On the dining front…John and I tried a small Italian restaurant on Tudor City Place called Convivio for dinner one night. It was pouring rain when we arrived and the place was packed, but with a great energy. I insisted on ordering their Arancini and while it was good, I SWEAR ours is even better! Food and Wine had raved about the pasta and how it was a huge process to study the best pasta making techniques and they totally nailed it. Another memorable restaurant was on our last night when we were literally squeezed into Minetta Tavern (thanks to Joe’s sister Susan for her “pull”) …gougeres were served at the bar but we were able to get a plate (I already created some at home this morning- delish! John says they aren’t quite The Perfect Bite yet, but I am on it…) John cannot stop talking about his bone-in New York steak that was charred on the outside and PERFECT on the inside. He took it on the plane home and gnawed to his delight, unfortunately not everyone was delighted by his passion (sorry 16D and 17D.)

We are just getting back into work after the holiday weekend and working on lots of new projects in the test kitchen. For the 4th we made a tasty cherry crisp for dessert (see below) and topped it with a tangy frozen yogurt. We pitted our own cherries using a cherry pitter which is one of my favorite kitchen tools, the kids had a blast helping. Until next time, as I must get back to my garden to squash all those nasty beetles that think they are going to get the best of me…

Cherry Crisp Recipe:
½ cup flour
½ cup oatmeal
½ cup each brown and white sugar
Pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup walnuts or pecans

Place in food processor and pulse to mix, then add one stick butter cut into pieces and pulse until crumbly.

I put this on pitted cherries – some might like it with a bit of sugar but I like it as natural as possible. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Homemade lemon ice cream would be incredible…

Until next time,
Teri

In simpler terms, which one of the Seven Dwarfs will your child see? I try to remember this not only when I’m opening up my door to come home, but also when I’m opening my door to guests for a dinner party. Sounds simple enough, right?

Smooth and simple goes right out the window when 4:25 magically replaces 3:00 on your stove, and you begin to wonder what the heck you were thinking when you wrote f-i-v-e-o’-c-l-o-c-k on the invitation?!? Wait. Maybe the 4:25 is the temperature of the oven and not the time… You take a breath and survey the kitchen, but there is no referee in sight to see you’re signaling for a full time out. It’s official, that 4:25 is now 4:30 which gives you 30 minutes before the guests arrive. You’re trying to check things off of your list and make sure that you still have 5 minutes, no 2 minutes to shower, and is your face too scratchy cause you might need to shave too, so make that 1 minute. In a moment of pure brilliance you grab your toddler and have him start cutting chives with his plastic purple scissors that aren’t even sharp enough to cut class with, but hey, it’s a start.

Was that the doorbell?!? You open the door at 4:45 and it’s the first guests of the evening. “Great!” You want to shut the door. “Hi!” What happened to LA traffic? “Welcome, welcome!” Maybe they’ll slip on one of your son’s trains? Too far?

Sufficed to say that’s the lesser known “I bit off more than I could chew” Dwarf opening your front door. (He missed the final cut by a scene or two.)

I have learned a great many things from Teri, and one that I still use time and time again, is to have the appetizers all ready to go right before the guests arrive. This doesn’t have to mean a pint of sour cream, a packet of French Onion Dip, and a bag of Ruffles – not that there’s anything wrong with that. What it’s missing is the aroma. Where’s that scent that beckons your guests to take a small peak into your kitchen, hoping to catch a sneak preview of the night’s indulgences and libations? The Pastry Kiss Line bakes up for the first time when you remove the plastic film and bake them in right their container, on a foil lined sheet, in a preheated 400 degree oven, for 25-30 minutes. Your home will smell like a bakery, your other dishes will garner the attention that they deserve, and the first thing your guests will see when you open the door (you did ask your toddler to pick up his trains right?) is Happy, the “I ordered all natural handmade appetizers from The Perfect Bite Co.” Dwarf.

So when that clock mysteriously jumps ahead, know that you have an arsenal of flavor in your freezer just waiting to be baked up in your oven. If you order extra, there might just be some left for you.

-Michael