A Hungry Bear

Yes, it has been months since my last post.  And no, the bear hasn’t starved…  I have been busy moving from Atlanta to San Francisco, starting an exciting new job, and planning for my family’s visit in April!  I’ll apologize for the long absence without a new recipe by sharing one of my favorites - a classic Martha Stewart recipe for homemade oreo’s.

Ingredients: (for cookies) 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 5 Tablespoons melted butter, 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar, 1 large egg; (for filling) 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) room temperature butter, 1.5 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. (more…)

It’s almost winter isn’t it? The perfect time for me to pull out some of the farmer’s blackberries that I froze back in the summer, to remind me of all that I miss about summer.

Recipe adapted Food & Wine, a drink called the “Agave Negro Cocktail” from Social Hollywood in LA.

Ingredients: 3 blackberries (thawed if frozen), tequila, 1 fresh lime, simple syrup, Chambord, club soda. (more…)

Growing up, my dad would always bring home a tin of the most delicious toffee in the week before Christmas, I think it was a gift from a vendor. At the time I thought it was a sign of how important my dad must be at work - they were kissing up to him, with the best tasting dessert in the world! I was really excited to see a recipe for something similar in the December 2009 Food & Wine. I made a double batch of it to give to friends, family, and of course dear-old-dad, this holiday season.

Ingredients (for a single batch, makes 2 pounds): 2 sticks butter, 1.5 cups sugar, 2 Tablespoons water, 1 cup slivered almonds, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 1.5 teaspoons coarse sea salt, 1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate pieces. (more…)

I love making a big lasagna on Sunday so I’ll have something to heat up during the week. This is a great recipe that I found on Serious Eats, when I was searching for ways to prepare all the acorn squash I’ve been getting from our CSA the past couple of months. The parmesan-sage sauce is a great complement to the sweet squash; I’m sure you could substitute butternut squash as well.

Ingredients: 3 small acorn squash, 1 onion, 6 cloves garlic, 1 cup ricotta cheese, 4 Tablespoons butter, 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 4 cups whole milk, pinch grated nutmeg, salt, pepper, 1.5 cups grated Parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, 15 no-boil lasagna noodles. (more…)

I picked up Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry cookbook a few months ago, and it’s one of the few that I’ve read cover to cover.  The photographs in it are stunning - it really belongs on the coffee table.  I’ve only mustered up the courage to make a couple of things from the book, since they are all highly involved and intimidating.  This recipe is a simplified version of his “Yabba Dabba Do”, a roasted rib steak with chanterelle mushrooms, roasted potatoes (I didn’t attempt the Pommes Anna, a fluffy prune-filled potato cake), and bordelaise sauce.  You might also notice some braised endives in the picture above, which I borrowed from another part of the book - they didn’t really go with the dish so I won’t include it here. Even with my adaptations, this is probably still a special occasion dish for us - but the bordelaise sauce is easy enough, and I’m sure it would be delicious with any grilled steak.

Ingredients: 2.5 pound double-cut rib steak (ask the butcher to trim, french cut and tie the roast - that means, trim excess fat, scrape the bone clean, and tie string around it to keep it together, as in the picture below), 4 T butter, canola oil; (for the bordelaise sauce) 1 cup red wine, 1 carrot, 2 shallots, 10 sprigs Italian parsley, 2 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf, 3 garlic cloves, whole black peppercorns, 1 cup beef stock; optional sides - small potatoes and olive oil for roasting, and 1 cup fresh chanterelle mushrooms to saute.

Start by seasoning the roast the night before. Sprinkle a generous amount of kosher salt and plenty of fresh cracked pepper. Press the seasoning into the meat; cover and refrigerate overnight. (more…)

This smoky scotch drink is exactly what you need to warm up fast when it’s freezing outside. Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients: Laphroaig smoky scotch, 2 ounces blended Scotch (Johnnie Walker Black), juice from half a lemon, 1 ounce St. Germain elderflower liqueur. (more…)

I’ve been getting a lot of radishes in my CSA box - sometimes 2 big bunches per week. There’s no way I could eat them all if I only sliced them fresh for salads, so I had to do some research to find a way to use them up. I was skeptical when I read a recipe on The Kitchn that said radishes could be almost sweet and caramelized when braised in a little balsamic vinegar, but they were right.

Ingredients: 1 pound radishes, 4 shallots, 1 Tablespoon butter, 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup chopped parsley. (more…)

Gnocchi may take a lot of work to prepare, but fortunately they are served best with the simplest of cream-based sauces. This would also work well with any type of pasta, if you’re feeling indulgent.

Adapted from Epicurious.

Ingredients: 12 ounces gnocchi (frozen), 5-6 minced sage leaves, 2-3 shallots, handful of chopped walnuts, 2 Tablespoons butter, 2/3 cup heavy cream, 3/4 cup white wine. (more…)

I love going to Las Vegas for UFC fights.  When I’m there, I usually try out a new steakhouse (in my ongoing quest to find the best steak in the world - an indulgent life goal). So far, I haven’t found a steak any better than Bone’s right here in Atlanta. But, the most memorable dish of all of the places I’ve tried in Vegas was the gnocchi side at n9ne steakhouse. The server actually described them as “pillows of love” - my boyfriend and I laughed at what we thought was his dramatic overstatement, but we still ordered them. And they really were the lightest, smoothest, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi I’ve ever tried - by far overshadowing everything else at the table. I doubt if my homemade version will ever be that good, but after reading many articles and tips on gnocchi, I think I’m on the right track.

This makes about 24 ounces gnocchi, or 4-6 servings. I froze them in 2 12-ounce batches.  Adapted mainly from Lidia Bastianich’s Lidia’s Italy and Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry Cookbook.

Ingredients: 2 large russet potatoes (2 pounds total), 2 cups flour, 1 egg, 1 Tablespoon kosher salt, pinch each ground white pepper and nutmeg. Special equipment: potato ricer; pastry scraper.

Bake the potatoes in a 350 degree oven for an hour, or until they are done (fork tender). Fluff tip #1: use a towel to handle the potatoes while they’re still hot - the hotter they are when you rice them, the lighter the gnocchi will be. (more…)

I made this drink recently to celebrate a friend’s engagement. The classic St. Germain cocktail mixes the elderflower liqueur with champagne and club soda - I think it’s a little more festive when you use a sparkling rose.

Ingredients: 2 ounces champagne or sparkling wine (white or rose), 2 ounces St. Germain liqueur, splash of club soda. (more…)