Ah, the smell of musty haystacks and wood smoke. The crisp bite of tree-ripened apples. The taste of sweet corn slicked with pure butter. There’s nothing like celebrating the end of a fruitful harvest like an all-evening barbecue at a sustainable farm with your local farmers. Oh wait, I’ve never been to one before. It’s funny how comforting pasttimes can forge their way into one’s memory.
excerpted from “My Empire of Dirt,” this week’s cover story in New York Magazine: “Inspired by the coop design in Nick Park’s animated film Chicken Run, I was using the table saw to mill eight-inch plywood into strips to make footholds for the entrance ramp when the blade of the saw tagged my right pinkie, destroying the second knuckle.” Okay… we’ve all had our shares of blunders in the kitchen, no doubt, and of seemingly ingenious crafty ideas that have … Read More
Is there something wrong with me? Does anybody else suffer from this problem? Let me back up. Throughout my entire life, I have eaten and enjoyed eggplant. I recall one day at my old apartment, I proposed cooking an eggplant dish with then-roommate Erin. She said she was allergic to eggplant — “It makes my mouth itchy.” Well that’s unfortunate, I thought. Then today I made this baked eggplant, sauteed spinach, fresh mozzarella and sundried tomato crostini, and found myself … Read More
This weekend, I answered the question, “What do you get when you have four pounds of white bread, two kinds of meat, and a propensity for non-traditional picnic food?” Easy. Thai chicken satay and Vietnamese pork banh mi tea sandwiches.
the closest I’ve gotten to Napa The excitement I had yesterday afternoon. I had just taken some napa cabbage slaw leftovers from Sunday’s picnic out of tupperware from the fridge to snack on, gone back for some tangy sriracha sauce just to kick it up because leftovers, as good as its predecessor may have been, are never quite as exciting as they were when you were first exploring its flavors, and returned to my desk — when lo and behold! … Read More
For a city congested with new film festivals that crop up each summer, this one actually sounded like a novelty: The first-ever New York City Food Film Festival takes off this June, screening independent features and shorts by filmmakers from all over the country. The event seems to be the brainchild of Schnack co-conspirator Harry Hawk and George Motz, a director who’s screening his documentary, Hamburger America, in the festival. If I’m understanding correctly, the festival takes place over three … Read More
open face: roasted red pepper, basil and swiss cheese tops a homemade no-knead slice of bread I can’t express enough what a good grilled sandwich-making bread the No-Knead Bread recipe makes. It’s just meant to be: the perfect crackling, lacy froth of bubbles around the bread’s crust that crisp up to a delicate network of texture, the chewy, slightly moist and yeasty taste of the bread’s core that perfectly soaks up a sandwich’s flavors.
Excerpted from “Easy Riser,” currently in newsstands the May 2007 issue of Vogue: “… most contestants at the bake-off at the Brooklyn Kitchen flavored their breads heavily; I’ll admit to enjoying one made with cracked pepper and potato water… ” That would be mine! Wow — I feel incredible. (Does my hair look okay?)
Thanks to Meredith for spotting this and forwarding it to me: outside.in, the blog that reports on blogs, issues and events in your neighborhood, has ranked Clinton Hill, Brooklyn the “bloggiest” neighborhood — in the nation. In fact, the only other neighborhood in the state of New York that made its top 10 list was Harlem at #8. The rankings were determined by “a number of variables: total number of posts, total number of local bloggers, number of comments and … Read More
In the wake of the tragic event at Virginia Tech, I’m feeling a little less than enthusiastic about food right now. There’s no knowing how all the ramifications of the tragedy will pan out, and until then, I’ll move on with my humble food blog. However, when you attach a memorable feast to a humanitarian cause, as the Glass Contraption theatre company did, good times are definitely a little easier to swallow. Last weekend I had the opportunity help raise … Read More