Author Archives: bloggerimport

All-In-One Roasted Fish Supper

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I’m a sucker when it comes to roasting fish and vegetables, then serving the two together.  For my blog and website, I’ve combined seafood and vegetables more than once in the past few months. There were cod fillets served atop ratatouille (scroll down for recipe), and also over a potato gratin (scroll way down for recipe). Fillets of salmon paired with bok choy and shiitakes, and halibut steaks set atop a spicy piperade(scroll down for recipe) also made appearances.
Well, here I go again, this time partnering salmon fillets with roasted fingerlings and baby broccoli. This idea was spawned during a rushed visit to my local Whole Foods. I’d put a bag of fingerlings and a bunch of broccolini (those slender broccoli stalks) in my cart and was trying to decide what might work well with them. Presto! I was at the fish counter with some gorgeous salmon jumping out at me.

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Pull Out the Grill for Easter Lunch

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Does this sound familiar? You’re short on time, but need to plan a menu for Easter lunch THIS Sunday. You’d like the meal to be special and memorable, but don’t have hours to spend shopping and cooking. Well, grilled lamb chops with buttered couscous tossed with asparagus, almonds, and mint is a perfect dish for this spring holiday.
Several years ago I created this main course as the centerpiece for a class titled “Fast Lane Entertaining.” Students loved the simplicity of the colorful dish so redolent of the season, and were thrilled that it took only about an hour to prepare. Tender rib lamb chops are marinated in orange juice, garlic, and oil, then popped on the grill for only a few minutes. Buttered couscous tossed with sliced, blanched asparagus, toasted almonds, and mint makes a fast and delicious side. The recipe serves four, but can be doubled or tripled easily if needed.

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Makin’ Whoopie…Pies!

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Were whoopie pies an integral part of your childhood? These classic chocolate cake sandwiches layered with a marshmallow filling are a sweet indulgence especially loved in the Northeast. According to Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell, authors of the new Whoopie Pies, these enticing confections have been popular from Maine to Pennsylvania for decades. The authors, life-long fans of this truly American confection, have assembled a delectable collection of recipes that go far beyond the original version.
Their book is divided into two sections –“cakes” and “creamy fillings.” Examples of their enticing combos include luscious vanilla with rich dark chocolate butter cream filling; banana with salty peanut butter filling; and oatmeal with maple filling.

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Ottolenghi in London- Sublime Food in England’s Capital

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Interior of Ottolenghi
Some of you may remember that I featured the gorgeous vegetarian cookbook, Plenty written by Jotam Ottolenghi, on my website a few months back. The author is also the owner of four glorious take-out food shops in London. One of these stores also functions as a restaurant. Like the others, it is named for its founder.
Imagine then where I wanted to eat when my husband and I had the chance to go to London for several days this week. As soon as our plans were set, I Skyped to make a reservation at the Islington eatery. Although the book features strictly vegetable fare, the menu includes meats as well.
This shop cum restaurant was awash in white. The walls, outside and inside, most of the chairs, the tables, the dishes are a pristine hue. And, after sampling the vibrantly colored and richly textured foods, it was clear that this crisp whiteness served as a canvas for the chef’s artistic creations.

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Corned Beef and Cabbage- A New Way for St. Patrick’s Day

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Whether or not you have Irish genes like I do (I’m Scotch Irish on both sides!) you might be trying to figure out what to serve on St Patrick’s Day. This year the holiday falls on a Saturday, making it perfect for an extra special celebration. And, I have just the recipe to begin or anchor a fête.
Corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes–that popular trinity redolent of Irish cooking– each have starring roles in this recipe from Sunday Soup.

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Whatever the Weather–Serve Soup!

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For most of this winter, the weather here in New England has been unpredictable. Unlike last year when we had two feet of the white stuff covering the ground and huge icicles hanging from our roofs, the snowplows have laid dormant in 2012. And the temperatures have fluctuated wildly—yes, there have been plenty of days with below freezing temps, but we’ve also seen the thermometer climb into the fifties a record number of times.  
This fluctuating weather pattern has put me in a quandary about what to wear. I pull out all my heavy gear to stave off the cold, and search madly for a light jacket or sweater that’s been packed away when it warms up.

But even more of a challenge is what to cook. I try to plan hearty dishes for chilly nights, but look for something less filling for those miraculously balmy days. One dish I have served throughout the winter–whatever the weather–is a vibrantly scented thick tomato soup topped with dollops of airy mascarpone whipped cream.

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Golden Rules for Entertaining!

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Harriet, Ron, Tina, Philippe, and moi at the Paris table
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been in a whirl of entertaining frenzy. In January while my husband and I were in Paris, we hosted three dinners (you may remember that I wrote about several of those occasions on this blog), and invited others over for appetizers and wine. Then, right after we returned to our small New England town in February, we planned a Friday night supper for a group of good friends. During the weeks that followed we had three sets of overnight guests, all of whom happened to arrive in time for dinner. Oh, and this past Sunday (just a few hours before the Oscars), I welcomed my book club members for appetizers, desserts, and a lively discussion of the month’s literary selection.
You’d think I’d be tired of having people at my table at this point, but the truth is, none of these social get-togethers was stressful because I followed my two golden rules when
entertaining—keep it simple and make it ahead!

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Oscar Brownies

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My good friend, Gayle, who recently returned from living with her husband in the Middle East for several years, told me that while abroad she loved making brownies because they were redolent of home. When entertaining, she often ended meals with a plate of these quintessential American treats.
She began her brownie marathon with a recipe titled “Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies” that she discovered on the internet, but over time she added her own touches. In the original version there’s a cup of chopped walnuts, which my pal (a definite chocoholic) replaced with chocolate chips, and to counter the extra sweetness she cleverly added a hint of vinegar to the batter.
This week when Gayle arrived for a visit at our house, she brought a batch of the delectable creations with her. One bite and I knew that these brownies with their movie star pedigree would be perfect for Oscar night, this Sunday, February 26th! Dense, moist, and intensely chocolate, they would make perfect nibbles for savoring during the show. I couldn’t resist adding a special garnish and topped each square with a white chocolate star.

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Cooking, Southern Style

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Smothered Pork Chop, Mushrooms, and Onions with Sides
Southerners long ago perfected the art of braising—the technique that calls for cooking meats or vegetables until tender in simmering liquids over a long period of time. My husband grew up in Birmingham, and I in Memphis with mothers who described themselves as amateur cooks, but who were, in fact, gifted braisers. Ron’s mom made the best pot roast ever by browning her beef and vegetables thoroughly, and then simmering both in water in a covered pan. My mother’s specialties included “country fried” cube steaks and smothered pork chops. For both dishes she would dust the meat lightly with flour, sauté it with onions, add water, and leave the mixture to cook for several hours until fork tender.
My Southern table

All of this is a lead in as to why we hosted a Southern dinner last weekend. One of my spouse’s new friends is a recently arrived administrator at Amherst College where he teaches.

When we discovered that Biddy had been raised south of the Mason-Dixon line, we had an excuse to serve some of our childhood favorites in this small New England town.
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A New Twist on Salad

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I’ve lived in New England for almost two decades, but for years, I made my home in Columbus, Ohio, where I headed up a large cooking school. Recently, to promote Sunday Roasts I returned to this friendly Midwestern city.
My host and longtime assistant, Emily, organized a small dinner at her house and planned a fabulous menu with others who had taught at my school. From my first sip of a delectable sweet potato soup to my last bite of sticky toffee pudding, I was in heaven. Bourbon-marinated and barbecued pork tenderloins set atop roasted root vegetables were a stellar entrée, but it was the salad that won the most raves.

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