Week of Eating In Days Six and Seven: Making Food in Madison
1 Mar 2010

Week of Eating In Days Six and Seven: Making Food in Madison

by | posted in: Ruminations | 8

Ditching the blizzard in New York and being delayed twice thanks to frost on the planes, I finally arrived in Madison, Wisconsin Friday evening, well-fed from my carry-on meal. I was picked up at the airport by Jonny Hunter of the Underground Food Collective, and from that point on, taken on a whirlwind tour of one of the most inspiring food destinations I’ve been. It was also at this point that I decided to let things happen as they may … Read More

Week of Eating In Days Four and Five: To Travel and Not Eat Out
27 Feb 2010

Week of Eating In Days Four and Five: To Travel and Not Eat Out

by | posted in: Ruminations | 14

That is the question. It is quite possibly the most perplexing thing about not eating out. We live in a culture that travels a lot — whether it’s just a twenty-minute commute to work each day in a car or perpetually being “between” two coasts, or countries, by plane. I wonder about our wandering if it isn’t the reason why take-out or fast food was created in the first place. Eric Schlosser certainly makes a causality seem logical in his … Read More

Compete with Crostini at my Book Launch Party! (and everyone wins books)
3 Feb 2010

Compete with Crostini at my Book Launch Party! (and everyone wins books)

by | posted in: Cook-Offs, NYC Events | 9

Guys, I’m almost due. On February 18th, this blog will give birth to numerous identical hardcover books, each named The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove. Published by Gotham/Penguin, it’s my first book, a memoir of the two years I spent eating in, solely, all the while trying to keep a somewhat normal life, a paying, nine-to-five job, a boyfriend, social engagements, etc. It didn’t turn out being so normal in the … Read More

Celeriac Miso Soup
28 Oct 2009

Celeriac Miso Soup

by | posted in: Recipes, Soups & Stews, vegan, vegetarian | 2

I do love a good fool. Not the kind that walks on two legs (or tries to), but a gag, a practical joke, and especially when it has to do with food. Like translucent off-white cubes of soft-cooked celeriac instead of tofu bobbing in an otherwise traditional miso soup. It’s a culinary deception, and I think it’s in good faith because the soup is still delicious, despite it all.

Reason For Not Eating Out #35: The Whole Side of the Story
7 Sep 2009

Reason For Not Eating Out #35: The Whole Side of the Story

by | posted in: Reason of the Month | 4

A cook’s gotta do what a cook’s gotta do. That usually includes dealing with the whole vegetable or grain from its raw to fully-cooked and plated states. Sometimes, it means the same for an animal. And the way I see it, all the better for the person cooking it.

Dijon Duck Buns with Pickled Cucumber and Scallions
25 Jun 2009

Dijon Duck Buns with Pickled Cucumber and Scallions

by | posted in: Meat & Poultry, Recipes | 7

Goodness, did I cook a lot of whole animals this past week. First it was the glorious goat spit for The Greenhorns. Then Tuesday was the Hapa Kitchen‘s third dinner, “Paris of the East,” featuring a fusion of French and Chinese cuisines — and lots of duck, duck, and more duck (no goose). We dressed the dining room with Chinese lanterns, flowers and curling garlic scapes, put on some Django Rhinehart and the soundtrack to In the Mood For Love, … Read More

Honey Miso Coleslaw, Hoisin Chipotle Baked Beans and Curry Rosemary Potato Salad
10 Jun 2009

Honey Miso Coleslaw, Hoisin Chipotle Baked Beans and Curry Rosemary Potato Salad

by | posted in: Beans, Recipes, Sides & Salads, vegetarian | 11

A hapa holy trinity? Hey, there’s a first for everything. Sweet and pungent (coleslaw), smoky and spicy (beans), and some of the aforementioned with savory with herbal tossed in (potato salad), these were the flavors that drenched the side dishes at our Hapa Kitchen BBQ on Saturday. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera on hand that day; if I’d had it, I would not have had a clean hand to use it. Therefore, this photo is stolen from Robert … Read More

The Takedown Tackles Tofu
12 May 2009

The Takedown Tackles Tofu

by | posted in: Cook-Offs, Events, NYC Events | 17

Nobody was to-fooled by what was in their food Sunday at the Highline Ballroom: it was the first-ever Tofu Takedown. As an antidote to last month’s Bacon Takedown, Matt Timms turned his popular Takedown series upside-down by taking on that versatile and very un-carnivoric delight. Tofu, in all forms, firmnesses and flavors found their way into the contestants’ 17 unique dishes. And as one half of the lucky (“celebrity“?) judging squad (the other half being my half-Asian sista, Akiko), I … Read More

Curry Carrot Ice Cream
8 May 2009

Curry Carrot Ice Cream

by | posted in: Desserts, Ice Cream, Recipes | 27

I have an absolutely sensational, hysterical and eye-opening book on my shelf: Asian Ice Cream for You and Your Kids by Arron Liu. It’s not intended to be funny, but it is. I also don’t have any kids, so I’m not sure it’s intended for the sole delight of an adult beyond growing age, either. But, it’s a powerhouse of serious ice cream recipes, and while flipping through it, I was struck by the saffron glare of a full-page spread … Read More

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