Over Labor Day weekend, at a friend's beach house where a group had gathered to celebrate the end of the season, I helped my pal make a big batch of frutti di mare (a.k.a. seafood stew). We were aiming to feed eight adults, but we had enough for 12, which was lucky, since by the time we were ready to eat several of the kids (who were supposed to be watching old Peanuts DVDs upstairs) decided to join us--and everyone wanted seconds. Click to the jump to see what we did.
Continue reading Summer's Last Hurrah: Spaghetti with Frutti di Mare »
2:21 PM,
September 17, 2009
A couple of weeks ago, during that all-too-brief patch of glorious summer weather, some friends invited us to their place for dinner alfresco. We'd been to the fish shop and brought along our catch: a dozen jumbo Mexican shrimp. The barbecue was already going, so we mixed up some minced garlic and chopped parsley, split each of the colossal crustaceans and stuffed them with the mix, squirted the lot with lemon juice, and gave them a turn on the grill. The result: summer perfection.
10:00 AM,
September 04, 2009
Serious Eats won us over today, not only for their
Labor Day weekend menu ideas--jalapeno-cheddar corn muffins and watermelon feta salad; Yes, please--but with their earnest discussion on how and why to store leftover bacon fat. (Says one commenter, "Bacon fat is GOLD, woman! Never throw it out!" Amen.)
5:52 PM,
September 02, 2009
When it comes to vacations with the kids, there are two kinds of parents--the kind that refuses to cook a single meal (it's vacation!) and the kind that embraces the extra time to explore the local cuisine and cook up a storm every night (it's vacation!). If you are the second kind (and most of us at
Cookie are), check in with OLB this week so you can get some ideas for your late-August getaway. I got this recipe for pasta with clams from a
New York Times interview with Tom Colicchio about picky eating with kids. I love the way Colicchio gave the recipe almost Twitter style--"I can go out and buy clams and some shallots and garlic, chop it up, put some wine in it, olive oil. Let the clams steam open, add chopped up tomatoes and mustard greens and toss with pasta. That is going to take me 20 minutes. It's a great simple pasta dish. It's that easy. Anybody can do it if they want to. It just takes practice."
12:46 PM,
August 17, 2009
Pastry chef Patricia Williams of NYC’s recently opened NIOS restaurant in the Muse Hotel, offers up this seasonal dessert to brighten up your Fourth of July table.
Strawberry Shortcake
Serves 4
For the topping:
1/2 pint strawberries, sliced
1/2 pint blueberries
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Whip the heavy cream and add the powdered sugar.
For the shortcake:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons flour for the rolling surface
1 tablespoon heavy cream for the tops
1 tablespoon sugar for the tops
1. Preheat the oven to 300° F.
2. Cut the butter into small pieces. Mix the the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt slowly with an electric mixer, and gently add in the butter. Be careful not to overmix.
3. In another bowl, beat the eggs, and then add the heavy cream, combining them thouroughly. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1 inch thick and cut out rounds with a 3-inch-wide cookie ring.
5. Brush the rounds with heavy cream and top them with sugar.
6. Bake them for 20 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden.
7. To assemble, place one shortcake on the plate, and top it with whipped cream and fruit. Dust a light sprinkling of powdered sugar over the shortcake just before serving.
Continue reading Fourth of July Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake »
2:07 PM,
July 03, 2009
Nothing feels quite like summer until the first serving of homemade strawberry shortcake, in my opinion. This recipe (from Martha Stewart's
Great Food Fast cookbook) was so simple and super delicious. Making your own whipped cream is really worth it, and it's much more wholesome.
Strawberry Shortcake
Serves 4 | Total time: 1 hour
3 cups fresh strawberries
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for dusting
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (1/2 stick)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar, plus another 1/2 tablespoon for tops
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Hull and quarter the strawberries, set aside. (The original recipe says to toss them with 1/8 cup of sugar and let them stand at least 20 minutes until they're syrupy, but the members of my household unanimously prefer the strawberries unsweetened.)
2. Combine the flour, butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt; stir (or use a food processor, if you have one) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk; stir until the flour mixture is just moistened.
3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface; with floured hands, gently pat the dough into a rectangle.
4. Dust a large knife with flour; cut the dough into 8 squares. Transfer them to a baking sheet; sprinkle with the 1/2 tablespoon sugar.
5. Bake them until they're golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet. To serve, split the biscuits with a serrated knife; layer with berries and whipped cream.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Makes 2 cups
1 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla; whisk (or beat, if you have an electric mixer) until soft peaks form. If whisking by hand, it will take about 10 minutes of whisking. It takes a little muscle; it's best to divide the duty between two people!
5:05 PM,
July 02, 2009
How cute is this festive berry-and-marshmallow skewer idea from Marie at
Make and Takes? The fact that it takes about two minutes to prep is making us feel patriotic already...
10:20 AM,
July 02, 2009
Epi-Log offers up a complete guide to planning for Independence Day.
11:11 AM,
June 29, 2009
Our favorite food blog posts this week:
Gastrokid makes his own gatorade.
Plan the perfect family party with help from
Cafe MomBon Appetit dishes up menu options for your Father's Day feast.
Check out
The Kitchn's essential serving dishes.
Foodie fun around the country this week, from
Epi Log.
11:29 AM,
June 19, 2009
How cute is this festive berry-and-marshmallow skewer idea from Marie at Make and Takes? The fact that it takes about two minutes to prep is making us feel patriotic already...
