Cookbook*ing

Lazy French Toast

2008-12-17T22:20:00.000-05:00

In an oven dish, put slices of bread and throw the egg mix on top. Let soak and turn over. Then put in the oven, and broil them on high. Careful, they will broil in one to two minutes! Turn them over once more and broil for another minute or so. That’s it!

Top with creme fraiche (or sour cream) walnuts, a seasonal fruit compote and a dash of maple syrup.

Recipe courtesy of Andrea Ramirez, SoulTerra Holistic

shameless self promotion: New York Garlic Festivals article

2007-04-18T13:49:00.000-04:00

My article (and my boyfriend's photos) in the new, June issue of Chile Pepper magazine!

Japanese Food for your Computer

2007-04-18T13:43:00.001-04:00

via Cool Hunting: Japanese company Solid Alliance offers some whimsical interpretations of USB drives. This shabu shabu-esque meat business card holder is theirs also.

The Way We Were

2007-04-03T18:16:00.000-04:00

via Slashfood: An amazing look back at some of the most outrageous fads, Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads could make our avant-garde molecular gastronomy look like meat and potatoes.

Here's a taste of the "The Worst Salad of the Twenties."

Banana and Popcorn Salad

1 banana, peeled and cut in half, length-wise
1 lettuce leaf
Popcorn
Mayonnaise

Place banana on lettuce leaf. Scatter popcorn over banana and place dabs of mayonnaise here and there. Makes one serving.

DO Try This At Home

2007-03-05T17:07:00.000-05:00

Over at New York Magazine's Grub Street they've put together a list of NYC's best PB&J's. The good news is that it doesn't take much to try your own version of a chef's version.

1. The Elvis at Peanut Butter & Co.
“Excellent peanut butter, honey, sliced banana, and optional (but recommended) bacon on white toast.”

2. Chunky Peanut Butter & Jelly triple-decker at ‘Wichcraft.
“They grind their own peanut butter, make their own seasonally inspired jelly (rhubarb in the spring, Concord grape in the fall, and currently plum), and ingeniously layer it between three slices of Pullman-style bread with the jelly on the top and the peanut butter on the bottom, preventing this lofty concoction from becoming a soggy mess.”

3. Peanut butter, banana, coconut, and ginger at City Bakery.

4. The Memphis at Swich.
“Amy’s golden-raisin semolina bread lends this variation on an Elvis (peanut butter, banana, and honey) an unusual flavor profile thanks mainly to the fennel seeds in the bread.” (served warm from a panini press)

5. CB&J at Bouchon Bakery.
“… made with rich cashew butter instead of plebeian peanut…layered with apricot jam between two thick slices of brioche and meticulously squooshed in the sandwich press until the lavishly buttered bread acquires a St. Tropez tan.”

Casserole Beautiful

2007-02-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

Via The Kitchen: "Beautiful oven-to-table dishes help me to serve baked sides with more confidence. I find that with these nesting bakers from Michael Chiarello's NapaStyle ($128, set of three), I am more likely to think about making roasted vegetables, shepherd's pie, and casseroles. Before I had this set of bakers, I would have plopped something like this into a practical but not pretty Pyrex bowl. Since the NapaStyle bakers are flat-bottomed, casseroles and squash purees cook evenly and get a perfect crust."

Chinatown: Decoded

2007-02-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

Click on the image for answers.
Photo: Kang Kim for New York Magazine

RECIPE: Pound Cake Waffles

2007-02-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

via OldCookbooks.com, from the Ceresota Cookbook: "This recipe is reprinted exactly as found from a charming product promotion cookbooklet circa 1910 by the Northwestern Milling Company, Minneapolis. Make these "Pound Cake Waffles" for Valentine's Day breakfast and let us know how they turn out!"

Pound Cake Waffles

1 1/4 cups Ceresota flour
1 teaspoon lemon or vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt

Beat the butter and sugar till light and creamy; add the well-beaten yolks of eggs, then the flour, salt and baking powder sifted together; add the flavoring and beat till smooth and light. Last of all fold in the whites of eggs, stiffly beaten. Bake the same as ordinary waffles.

coo.boo

2007-02-08T10:47:00.000-05:00

via Coolhunting: "Modeled after a spatula, coo.boo is a digital cookbook that fits into the kitchen environment better than any laptop or printed cookbook. Recipes stored on the user’s computer are automatically synchronized through a wireless docking station and displayed on the face of the device. Digital function allows the cook to choose the degree of support wanted, from simply displaying recipes to full audiovisual cooking lessons. Not fragile like other high-tech digital devices, coo.boo is washable and can be placed on the counter top or hung up next to other kitchen utensils. Designed by Philipp Gilgen, a student at the University of Applied Sciences in Northwestern Switzerland, it recently won the IF Concept Award 2007. Still in prototype stage, there is no word yet on release or price. Contact Philipp Gilgen for more info."

New Dehli: Go Now Before Street Vendors Are Banned!

2007-02-08T10:44:00.000-05:00

NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - Hawkers in New Delhi will be banned from selling their famous street food that is cooked in front of customers, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Across the capital, hundreds of people from suited businessmen to rag-swaddled migrant labourers wait for their samosa to cook in a hawker's vat of hot oil or pick up a spice-dusted baked sweet potato.

Guidebooks direct tourists to Parathe Wali Gali in the historic Old Delhi neighbourhood to sample flash-fried parathas as a quintessential part of the Indian experience.

But these culinary traditions could be threatened by a ban soon to be imposed by the Supreme Court as part of new hawking and squatting regulations, the Times of India said.

As part of the authorities' effort to transform Delhi into what they call a modern, world-class city, food vendors will be allowed to sell only in small, regulated pockets of the city, and only then cold, packaged food they have prepared at home.

Critics say the ban will be difficult to enforce. Extracting bribes from street vendors is seen as a job perk for New Delhi policemen, they say.

"Food vendors pay thrice the bribe that other hawkers pay," the Times quoted activist Madhu Kishwar as saying. "This will just make it worse."

Can-do!

2007-02-05T14:37:00.000-05:00

Readymade Magazine has a great step-by-step on canning your fruits and veggies, with recipes! You can pick up Sure Jell on Amazon.com.

Legends of the Tomato

2006-11-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

photo: ° d i °/via flickr

I found it amusing that Puritans once shunned tomatoes because they believed them to be aphrodisiacs. Because tomatoes also belong to the nightshade family of plants, it was commonly believed they were poisonous. George Washington even survived a tomato attempt on his life. Thanks, wikipedia!

Wine into Bread

2006-11-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

A new product from Canada, called Vinifera, has turned grape skins and seeds into a flour.

The product is obtained using a patent-pending drying process, applied to the grape pomace – or what is left of the fruit after it has been crushed for wine-making. Primarily made up of grape skins, together with a small amount of seeds, this by-product is dried, sifted and ground into a flour. Read more...

6th Annual Biscotti Tasting & Bake-off

2006-10-16T11:45:00.000-04:00

Below is my award winning recipe for the biscotti voted Best for Dipping at this year's biscotti event, hosted by my friends Tom and Alicia in Astoria, Queens. With almost 30 entries and twice as many tasters, it's truly amazing to me that I garnered a prize. I was surprised at how much fun it is to WIN! Sadly, I forgot my camera.

CINNAMON-SUGAR & PECAN BISCOTTI

2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (throw a stick or two in a food processor, its spicier than the pre-ground)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup (or more) cinnamon glazed pecans (I used Trader Joe's)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add 1 egg; beat well. Add egg yolk; beat well. Mix in vanilla, then dry ingredients.

Transfer dough to work surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into 9-inch-long, 1 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer logs to baking sheets. Bake until golden and firm to touch (dough will spread), about 50 minutes. Cool on baking sheets. Maintain oven temperature.

Using serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch-wide diagonal slices. Place biscotti, cut side down, on baking sheets. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over each biscotti. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on racks. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container.)

Makes 30-40.

Adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1997 via Epicurious.com

meet Max Brenner

2006-10-13T16:25:00.000-04:00

Meet Max Brenner. He is the self-proclaimed Willy Wonka of our time, references abound at his Union Square shop and restaurant, not the least of which are the pipes of (allegedly) chocolate snaking their way around near the ceiling. It's a fanciful place, and is as much for the eye as the tastebuds. Desserts are playfully named, imaginatively served and everything available for purchase at the gift shop.

It was the attention to aesthetic details (Brenner's elegantly whimsical china among them) that led me to believe our dessert would send me into orbit a la Wonka. I ordered the Eskimo, a waffle cone with two scoops of ice cream accompanied by two little crunchy toppings, each in their own dish. The presentation was delightful, but the "dark" chocolate ice cream did not deliver, the warm chocolate sauce was overly sweet and too milk chocolate-y for my taste. My inner child was served but my adult palate was disappointed. I did steal a bite of my mother's molten chocolate cake, which, though well executed, seemed banal compared to the otherworldly confections on offer. The confections in the gift shopped looked promising, but again I suspect the presentation outweighs the cocoa quotient.

100 Year-old Mayonnaise and DIY Cracker Jack

2006-08-22T11:33:00.000-04:00

Richard Hellman opened a deli in New York City in 1905 and the rest is history.

Also courtesy of NPR, here's a recipe for Cracker Jack-Style Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts

let them eat cake! food & class

2006-07-25T14:40:00.000-04:00

Why wasn't Dirty Sugar Cookies lauded all around on all the foodie this that and other sites I come across? Hail Halliday, down with snobbery. Her irreverent stroll (I'm sure she's sick of being called irreverent) through midwestern picky-eater youth to NYC omnivore will send the germ-phobic unsettled and the Martha Stewarts a-eye-rolling. She's a Hip Mama, Bust and Bitch contributor but you never feel chastised or anti-feminist for wanting an easy-bake oven. Food lust trumps politics in one vignette after another, except perhaps for her waxing and waning vegetarianism. Highly reccomended and each chapter ends in an as cleverly written recipe.

Along these lines, a playful slap on the wrist from the Guardian: "You delight in dining off-menu. Your knives are worth more than your car. Self-confessed gastronome Tim Hayward on 10 tell-tale signs that you love food a little too much." Click here for the full article.

stop cooking! eat salads

2006-07-18T12:45:00.000-04:00

When the temperature goes up, it helps to keep the flames to a minimum. My little window a/c is no match for the stove. So my interest was peaked when I came across this lovely new book on entrée salads. Salads are also great because you can substitute and experiment without much fear, especially convenient if you're missing one or two ingredients.

Some recipes include:

Watermelon, Feta, and Basil Salad with Pumpkin Seeds on Shrimp Crackers
Crayfish, Avocado, Grapefruit, and Ginger Salad
Poached Chicken, Hazelnut, Watercress, and Pea Salad
Thai-Style Beef Salad with Cilantro, Mint, Lime, and Peanuts
Broiled Banana and Mango Salad with Vanilla-Poached Peach

Click here for a printer friendly version of Tuna, Quinoa, Wild Arugula, Olive, and Blackened Tomato Salad with Chopped Egg and Parsley Dressing

tools & table: party on

2006-06-19T10:02:00.000-04:00

Beautiful modern accents for your next fiesta at CB2, and everything under $15.

coast to coast: a handful for the road

2006-06-09T10:55:00.000-04:00

If you'll be anywhere near Traverse City, MI this July 1-8 you should find yourself at the National Cherry Festival and dripping with ruby deliciousness.

Over at Mighty Foods, a celebration of cherry season:

Rice Pudding Cake with Cherry-Apricot Compote
Fresh Cherry Preserves
Fresh Summer Cherry Sauce
Cherry Pie with Chocolate Lining and Almond Streusel

Out west, the LA Times has some fresh ideas about leafless salads.

On the road again, with Jane & Michael Stern. I will have these books at my side for the next week as I roadtrip from San Diego to Austin!

If you can't make it down south, Cook's Illustrated rates bottled BBQ sauce.

Over at D magazine, the D is for Dallas, the hunt for the perfect burger is the cover of their May issue. Declaring all chains ineligible, they focused only on local talent. Triumphing over 39 contenders, Wingfield’s Breakfast & Burgers (above) was declared champion. 2615 S. Beckley Ave., (214) 943-5214

Happy summer!

tools and table: compact impact

2006-06-05T12:58:00.000-04:00

As a long-time single girl, I appreciate cooking for one. Even now there are times I could whip up a small batch of this or that. Look no further than the micro rice cooker. It basically turns 45 minutes and a microwave into an individual, stoveless pressure cooker. via Popgadget.

The same company brings us this irressistible individual egg boiler. Just add water, pop in the microwave and program 5 minutes for soft, 7 for medium and 9 for hard.

Technorati tags: cooking, gadgets

thought for food: TIME's Eating Smart Special

2006-06-05T12:11:00.000-04:00

natural The June 12 issue of TIME magazine has hit cyberspace already. This is some essential reading for those of us juggling the constant flood of information on how America does food.

The foremost expert on the subject, Marion Nestle, weighs in with Decoding the Grocery Store, her newest book What to Eat is a 600-page investigation of exactly that. She answers such simple mysteries such as Why don't more Americans eat more fruits and vegetables?

They don't always taste good, and people don't know what to do with them. Look, there are seven kinds of apples here, but there's no one to give you a sliver so you know which one you'll like. Also fruits and vegetables are perceived as expensive. But a USDA report found you could eat five servings a day for under a dollar. I didn't believe it until I tried it.

Other highlights: The Grass-Fed Revolution, How Sweet It Isn't, The Menu Magician, The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet, and Get To Know Giada

In other news, Michael Pollan looks at the mixed blessing of Wal-Mart's shift to organic in the New York Times Magazine

Technorati tags: food, nutrition

life edit: CB*ing on summer schedule

2006-05-30T14:12:00.000-04:00

photo: Paul D. O'Hanlon

Are the blogs you read inspiration or distraction? I'm going to take the month of June to find out as it seems I spend more time keeping up with content than generating it.

I will post as I can, but given the usual summer hiccups like travel (White Sands National Monument doesn't yet have wifi) and moving (will be doing write-ups of Carribean fare that saturates my new Brooklyn 'hood) and weddings (Tucson dude ranch meets Scottish guys in kilts!) and the cookbook*ing flow for the next month or so will be intermittent at best. I encourage you to subscribe for email updates rather than RSS so you'll be in the loop.

Coming in July: I am hatching an idea for my own cookbook so will definitely be trying out recipes and the resulting Paul D. O'Hanlon photography. Increasing focus on food memoir, food history and meaningful recipes with stories behind them.

friday candy: contain yourself!

2006-05-26T09:56:00.000-04:00

I'm going camping this weekend and definitely see the appeal of bug-proof, moisture-proof containers for everything. Miles Kimball has a ton of them, for every specific container you can think of! Though I'm not quite sure what the purpose of the "ice cream keeper" is...!

Have a great Memorial Day! (No post this Monday)

Technorati tags: Food Storage

this week: what I've learned from Top Chef

2006-05-25T09:50:00.000-04:00

I want cool knife skills
I hate snobs
Give people second chances, especially if they apologize
Spontaneity!
Resourcefulness (when life hands you Octopus...)
Presentation makes a difference, you eat with the eyes first!
Katie Lee Joel is Billy Joel's wife?!!

Top Chef on Bravo

Technorati tags: Top Chef