Customizing Cookie Tins

Thursday, December 2, 2010

It’s a little crazy, but it’s become a tradition.  Every year in mid-December (or sometimes a bit later) David and I run a cookie-baking marathon and then pack up hundreds of Holiday cookies to send to friends and family all over the country. Last year I also started decorating the plain tins that we buy […]

Little Evergreens

Monday, November 29, 2010

“Lil’ trees!” is what Julia said when she saw these on the kitchen counter.  Maybe it’s because I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but I’ve always loved the sight and scent of evergreens, and I’m eager to bring them indoors in the wintertime. I bought these lil trees in the plant and flower district […]

Painting the Foyer –the Reveal

Friday, November 26, 2010

It’s done!  As promised, we painted the foyer before Thanksgiving.  (But only just –we were removing the last of the masking tape the night before.) Thank you to all of you who weighed in when I asked for help choosing a color. Your comments were very helpful. Those favoring the green swatches were in the […]

Catherine’s Harvest Punch

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Our friend Catherine is an elegant and accomplished hostess.  I picture her on Thursday emerging from the kitchen bearing a huge, perfectly dressed turkey –and without a bead of sweat on her brow or a spot on her vintage Chanel– and I’ll bet there’s little exaggeration in this vision. A week or so ago she […]

Baking with (our) Julia: Simple Scones

Saturday, November 20, 2010

“I can do it!” Julia said (with surprising force) when I tried to cut a scone or two myself out of the soft spongy dough.  She was into it. Maybe it was because the dough was easy to handle, or because the cutters were small enough to fit her two year-old hand.  Or maybe it […]

Sweet Efficiency #2: Tarte Tatin

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Thanksgiving’s just a week away, we’ll have a houseful, and it’s time to get my act together.  It’s not the turkey dinner that trips me up, it’s all the other meals for the extra long holiday weekend that I often find myself scrambling to prepare.  Well, not this year.  I’m doing my peripheral Thanksgiving menu […]

Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad

Sunday, November 14, 2010

We had some memorable meals on our recent trip to Tokyo, but one dish stands out in my mind for its exquisite simplicity:  a seasonal dessert composed of slices of Fuyu persimmon sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.  I love each of them — the tender flesh and gentle, honey-like sweetness of the Fuyu persimmon and the […]

Porcini Crusted Steak with Herb Butter

Thursday, November 11, 2010

We’ve got 8 people coming to dinner in Southampton on Saturday.  It’s going to be a busy weekend, though, so my culinary efforts need to be extra efficient.  Here’s a repost of favorite recipe for something very special that comes together in just a few minutes. Last Tuesday my partner David was bringing home two […]

The Boulevardier

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Last Friday our friends Visnja and Franck came to dinner in the City.  One nice thing about being the cook for the evening, of course, is getting to choose the menu, and I put together a line-up of old favorites: Dried Figs in Red Wine (that I had on hand) with blue cheese and crackers […]

Sweet Efficiency #1: Flourless Chocolate Spice Cake

Friday, November 5, 2010

I actually enjoy a complicated baking project now and then, but I can’t really remember when I last had the time to tackle one.  Probably last Christmas . . . . Most of the time, my test for a homemade dessert is whether the active time to make it is more or less than the […]

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