Writing about food since 2004.

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Recipes

  • To Cut An Artichoke

    To Cut An Artichoke

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    For months now I have watched Mario Batali cut artichokes on “Molto Mario,” demanding the participation of this three guests and charging that “it’s really easy and really worthwhile.” What’s infuriating (but admirable) is that he takes the time, each time, to explain the process to his audience. The religious viewer is left irritated at…

  • A Say, Say, Savory Onion, Cheese and Bacon Tart

    A Say, Say, Savory Onion, Cheese and Bacon Tart

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    If it’s fair to mock Diane Keaton for ordering pastrami on white bread with mayo in “Annie Hall,” then it’s fair to mock me for not knowing much about savory tarts and quiche-like items. In my Jewish upbringing both in New York and Boca Raton, Florida I never encountered a savory tart or a quiche.…

  • Waiter, These Tomatoes Aren’t Cooked

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    Here’s something I made last week after watching Mario make it on Molto Mario. Chop a tomato or two, add minced garlic, add parsley (not basil–that’s what makes it different), drizzle a generous helping of olive oil on top, then salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Cook your spaghetti al dente, you can stop the cooking…

  • Nectarine Pie & The Stone Fruit Blues

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    This is a pie I made with fresh farmer’s market nectarines using the pie crust from this month’s Gourmet (the best pie crust I’ve ever known) and a recipe for nectarine pie I found by Googling “nectarine pie” and coming upon this, the first result. The pie itself was excellent even though I accidentally left…

  • When Bread, Chocolate, Olive Oil and Salt Had A 4-Way

    When Bread, Chocolate, Olive Oil and Salt Had A 4-Way

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    Of all the recipes in Amanda Hesser’s “Cooking For Mr. Latte,” the one I most wanted to try but the one I never–for whatever reason–attempted was her toasts with chocolate, olive oil and salt. This peculiar mix of flavors baffled me on the page, how would it taste hot out of my oven? The recipe…

  • Salad #3

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    Red tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, goat cheese, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

  • Another Summer Salad

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    Heirloom tomatoes from the farmer’s market, green basil, purple basil, fresh feta cheese, olive oil, balsamic, sea salt and homemade garlic croutons… What can I say? I accept your standing ovation.

  • As Easy As [Pie]

    As Easy As [Pie]

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    Bad pie makers, have I got a tip for you. Buy this month’s Gourmet magazine and follow their technique for making the perfect pie crust. I am a terrible pie maker and I worked up the courage to follow their recipe after too many bad experiences and guess what? This crust was killer. Without any…

  • Where Did He Get The Recipe? (Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies)

    Where Did He Get The Recipe? (Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies)

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    There are two things I like to do when I get back from a trip: (1) Eat a burrito; (2) Bake something. When Craig and I got back from D.C. last week, I led him along to the same destination I headed to when I returned from Paris last winter: Chipolte. Nothing hits the spot…

  • Improvised Pasta Salad

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    I’m growing quite brave in my kitchen. Whereas before I’d shriek if I so much as missed half an ingredient for a recipe, now I make up my own recipes. Today I came home to found bounty from yesterday’s trip to the farmer’s market (which was an exhausting endeavor—that sun was so blistering hot that…