]
A few weeks ago, we went to Montreal with several of my husband’s siblings. Traveling with a baby is…interesting. We had fun, but I am not too eager to fly with Jake again soon (and sorry to everyone who suffered from burst eardrums when my cheerful, angelic child turned into a velociraptor). One of the […]
Ode to My Mandoline Oh mandoline! How your sharp, angled blade sets my heart a-flutter. Your smooth, white surface Parallel and barely offset from that blade Eagerly waits for squashes and eggplants To be swept across it. As I slice hundreds of thin slivers of vegetables, Quickly but carefully, I exclaim with surprise and delight […]