Breakfast with Julia: Ricotta Crostini with Honey and Nuts

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Nearly every morning, Julia and I make breakfast together.  It’s a nice little ritual shared by two non morning-people:  she sits on the kitchen counter and helps me whip up something delicious to compensate us for the fact that we have to get out of our pajamas before 10. Like me, she has an on […]

Dried Figs in Red Wine

Monday, November 1, 2010

I’m going to keep a jar of these in the fridge all winter.  Sadly, the season for fresh figs is over, but these delicious dried ones –plumped up and enlivened by a long soak in red wine– are a delicious consolation.  Served with a slab of a rich blue cheese (I love a St. Agur […]

Julia’s Goldfish Halloween Costume

Friday, October 29, 2010

I feel like I’ve just finished the Toddler Challenge on Project Runway for Dummies, but Julia’s Halloween costume is finally finished.  I hope she’ll actually wear it. Julia’s love for fish this year has bordered on obsession.  “Fish!” was one of her first words, and she spent the first half of summer diligently searching for […]

Help! Painting the Foyer

Monday, October 25, 2010

It’s been fun, but it’s time to move on.  We’ve enjoyed our time with our bright blue foyer in Southampton –it’s pretty, cheerful and energetic– but we’re not ready to settle down.  The blue was a great summer house color, but we’ve found that we love the place just as much in winter, and what […]

Halloween for Adults: Roasted Pumpkin with Cheese “Fondue”

Sunday, October 24, 2010

As soon pumpkins start appearing in the Hamptons farm stands, David starts asking for this dish.  It’s a favorite in our house –a dish we start making on one of the first truly chilly weekends in October and serve from time to time through the Holidays.  The whole roasted pumpkin full of steaming, fragrant filling […]

Marta Fries

Friday, October 22, 2010

Some of the best times in my life have been cooking with Marta, our dear friend and Julia’s godmother.  Marta’s a gifted but unfussy cook with a rare talent for turning out beautiful meals in record time with no visible stress.  She’ll often go from raw materials to a finished three-course dinner over cocktails, assigning […]

Lustrous Leaf Cookies

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

One of our purchases last week in Kappabashi-dori, Tokyo’s amazing kitchen supply district, was a small set of leaf shaped pasty cutters. Inspired by the beautifully crafted seasonal sweets we saw in Japan, I thought I would use them to bake some autumnal cookies to have around for our houseguest Craig this weekend.  (Craig himself […]

The Blood and Sand

Monday, October 18, 2010

Another great old cocktail with a silly and unappetizing name (which came from a 1922 movie starring Rudolph Valentino).  Don’t be put off, though.  This crowd-pleasing drink has a big flavor that’s perfect for chilly evenings. At first glance the list of ingredients seems odd:  Scotch whisky, sweet vermouth, orange juice and Cherry Heering, a […]

Greetings from Tokyo: Kappabashi-dori

Saturday, October 16, 2010

I’ve spent nearly a week exploring this sprawling, crowded, orderly, clean and eminently civilized city, and I feel like I’ve barely begun to find what Tokyo has to offer.  Every time I emerge from the city’s extensive (and amazingly clean and efficient) subway system it seems like there’s another delightful cultural, commercial or culinary surprise […]

Houseplants or Plants in the House?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

We’re still exploring Tokyo, but, in the meantime, here’s a repost of a piece about a great way to keep the house cheerful as the weather gets gloomy. I’ve never been very enthusiastic about houseplants, by which I mean those species of plants meant to live indoors indefinitely.  It’s just a matter of personal taste, […]

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