From the category archives:

techniques

On limiting waste

May 21, 2009

I dunno about you, but I’m feeling more and more compelled to get a composter. It seems ridiculous that I throw away several pounds of biodegradable stems, peelings, cores, pits, seeds, skins, and rinds, when I could compost them instead. I know that composting in urban environments can be challenging: living as we do in [...]

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Meringues (Finally)

March 16, 2009

For all those anticipating Passover, these meringues are the perfect Passover dessert. They require no flour or leavening, but actually taste good. I simply can’t go the week without them. I was looking through my archived photos today and discovered something utterly shocking: I’ve had a website for…how long now? a year and a half?…and [...]

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Building a Flavorful Vegetarian Soup

February 25, 2009

Winter has no better antidote than a hearty bowl of soup. On nights when all I want to do is cuddle under a blanket with tea, I often fill a bowl with soup and slurp it instead of chai. The choice there is easy: soup warms your insides and double-serves as dinner. I’ve been intently [...]

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Polenta with Tomatoes, Shallots, and Goat Cheese

December 21, 2008

Forget Rachael Ray, with her hoarse voice and her annoying little mannerisms. I’ll show you a 30 minute meal — better yet, a 15-minute meal — that’ll have you at the table before you can say “EVOO“. It’s called polenta, and it’s really flippin’ easy. You can actually make it more quickly than I can [...]

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Cinnamon Palmiers (and cheat puff pastry)

November 25, 2008

File this under “things I’ve always wanted to make but thought I needed an excuse.” Not that they’re actually so hard, but let’s face it — nothing is easier than simple chocolate chip cookies, or my go-to dessert of late, chocolate pudding. It’s just that the recipe is very specific, and one must strictly adhere [...]

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Conquering Macarons

October 18, 2008

If there is an ultimate test for baking aficionados, it is the very delicate, very complex, and oh-so-French macaron. If you’ve never had them, here’s the best description I can muster: two thin almond-flour-meringue cookies sandwich a restrained but sumptuous layer of cream. The flavor possibilities and combinations are endless. There’s something irresistable — something [...]

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The thing about recipes

May 23, 2008

When we cook, we use ingredients and we employ techniques. There is an abundance of information about these ingredients and techniques; some of it we know, some we could really stand to learn. When does an ingredient perform best? How does it behave in different combinations and conditions? When is a given technique best employed? [...]

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Meal of the Century: Minibar

March 29, 2008

If I had my way, I’d have many more dinners like Thursday night’s feast at Minibar; that said, it’s safe to assume that food that memorable won’t pass my lips again for quite a long time. I know it’s not my usual tune to do restaurant reviews, but Thursday night was truly revolutionary, and I’d [...]