One should never abandon their passion. Yesterday, I left a party early to scurry home to feast on a kale salad; I slipped under the covers, giddy, because come morning I would bake my very first Irish Soda Bread. It’s been quite some time since I powered up the stand mixer and cranked the [...]

If I had to be banished to the bowels of a dungeon with one tin of food to eat, I would cry out for my macaroni and cheese. Perhaps it’s my old-school memories of Kraft out of a box (we went from the powdered to the phosphorescent cheese packet, and equated this to an [...]

Tonight’s dinner involved no recipes, no web searches and no cracking of cookbook spines. This was all about me, in my kitchen, with simple, affordable ingredients. During the summer, at the Greenmarket, proprietors sport their wares and who could resist (I mean, really) crates and crates of juicy, in-season tomatoes. Yet it’s winter and [...]

Lately I’ve found myself waxing nostalgic. Although I spent years working on a book that would have you believe that my childhood was altogether horrific — and it was, at turns — there were those shimmering, superfine moments that I still cleave to, am frightened of losing because they’re constantly overshadowed by all that [...]

After the epic chocolate babka saga of 2009 — a period of two days where I slaved over brioche and multiple dough rises, sliced my finger, carved a pound of delectable chocolate, all in an effort to elevate my game in terms of my baking repertoire — I needed a vacation. Imagine toasty oatmeal [...]

After two days of laboring over the stove, I’m opting for quick, delicious eats and my quick pasta dish fits the bill. As you guys know I’m enamored with arugula pesto — it’s shades superior to the traditional basil simply for the fact that the baby greens pack a peppery punch. A quick blitz [...]

Now that you’ve had a moment to breathe into several brown paper bags, you’re ready to tackle the next stage of THE EPIC BABKA SITUATION OF 2009. I’m going to be candid with you — I was worried that I’d spent two days failing. Perhaps I hadn’t the stuff for tackling yeast. Perhaps confections [...]

Believe me when I say that the journey to making the EPIC BABKA OF 2009 was Odyssean. Normally I’m proud of being dramatic for effect, however, there was a point during the course of the past two days where I really wanted to give up. But I pressed on.
If you are a baker you [...]

My unabashed affection for sweet treats and ravishing eats stems from my childhood — from staring wide-eyed at Italian bakery windows, marveling over the rainbow confections and hot, bulbous loaves. Baking is a passion, one in which I enjoy indulging, and I find myself drawn toward those who crave hot ovens and sinful sweets. [...]

Cue the men in the starched white waistcoats because I’m going to need restraints. I’m going to need to be held down, because my obsession with homemade pizza will not go away. What was originally conceived as an unhealthy indulgence gets a dramatic makeover with a handful of healthy ingredients and thirty minutes to [...]

After an exhausting day, it’s practically impossible to fix yourself dinner. When igniting the stove and dicing the chicken takes Herculean feat, sometimes it’s acceptable, downright necessary, to cut a few corners. Let me clarify – this is no Sandra Lee, high fructose syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, packaged nonsense – rather quick, unbelievably delicious [...]

There’s something decidedly insouciant about fixing granola, magic, and lemon bars as an adult. We gorged on them as children, savored the lemon tart and toasted coconut on our tongues. When I think of granola bars, I harken back to grade school and plastic lunch boxes and thermoses filled with hot ravioli and soup. [...]

Deceptively simple, the pound cake should be the foundation of your baking repertoire. From pistachios to almonds to simple vanilla to smoky brandy and Madeira, the permutations are endless. The cake appears easy to make because of the minimum level of ingredients, however, don’t be fooled. I’ve dealt with the hockey puck loaf, the [...]

This morning I woke to visions of Chocolate Babka dancing in my head. I readied myself for a full day of brioche and semi-sweet chocolate, however, my hopes were dashed when I realized that the dough process takes well over a day. OH THE HUMANITY, PEOPLE. I sat, clutching my bar of chocolate, miffed. [...]