I’ve been waiting for a good excuse to share one of my best kept secrets. Dairy free coconut milk whipped cream! You can see how beautiful it comes out, pictured here. Last month I was leafing through the new york times dining section when a new recipe for Banana Pudding caught my eye. It inspired me to make my own version using healthy ingredients and with a few adjustments. These days with a toddler in the house I have a lot of bananas in the fruit basket so I happened to have all of these ingredients on hand. Years ago I had the infamous Banana Pudding at Magnolia Bakery which was strangely addictive, Read more…
Whole Flounder with Fennel, Blood Orange and Olives
The other night I was in search of another light, satisfying, simple but tasty dinner. I wandered around Citarella knowing full well I wanted fresh fish. It’s one of my go to supermarkets when I’m in the mood. (The Lobster Place or greenmarkets are also often part of my fish repertoire). My only criteria were for something wild, local and seasonal. For this, the fishmonger steered me toward whole flounder that came in just that day, something I rarely cook since I usually buy filets. Read more…
Avgolemono Soup
Avgolemono, a.k.a. egg lemon soup has become my all time comfort food over the years. I first had it years ago at the Artist’s Cafe in Chicago, a classic Greek diner in the Fine Arts Building. Growing up, this was a regular stop for me every Thursday after ballet class beginning when I was six. Years later I went back on a Thursday and they still had the same soup special on the same day! I was thrilled that some things never change. Read more…
Sour Cherry Tart
Since red fruits have always been her favorite, I made this Sour Cherry Tart for my mother’s birthday. She’s the person who always picks out the red gummy bears leaving the other colors behind. We do share this fondness for red fruits-cherries, strawberries, red currants, raspberries, pomegranites. When I think about how relentless the heat can be at this time of year in New York City, sour cherries make summer worthwhile. Read more…
Rocambole Magical Garlic
Now that winter is officially here roast garlic is becoming a staple in our kitchen. Since garlic is nature’s antibiotic, it’s great for wintertime when fortifying your immune system is most important.I try to pop over to Keith’s Farm at the Union Square Farmer’s market whenever possible because they have my favorite garlic variety. Ever since I tried their Rocambole (pronounced like rock’ n roll, but rock’m’bowl) garlic it’s difficult to settle for any other kind for several reasons. You’re always guaranteed big cloves in each head. I’ve never been a fan of garlic that has tons of small cloves within one clove, it requires so much more work. Also, there is a juiciness to Rocambole, it has a superior amount of oil which makes it the perfect choice for garlic paste. Read more…
Morel Polenta Tartlets
A lot of great things have happened over the past few months and our new little guy Xander has kept me very busy. Now that I am better adjusted to motherhood I am back and ready to write.
To my delight, I found myself in Portland Oregon (somewhat) recently for a work dinner. I had heard so much about the farmer’s market and how beautiful it was, so it was my first priority and our first stop for grocery shopping. Mountains of mushrooms-morels, hen of the woods, shitakes and low and behold truffles! Yes, Oregon is now growing truffles- super affordable ones too. I went straight for the morels, selecting the smallest ones for the mini polenta cakes with a morel gravy that I was serving as an hors d’oeurves course. Read more…
Red Currant Bread with Almond Streusel
I spent my end of summer vacation in Burgundy, and was lucky enough to catch the end of the wild currants growing in my mother’s yard. They flourish somehow, even though they’re left untouched for a good part of the year. It amazes me how well plants grow there. We harvested an enormous bundle of rhubarb and sorrel too! It was a fun trip filled with friends, the quiet French countryside, vide greniers (flea markets) and good food. When we’re in Burgundy I cook almost every day and night, usually for several people, so I always come home with new recipes and even more cooking inspiration. Here’s a keeper recipe I made with the harvest from the garden. Thanks to my dear friends, who put their high boots on to trample through the weeds and stinging nettles to delicately pluck these sweet and tart perfect crimson berries from the branches, I came up with this recipe. Read more…













