Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Brixton Bauer

Posted on July 20, 2011 by brosbottom

Jeni Brixton Bauer, ice cream maker par excellence, started making ice creams 15 years ago when she was a mere 22 years old. Today she oversees Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, a Columbus, Ohio-based company that includes 10 stores and a thriving mail order and restaurant business. Her first book, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, includes a cornucopia of unique recipes for artisanal ice creams and sorbets, all prepared with unusually creative combinations of ingredients and written with clear, easy-to-follow directions. Amazingly, her ice creams are made without eggs and include a bit of cream cheese to bind and add Continue reading →

BLT Summer Salad

Posted on July 4, 2011 by brosbottom

For this simple salad, heirloom tomatoes (choose red, green, yellow, deep purple, whatever your markets and farm stands have on hand) are marinated in a vinaigrette dressing and arranged on a platter or on individual plates. Mixed greens tossed in more of the dressing are added next. Crumbled blue cheese and bits of bacon are sprinkled over the salad as final flourishes. Offer this salad as a first course for a summer supper or use it as a side dish for a backyard barbecue. Or, pair it with some crusty bread and a chilled soup for a light luncheon entree. This BLT variation is as good as the sandwiches and just as addictive.

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Lemon Sorbet Parfaits with Prosecco

Posted on July 4, 2011 by brosbottom

Sometimes a dish is so good that it remains in my memory long after I’ve tasted it. That’s the case with the special dessert featured here. Several years ago at Telepan on New York’s Upper West Side, I sampled a confection that grabbed my taste buds and wouldn’t let go. Scoops of quince sorbet, softly whipped cream, and toasted almonds were alternately layered in glasses, and then topped with a generous pouring of Prosecco. Later in the year, I returned to the restaurant and had a delicious variation prepared with lemon sorbet. Continue reading →

Hungry Ghost Bread, Northampton, MA

Posted on June 25, 2011 by brosbottom

Hungry Ghost Bread 62 State Street, Northampton, MA

Although there are many bakeries that offer fine breads in Western Massachusetts where I live, one in particular stands out for its excellent artisanal loaves. Hungry Ghost Bread is not a fancy place. It is housed in a small brick bungalow set atop a hill with vines covering most of the façade including a sign with the shop’s name. Inside much of the space is given over to a large, dome-shaped oven with the remaining area modestly set up for sales. But, what comes out of that oven is outstanding. The organic breads, shaped by hand and baked in small batches in a wood-fired brick oven, have beautiful crusts and textures. Continue reading →

Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

Posted on June 15, 2011 by brosbottom

The creator of the awarding-winning blog, “101 Cookbooks,” as well as the James Beard award-nominated Super Natural Cooking, Heidi Swanson is a multi-talented member of the food community. For her latest work, Super Natural Every Day, she developed the delectable recipes that feature natural, healthy ingredients and snapped the striking photos that accompany them as well. She’s also a gifted writer whose enthusiasm for cooking naturally makes you want to rush into the kitchen and try every dish. After leafing through this collection, I had a sizable number of recipes tagged. I’ve already made Hard-Cooked Eggs with Dukkah (the latter is an Egyptian spice blend) and Continue reading →

Orange-Scented Strawberry Shortcakes

Posted on June 4, 2011 by brosbottom

For my latest version of this all-American classic, I baked these shortcakes with a hearty amount of cream instead of butter or shortening for a rich taste, and used cake rather than all-purpose flour to make the texture extra tender. Orange zest lends a fresh citrus accent to these little cakes, and orange juice is used to season the berries. The whipped cream topping is also scented with a hint of grated orange peel. The shortcakes, the berries, and the cream can all be prepared several hours ahead, so that all you need to do at serving time is to assemble these scrumptious summer confections.

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The Plaza Food Hall, New York, NY

Posted on May 25, 2011 by brosbottom

The Plaza Food Hall 1 West 59th Street, Concourse A (lower level), New York, New York 10019

Recently during a short visit to New York, I went to the Plaza Food Hall, located on the lower level of the Plaza Hotel for lunch. I had read about its opening in June of last year, and wanted to check it out. I confess that I arrived thinking it might just be another food court, but my solo meal there far surpassed my expectations. I only ordered two things, but both were delicious. A watercress salad with an assortment of shaved, pickled radishes, served mounded atop a grilled goat cheese panini was beautifully balanced in flavors. A mere hint of lemon jam spread beneath the sandwich, lent just the right sweet and tart notes to this dish. A whoopee pie cupcake, a rich, tender chocolate little cake, topped with thin layers of cream and chocolate, and then coated in a dark chocolate glaze, was perfection as well. Continue reading →

St Germain- A French Liqueur

Posted on May 15, 2011 by brosbottom

St Germain, a delicious French liqueur scented with elderflowers, is a new discovery for me, but I am already a huge fan. I learned about it from friends in Paris who explained that when combined with champagne, St Germain adds an amazing fresh, floral note to a glass of bubbly. St Germain (that’s the brand name) comes in tall, sleek bottles and is available on this side of the Atlantic too. I had no trouble finding it in my local spirits store. My large bottle was about $37, but small nip-size ones are sometimes available and cost less. Since May is definitely a month of celebrations—graduations, Mother’s Day, spring Continue reading →

Romaine, Mint, and Ricotta Salad

Posted on May 6, 2011 by brosbottom

Each time I have served this salad, guests have taken a bite, paused, and tried to figure out what was adding such a refreshing note. Some have guessed that it was mint, others have not, but all have loved this unusual addition. The contrasting textures–the crunch of the romaine leaves paired with the salty creaminess of ricotta– also add to the salad’s appeal. The tomatoes provide some visual pizzazz with their rich crimson hue. It’s great as a garnish to grilled lamb chops or chicken.
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Lamb, Date, and Red Pepper Brochettes