Lemon Pudding “Cakes”

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Lemon pudding “cakes” are actually a cross between a pudding and a light, airy souffle-like cake. In the following recipe, you simply cream butter and sugar, and then add egg yolks, lemon juice and zest along with milk and a small amount of flour. Finally, you fold in beaten egg whites, and bake until the batter is set. When done, the pudding cakes seem to divide into two distinct layers, an airy cake-like layer on top and a dense rich pudding one on the bottom. They are heaven to eat either warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Continue reading →

Sunday Brunch Arrives this Week!

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I can’t believe it! Sunday Brunch, my newest cookbook, is due to arrive in bookstores this coming week on June 6th. It can also be ordered on Amazon.  Several people–students and friends (who ordered online)– have written that they have already received their copies.
I’ll be writing more about this book and featuring a special recipe from it in a few days on my June website, but for now let me just say that this is a special collection with beautiful photos that features 50 mouthwatering dishes perfect for weekend brunches. You’ll find recipes for every way to cook eggs—poached, fried, scrambled, and souffléed—as well as tempting griddle fare, including irresistible pancakes and waffles. There’s a chapter devoted to sweet breakfast breads, and others that feature light fruit desserts and brunch libations.
I hope you’ll get a chance to stop by your local bookstore and browse through the pages!
Sunday Brunch
Chronicle Books 2012
$19.95

Jean Georges‘ Nougatine, New York, NY

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Jean Georges‘ Nougatine 1 Central Park West (between 60th and 61st), New York, New York

Molten Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream at Nougatine

In the same building on Central Park West adjacent to the famous Restaurant Jean Georges, you’ll find another eatery called Jean Georges’ Nougatine, its less expensive sibling. The talented chef oversees both kitchens, and the menu at Nougatine, when I stopped there for lunch recently, was tantalizing and a veritable bargain at $32 prix fixe. In the Big Apple to attend an international food meeting, I and another food writer went for a midday meal at Nougatine where we savored a parade of creative and beautifully presented dishes. Continue reading →

Quick, Easy, and Succulent Grilled Steaks for the Holiday Weekend!

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What could be better than juicy well-cooked steaks to kick off this special holiday! Although this weekend doesn’t mark the official beginning of summer (on June 21st), it is a time when many cooks pull out grills and barbecue tools, moving their kitchens from indoors to the open air.
Lightly charred, juicy beef sirloins topped with creamy slices of Gorgonzola and a red onion rosemary relish is a recipe from my files that would be perfect to inaugurate the season.

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Cupcakes—Perfect for Celebrations!

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“All cupcakes are ready to party,” says my friend Elinor Klivans in her popular book, Cupcakes!, but some, she continues, seem just made for celebrations. That’s what I had in mind while working on the recipe for Orange Cupcakes with Creamy White Chocolate Icing.
Tender, moist, and scented with orange and cardamom, these golden little cakes are topped with swirls of snowy white icing made with cream cheese, white chocolate, and butter. There’s a generous accent of orange in the frosting as well to carry out the fresh citrus theme.  
Although I never met a cupcake I didn’t like, these definitely fall into the special occasion category.

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Orzo with Peas, Mint, and Parmesan

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Brimming with color and bursting with flavor, this recipe for buttered orzo tossed with peas, fresh mint, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese makes a delectable spring side dish. Try it as a partner to roasted salmon or chicken, or with grilled lamb chops or sautéed scallops. This recipe works well with frozen peas, but if fresh ones are available, definitely use them. They will need 3 to 4 minutes cooking time while the frozen ones will require only a couple of minutes. Continue reading →

Simple Asian Meals – Perfect for Weeknights!

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When my friend, Nina Simonds, mentioned a few months ago that she was working on a new book titled Simple Asian Meals, I knew I would rush to get a copy. I’m a big fan of this award-winning journalist and author of ten books, and leading authority on Asian cooking and culture. Nina is also the creator of one of the most interesting blogs I follow. For each post on her Spices of Life video blog, launched in 2007, she includes a short film featuring recipes, interviews with food personalities, and much more.
Simple Asian Meals, her newest book, is filled with enticing recipes that are delicious, healthy, and convenient—perfect for weeknights.
 She has streamlined both contemporary and authentic dishes so that they are easy to prepare, and emphasizes, in useful postscripts to the recipes, the health benefits of many ingredients. Did you know that edamame are believed to lower the risk of heart disease, and that mangoes aid digestion and are also a source of beta-carotene?
For the past few weeks I’ve been cooking from this collection.

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Grilled Pork Tenderloin Steaks with Rhubarb Balsamic Sauce

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Sometimes a dish is so unusual and so tantalizing, that I find myself thinking about it long after the last bite. That was my experience at Jean Georges’ Nougatine in New York recently. The minute I tasted the hake fillet (a mild white fish similar to cod) served sashimi style, drizzled with a rhubarb/balsamic dressing, I knew it was special.
Made with finely diced uncooked rhubarb, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a generous seasoning of freshly ground black pepper, the sauce was simple, but assertive and definitely the secret to the dish. At home, I tried my own version, adding a hint of soy sauce for a salty note. Instead of pairing this rhubarb sauce with raw fish, I opted for grilled pork tenderloin steaks rubbed with crushed rosemary, kosher salt, and pepper.

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Asparagus from the Asparagus Capital!

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Although the Pioneer Valley where I live in Western Massachusetts is well known for its colleges (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and UMass are all in the area), and for its exquisite fall foliage, we also have another distinction. The small town of Hadley is known as the “Asparagus Capital” of the U.S.
Right about now, as we head into May, local farmers start to bring their asparagus crops to our markets. The minute I see the signs “Locally Grown” sitting atop mounds of the native spears, I fill my cart with bunches. There are so many ways to use this spring produce. I serve them as an appetizer with a bowl of aioli for dipping, or I grill or blanche them, then season them with a sprinkle of lemon zest and a hint of fleur de sel. Sometimes they even become part of the main course as in the recipe for Penne with Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Prosciutto featured here.

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Borough Market London, East London, England

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Borough Market London East London, England (near London Bridge on the south bank of the Thames Underground Station)

Located in east London near London Bridge, Borough Market is celebrated not only for its exceptional British food products, but for an array of international items as well. This lively market, with its long history dating back to the 18th century, is open three days a week—Thursday, Friday, and Saturday—and boasts teeming crowds of both Londoners and visitors from around the globe. Continue reading →