Reason for Not Eating Out #28: Oh, the Places You’ll Go
29 Jan 2009

Reason for Not Eating Out #28: Oh, the Places You’ll Go

by | posted in: Reason of the Month | 10

And ah, the things you’ll cook, and mm, the things you’ll eat. All made by yourself, your friends, and fellow home cooking-happy strangers. When I first began “not eating out in New York,” strictly speaking, many people asked me how I would maintain my social life. My mother in particular, I think, was afraid I’d become something of a hermit, standing over a pot of risotto, stirring contentedly for hours completely lost in my own warped head, or something like … Read More

Brisket and Cabbage Dumplings
27 Jan 2009

Brisket and Cabbage Dumplings

by | posted in: Dumplings, Meat & Poultry, Recipes, Sides & Salads | 14

Little dumpling, who made thee? I know who did, originally. This dumpling was featured on the menu of the notorious 20-course, $1,500 a plate dinners propelled by two of the world’s greatest working chefs, Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Per Se and Grant Achatz of Alinea. Their dinners, billed as mentor-protégé collaborations, unfolded in New York, Chicago and Napa, at the duo’s respective restaurants. But this dumpling, shown above, was just made by little old me. And the … Read More

Apple Dumplings with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce
26 Jan 2009

Apple Dumplings with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce

by | posted in: Desserts, Dumplings, Recipes | 8

Happy Chinese New Year! Thanks to all the “students” who came to the Brooklyn Kitchen last night for me and Winnie’s dumpling class. I hope you mark a dumpling party on your calendars soon. That was some tight work all around with the homemade dough — this is tricky stuff to roll out and fold when making dumplings for the first time! Be sure to check out the Brooklyn Kitchen blog and Winnie’s blog soon for her braised oxtail filling; … Read More

Deep-Dish Chicago/Jakarta-Style Pizzas Two Ways
24 Jan 2009

Deep-Dish Chicago/Jakarta-Style Pizzas Two Ways

by | posted in: Grains, Recipes | 11

Our new president is a well-traveled, well-cultured man. Just take a look at the lede to this New York Times story to scratch the tip of the iceberg: “The president’s elderly stepgrandmother brought him an oxtail fly whisk, a mark of power at home in Kenya. Cousins journeyed from the South Carolina town where the first lady’s great-great-grandfather was born into slavery, while the rabbi in the family came from the synagogue where he had been commemorating Martin Luther King’s … Read More

Who took the s’MACdown crown?
22 Jan 2009

Who took the s’MACdown crown?

by | posted in: Cook-Offs, Events, NYC Events, Recipes | 14

Okay, forgive my very poor journalism for a moment, and let me just relate to you the dilemma I’m faced with right now. I went to a first-ever macaroni and cheese cook-off hosted by Midge Pingleton cutely named the s’MACdown last night. It was held at Glasslands Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a music venue that I believe has never hosted a cook-off before in its existence. I fought my way through the herds of hipsters to get a taste of … Read More

Pommes de Porc Cassoulet (and Jimmy’s No. 43 Greenmarket Cassoulet Cook-Off Recap)
21 Jan 2009

Pommes de Porc Cassoulet (and Jimmy’s No. 43 Greenmarket Cassoulet Cook-Off Recap)

by | posted in: Beans, Cook-Offs, Events, My Events, NYC Events, Recipes | 12

It was a frigid Saturday in New York when seven chefs gathered in the back room at Jimmy’s No. 43 to unveil their steaming pots of the French countryside comfort food, cassoulet. A fluid stream of Greenmarket supporters sampled each one throughout the afternoon until pretty much every bean was scooped up. Asked to vote for their favorite takes, each taster turned their attentions to printed sheets describing the cassoulets, their creators and affiliations. Among them were local and seasonal … Read More

Have Multiracial Crew, Will Travel
19 Jan 2009

Have Multiracial Crew, Will Travel

by | posted in: Ruminations | 6

Why isn’t there a recap and recipe from Saturday’s ridiculously delicious Greenmarket fundraiser cassoulet cook-off yet? It’ll be coming up soon, and thanks to everyone who came to support the Greenmarket and, of course, cassoulet. But it’s because I’m in DC right now. I fought travel delays and packed plenty of layers (and food, but we’ll get to that in a moment) to come here for the biggest inauguration ceremony of all time. Yes, we can!

What is Cassoulet?
16 Jan 2009

What is Cassoulet?

by | posted in: Cook-Offs, Events, My Events, NYC Events | 7

photo courtesy of ABC News Or rather, “Who is Cassoulet?” as George Stephanoulos questioned on ABC when a large banner bearing the word was held above the crowds gathered in Times Square during the station’s election night coverage. The question of cassoulet echoed throughout the world afterward, as the word rose to the top 100 most searched terms in Google on Election Day 2008. I didn’t know what cassoulet was, either, and I completely missed this bit of intrigue at … Read More

The Year of the Ox (Dumplings)
14 Jan 2009

The Year of the Ox (Dumplings)

by | posted in: Demos & Workshops, Dumplings, Events, Meat & Poultry, My Events, NYC Events | 13

Chinese New Year is coming up, and as with every holiday save for maybe President’s Day, that means one thing to me: FOOD! Great food. Excesses of food. And the first food that comes to mind for this one is dumplings. But instead of throwing a dumpling party like I did last year, forcing my friends to roll up their sleeves in the wrapping process, the talented food writer Winnie Yang and I are going to teach a class on … Read More

Eggs Benedict, an easy bodega brunch
13 Jan 2009

Eggs Benedict, an easy bodega brunch

by | posted in: Breakfast & Eggs, Events, Recipes, Ruminations, Video | 7

What’s going on here?? Let me back up a bit. Last year, I contributed a recipe for a project by the non-profit organization the Neighbors Project, called Bodega Party in a Box. The idea behind the ‘box was to promote shopping within one’s community, and to put more fresh produce and healthier foods on the shelves of local corner shops by increasing demand for it. There’s a lot more to the project on the organization’s website. But from a local … Read More

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