Cooking: Toasted Breadcrumbs

Thursday, October 1, 2009

I’m probably revealing too much when I say that I get excited about breadcrumbs, but I am what I am.  I’m not talking about the sawdust that you buy in cardboard tubes in the supermarket.  It serves its purposes, like soaking up liquid and adding bland bulk to dishes like meatballs, but it’s not very […]

Drinking: Homemade Liqueur “44”

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

This week the weather turned chilly in New York, and I started to rough out our family plans for the Holidays.  This led me to happy thoughts of Holiday food and drink, and, more specifically, to how it might be nice to experiment with some homemade liqueurs and infusions to serve to guests and give […]

Cooking: A Zesty Marinade for Beef

Monday, September 28, 2009

We don’t eat a lot of beef, but, every once in a while, a big old slab of grilled red meat really hits the spot.  Over the years, I’ve concocted lots of spice rubs and marinades, and some have been interesting, but none have really stuck in my repertoire, because, I think, most of them […]

Highland’s Fall

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Well, it’s officially Fall, which means, among other things, of course, that it’s time for more brown liquor.  Scotch, bourbon, rye –they seem made for the season of turning leaves, herringbone jackets and pumpkin gnocchi. I found the recipe for this cocktail a couple of weeks ago in Bon Appetit, and it’s becoming a favorite […]

Entertaining: Mini Greek Salads

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Recently we celebrated our daughter Julia’s first birthday with a small cocktail party at our New York apartment.  (Julia worked the room, blew out her candles –with a little help– and then retired to her room at 7:30, as usual.)  I wanted to serve hors d’oeuvres that featured the bright flavors of late summer produce.  […]

Interiors: Customized Ikea Light

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

It happened fast.  After being stuck on the lame New York real estate market for months, our beautiful but too-small loft in the Meatpacking District sold to a cash buyer who wanted to close quickly.  Fortunately, at just the same time, we found a great new place in West Chelsea.  It was modern, light and […]

Baking: Winemaker’s Grape Cake

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Last Monday good friends with a farm in upstate New York brought us box of beautiful late summer produce.  In it was a big basket of tiny wine grapes — super ripe and filled with a flavor that’s tarter and more complex than supermarket table grapes.  (I’ve noticed these grapes starting to appear in markets […]

Fairy Dust: An Ashtray Redeemed

Monday, September 21, 2009

If you’re as old as I am, or if you’ve been watching Mad Men, you may know that in the middle of the last century there were ashtrays all over the place, for obvious reasons. They weren’t just utilitarian objects, though. Many were beautifully crafted, and no coffee table tableau was complete without just the […]

Gear: Citrus Stripper

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Citrus stripper, citrus stripper.  Say that five times fast.  I don’t think this is an essential bar tool, but it’s one of my favorites.  Perfectly adapted to its purpose and effortless to use, a single stroke across the skin of the fruit gives you an elegant garnish of colorful peel and a fragrant mist of […]

Sources: A Treasury of Rare Ingredients

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Like many people (ok, some people), I love to page through cookbooks and food magazines, looking for meal inspirations or clues to how to recreate an amazing flavor I experienced while traveling.  Too many great recipes never saw my kitchen, though, because they called for a key ingredient that I couldn’t find, or didn’t have […]

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