I usually make my go-to salad dressing of olive oil and rice wine vinegar with a pinch of salt when dinner is about thirty seconds from the table and I realize the salad isn’t dressed. If I have some shallots or citrus and a full sixty seconds to spare, I’ll add that. Otherwise, it’s the old standby, which, while perfectly flavorful, can get a bit dull. So when I need to break out, add more flavor, or want to make something more memorable, I look to the blender. Here, a single pear and a bit of red onion make for a surprisingly creamy, mild dressing that happens to blend beautifully with radicchio. [Read more…]
fried sage leaves
Fried sage leaves have long eluded me. It turns out, I was just cooking them for way too long. But now, as the first frosts threaten and my roof deck sage starts to yellow, I’m totally ready with a simple approach to frying up sage. I find the technique heightens the flavor, but also tempers it with a pleasant nuttiness. It’s pretty much exactly what you want to be eating on a chilly fall day. [Read more…]
now in season: radicchio
You guys, that time of year has arrived. Almost all the apples are off the trees. Pears too. We’re swimming in tender kale, fresh broccoli, and just-picked squash. Like the sudden shift in weather, all the fall vegetables feel novel and fun. But beneath the thrill of cozy dinners of stuffed squash or braised greens is a touch of sadness–the knowledge that these are all the ingredients we’ll be working with until April. I’m not planning to despair just yet, so for now I’ll be enjoying all the beauty, color, and food of my very favorite season. [Read more…]
maple-braised pork belly
Last week, things in my kitchen got real. Like, 13 pounds of pork belly–skin, hair, and all. I unwrapped the butcher paper, and there it was–an actual pig’s belly spread out on my kitchen table. Usually Brian deals with meat, but this time around, it was all me. So, I rubbed the belly down with sugar, salt, and paprika, and made it happen. Eight hours of braising later, the meat was supremely tender and my mission was accomplished.
The pork belly was for Brunch for Barack, an event that we co-hosted with Veronica Chan at the Chan Deck, Long Island City’s up-and-coming test kitchen for new and adventurous ideas in food. [Read more…]
sauce gribiche
Sauce gribiche can be a lot of things. It can be big on the mustard or light on the egg. Here, it’s the jumping off point for a briny, herbaceous sauce that’s absolutely perfect perched atop a tender slab of meat. I advise that you make some, taste it, and play around a bit. I’m convinced that no sauce gribiche is the same; make yours your own and then dump it on everything in sight, from meats to eggs to excellent bread. [Read more…]