Fennel Pie?

Really, now? Fennel pie? Are you going to eat (and cook) that? I asked myself these same things, too. And while I was making this pie, at the Photojojo Food Photo Safari on Sunday, I heard many similar concerns from lookers-on. (I told you winter was a tricky time of year for finding seasonal pie fillings!) But, the great thing about cooking, especially in the name of fun with friends, is that nothing worse than a pile of dog's dinner will result in a failed effort. I therefore gleefully submit to the anti-theory of "Why not?"

Candied Sweet Potato Ricotta Tart

Happy holidays, food lovers. I hope everyone's had their fill of celebratory treats both sweet and savory. No? Well, there's another holiday coming up in a few days, the eclipse of 2008, but that one's less about food (or holiness) than drink. Perhaps you, like I, are still looking forward to serious snacking on New Year's Eve, but sense that you've maxed out on your monthly caloric intake. Instead of leftover fruitcake, this healthy sweet potato tart might appeal to both dueling persuasions.

Cranberry Ginger Jam Thumbprints

Sometimes, I have an internal speedometer going on when cooking at home. Twice in the past few weeks I made a batch of these cookies in record time, before taking off to bring them to holiday house parties. Even when I'm not in any rush, I get a keen satisfaction out of completing a (good) meal that was surprisingly fast. That's something you don't really get to see through the recipes on this blog. I could add an "estimated cooking time" to each one, like some practical cookbooks and magazines do, but that would betray the fact that sometimes, at no instigation, I'll work at a glacial pace, and other times I might cook like I'm on Hell's Kitchen and Gordon Ramsay's counting down the seconds in that boorish tone, calling me something like Snozzlehead or Stinkypants or whatever that crazy Brit comes up with in attempt to make me crack.

Come on a Food Photography Safari with me

There's no place like Brooklyn for the holidays. I'm sticking around this year, except for a Christmas trip over to Jersey. And if you're also kicking it in NYC, then there's plenty of fun to be had. Specifically, this fantastic day of food and photography that my friends at Photojojo, the Whisk & Ladle Supper Club and I are collaborating on.

Not-So-Strange Birds Part V: Apple Cider-Braised Duck Legs with Raisins and Pearl Onions

Did someone say "Christmas goose"? It seems to be echoing in the minds of many this time of year. But as Tom eloquently warns, it's not always the home cook's best call (listen to this guy - he's a butcher). My mom will not let my dad forget the Christmas when he, spurred by Dickensian nostalgia, tried to cook a whole goose. I was very young then, but remember the epic disaster: rivers of fat, long delayed dinner time, and the taste not being worth a dime in anyone's estimation. So why this precautionary tale about goose when the strange bird in this recipe evidently is not? Well, a small part of me would like to right the wrongs of the past, and cook a goose. But first, it'll be helpful to get better acquainted with its diminutive cousin, duck. So here's my second stab at cooking the quacker.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Bacon Cream Cheese Frosting

It's official: My diet is heading into a recession. Chocolate, bacon and cheese -- three deadly food sins. The Devil's Triangle, if you will. All in one sugary, buttery package. Oh, what are we waiting for?

Gifts for the Not Eating Out-er on your list

'Tis the weekend to get some gifts! It seems like no media outlet can resist offering their two cents on budget-friendly holiday gifts this season. (I'm listening to Sound Check right now doling out their musical gift picks.) And this year, neither can I. I usually don’t dish about gift-giving, or other modes of culturally forced buying on this site (alright, come and give me the Scrooge speeches!), unless it’s about giving to charities. But there’s one little reason I’m making an exception: the troubled economy. So here are a few ways to spread your generosity and cheer without troubling your bank account.

Lite Nog

"Honey, I want to see where they make the lite cream cheese" is one of my favorite lines in that irresistibly silly Christopher Guest mockumentary, Best in Show. A wife says it to her husband after he suggests visiting "the place where they make the cream cheese" in Philadelphia. This is the way I feel about Christmas' favorite drink. Mind you, I have nothing against the classic eggnog, in its rich, frothy, decadence. In fact, it wouldn't be too far off from combining my recipes for Bourbon ice cream and chai ice cream, and letting it melt to a cool, creamy slush. Custardy cocktails! For goodness' sake, who can live without them? BUT... all the same. I wouldn't mind seeing where they make the lite nogs, too.

The other meaning of green…

Get ready to drool at all the made-at-home marvels on Bon Appétit today. They've just launched their first-ever Blog Envy feature, a slideshow of holiday recipes from food blogs all around -- and my cranberry Thai curry duck breast (a few posts below) made the cut! My envy of the moment among them -- and this is due to the fact that I *believe* I tried nuts exactly like these at a crowded holiday party last Saturday (Sarah, were you there??) -- are the Spicy, Sweet & Salty Rosemary Nuts from the blog Pink of Perfection. Plus, they look so easily transportable I might think of sending something like these to faraway friends and relatives as gifts. What are your envious cravings on there? And don't forget: Monday, December 15th is the last day to submit your Reason #27 for Not Eating Out in New York! Get scribbling! (Big thanks to those who've sent me your papers so far. A-pluses for punctuality.)

Steamed Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Almonds

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has this tendency: to fall in love with a certain vegetable for about a week's worth of nonstop eating at a time, then move onto the next affair. A few weeks ago this happened with beets. Afterward, it was sweet potatoes, roasted simply, with no salt and their skins intact. Now it's broccoli. Not sure why. We're old flames, though, a well-established on/off pair throughout the decades. We understand each other much more than with more novel, exciting veggies. (I had a bad date with celeriac once.) You know what I mean. It's comfortable.

Here’s Lookin’ At You Cook, Michael J. Cirino

What’s more fun than cooking, learning and eating together spectacularly? If you’re someone like me, the answer is nothing. If you’re someone like Michael J. Cirino, founder of the educational workshop and supper club A Razor, A Shiny Knife – no wait, scratch that. There is no one on the planet like Michael J. Cirino. I guarantee you that.

Scare Clare: The Potluck Photo Contest

I was reading one of my favorite kill-time-with-funny blogs, Passive Aggressive Notes, today when I came across this post. For those not familiar with the blog, readers from all around can submit notes and other examples of passive aggressive (or just aggressive)-ness in action so that everyone can laugh at someone's petty tyrancy. After the giggles had faded out, I couldn't stop thinking about this one's message: "If you can’t cook, don’t try." I wonder how many people have thought this about someone else's cooking but were too polite to say it. I also wonder what horrible past potluck experiences has led this poor host to such austerity. Perhaps you could provide some insight to that question, with your most hilariously awful potluck food photos.

Not-So-Strange Birds Part III: Cranberry Thai Curry Glazed Duck Breast with Coconut Mashed Potatoes

The culinary concept of "Asian fusion" is one that both excites and troubles me. It's sparsely defined (there is no Wikipedia entry for it), and it sometimes can mean a melding of different Asian cuisines, or a hybrid of East-West tastes. Understood in the latter sense, I find that I really do enjoy so many of these types of dishes. I'm not saying that I have a better perspective of it than anyone else, but since Asian fusion is also a good way to describe my genetic make-up (and my once fake DJ name to co-workers), it occurs to me that a great deal of the foods I grew up to love might also be described as such. Fried rice with cubed leftover ham steak? Absolutely. Anything with sesame oil, especially cold salads? Have fork, will eat! The problem comes when fusion dishes are commonly mistaken for the actual cuisine(s) of inspiration. Like with "Chinese Chicken Salad," a popular favorite (and one which I don't happen to like -- canned oranges?). Often, it seems all too careless and facile to slip soy sauce into something and call it "Asian" this or that. The way I prefer fusion food -- of any cultures, for that matter -- is a little more knowing than that. I like dishes that are so obviously not faithful to any cuisine, but rather tongue-in-cheek nods to them. Or whimsical hyperboles from the chef's worldly imagination. This is an awful, tasteless thing to bring up, but the best comparison I can think of for this, then, would have to be "food blackface."

Cauliflower Croquettes

Cauliflower: it's great pickled, it makes a delicious cream soup, and a prize-winning casserole. It's tasty when stir-fried with Indian spices, near-invisible tossed into risottos, and it mixes amicably in salads, raw or lightly steamed. Is there anything you can't do with this versatile veggie? Okay, so maybe we're not on board with an ice cream flavor. But it's no wonder that cauliflower has worn many hats, one notable one resulting in its nickname of "fauxtato." Hence, I was tempted to name this recipe "Fauxtater Tots."