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Young & HungryIf you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen! |
| 3 February |
Just when I had come to terms with the fact that I was not getting a callback, there it came! A call from an unknown number in LA mid-wine tasting. On a side note, I would like to give kudos to the Tasting Room in Sandy Springs for hosting one of the best and most informative wine tastings I’ve ever attended. Back to the phone call. Not having yet realized the importance of the mysterious number in my call log, I thoughtlessly dialed voice mail while perusing the isles of the wine shop next door with my girl friends. Stop. Drop. Squeal! They called and are wondering if I’m still interested! Duh, of course I am. Roll camera!
It all started with leftover nuts. Hazelnuts, to be exact. I have quite an assortment of nuts lingering in my pantry from Christmas just begging to live up to their full potential. Who am I to deny a lonely hazelnut their proper fate? And so I thought, hazelnuts and…..orange….and….fish! Yes it sounds like a bizarre combination, but upon my required due diligence I found that many a chef has gone there before. And so I had my main course, orange scented hazelnut encrusted halibut or err…salmon. With sides still TBD, I kept thinking until I came up with a more complimentary rendition on a braised fennel I learned in a cooking class in Italy and, last but not least, the curious potato risotto from this month’s Bon Appétit!
| 9 December |
Despite the fact that the Baking Bonanza has been in progress a couple weeks now, I actually just started my holiday baking last weekend. This year I decided to go with the 3 Bs of Baking: Breads, Barks, & Biscotti! I’m using said theme to strap some boundaries around what usually turns into a big cookie catastrophe, for my kitchen anyway. Hopefully keeping within these three categories will enable me to tie a pretty little bow around my baked gifts while still allowing some creativity.
We will start with biscotti aka cantucci. For the sake of this holiday season and my Nonna from whom the base recipe comes we will call them biscotti. The biscotti series is going to come to you in four installments, one variation per installment, and will conclude with the orginal (and best) recipe from which all the other recipes were created. I know my mother is asking why mess with a good thing? Well, Mommy dearest, I can only post the real deal one time and there are over 360 days in the year. That, and you know me well enough to know I’m a meddler.
What I was surprised to learn was that after many not so perfect attempts at meddling with various biscotti recipes, these actually turned out just right! They don’t have the traditional essence of anise that make the original recipe so unique, but if you prefer or like these flavor combinations or just want to spice things up a bit these are all quite delicious! There is a METHOD to the madness and I was happy to learn that if you keep to the basic ratios and processes defined in the original recipe, the world is your oyster!
| 25 June |
I’m preparing to go out of town so I’m going to make this short and extra sweet. Here’s a quick and easy dessert to tide you over through the weekend while Katy and I are up in NYC eating and sampling and did I mention eating our way through the city. In case you’re full from dinner and debating if this dessert is necessary it is! Dessert is always necessary.
The inspiration behind this Icebox Cake came from none other than Magnolia Bakery. Yes, I do know that every post you read on Icebox Cake alludes to the same legendary cupcake shop, but you can’t judge until you’ve had a slice. It’s amazing! Thank you NY friends for making the introduction and sharing a Mint Chocolate piece of so that I did not have to eat it all by my lonesome. Wait – I take that back.
Tagging onto this post, we plan to document our culinary adventures through the city. There is never, ever enough time to sample all of the amazing restaurants, candy shops, street carts, and frozen yogurt places that the city has to offer, but I promise that we will try our best.
Many colorful culinary recaps to come as we return home on Monday and, until then, happy eating.
Terrible Pic I Know...
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