Apologies

Hello dear food-loving friends. My apologies for the lack of editorials to my blog this month. My computer is in sad shape and needs help. After many months of my ignoring the little problems, it is now completely unusable, and I have discovered that the model has been recalled. The journey it now faces is unknown; all I can do is hope for a speedy return so I may freely access the web and continue my passion of writing about the joys of food and bed.

At this moment I am at work, totally breaking the rules of my work-computer-usage (oh Tech-slash-HR team, if you're intercepting this right now, please don't fire me, it was a food blogger emergency).

I hope to return soon.
Thanks for understanding.

Veronica

Winter Blues? Try Some Winter Greens

It wasn't until a recent outing to Harlem in search of some soul food that I discovered I really (really) like greens. Next time you find yourself in the produce isle at the store with winter greens-a-plenty, save your routine veggie for next time and reach for the green stuff. Place a big leafy bunch in your grocery cart and strut towards the checkout, practicing your vocals for amateur night at The Apollo.

At home I tried some swiss chard instead of collard greens, and the quick and simple sauté made a nice side dish.

Recipe for Swiss Chard Sautéed with Garlic:

• One big bunch of swiss chard, washed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 cloves of garlic, cut in half
• One small squeeze of lemon juice (or more specifically, about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp)
• Salt and pepper to taste

First, prepare your greens. Wash thoroughly and cut off the base of the stem. You want to have some stem, but not the very bottom. That part is too stringy. If you are cutting through the base and it's stringy, keep moving your knife up until it goes through easily. That's the part of the stem you want to keep and eat. To separate the stem from the leafy part, fold it in half and slice out the stem from top to bottom. Coarsely chop both, keeping them separate. Meanwhile, place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil and garlic. Push around once or twice - you don't want the garlic to burn. Cook for a few minutes. Next, add the stems and cook for 3-5 minutes, pushing around a few times. Finally, add the leaves and cook for about 2 minutes until soft (again, pushing around a little bit for even cooking). Finish with a small squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper, and serve!

If You Can Bake it Here...

When I first moved to Manhattan, my impression of its inhabitants was comprised mostly of awe. These are New Yorkers! If they can make it here, they can make it anywhere. There must be some of the greatest minds in the world here. There must be some of the greatest chefs in the world here!

Recently, however, I started working at a cooking school assisting chef instructors when I met a new kind of New Yorker - a kind of hybrid human that I had never encountered before. The New Yorker that has literally never cooked a day in their life. I've met people that hate cooking, and don't know much about it, but they at least they've attempted to use their kitchens to prepare food. I suppose New York, a place where you can have anything delivered at any hour, is the only place you can actually get away with never using your kitchen for anything but shoe storage (which would explain some of the kitchens I confronted while apartment hunting).

A middle-aged man and an elderly woman that were paired together to make a cake looked at me with bewilderment when I explained the logic of greasing the whole pan. They had just splattered some oil across the bottom Pollock-style and called it a day. Another woman placed a pot of soup on the unlit stove top and asked, "Is it simmering?" I said, "Not yet; we need to turn on the heat, and when you see little bubbles around the edge, then it's simmering." She replied, with defiance, "No, bubbles would mean it's boiling."

At that point I was at a loss for words, which I suppose is why I don't actually teach the classes. I realized that sometimes I use terms in recipes such as sweating, simmering, sautéing, braising... and I just assume everyone knows what they mean. But, when pressured to define, I draw a bit of a blank. I'll need to come to the next class prepared, so here's my best shot at a few common cooking terms:

Sweating: Cooking something, usually veggies/onion, in a small amount of fat over very low heat. The idea is to soften and release the flavors without browning. This is common when preparing soup.

Sautéing: Cooking something quickly over the direct heat of the stove top.

Searing: Cooking meat quickly over high heat either on the stove top or under the broiler. Objective is to brown the outside of the meat.

Simmering: Without getting into the exact temperature needed, let's just say keep an eye out for tiny bubbles to break the surface.

Boiling: When your liquid gets up to 212 degrees F, it will be boiling. Look for big bubbles to break the surface, that won't disappear by stirring.

Baking: Cooking food in the dry heat of an oven.

Roasting: Cooking at a higher heat than baking, in some oil or other fat, uncovered, and with a desire to brown the exterior of the food.

Broiling: Cooking food directly under or above the heat source. Can produce similar (indoor) results to grilling.

Braising: A cooking method that uses low heat over a long period of time to tenderize meats and vegetables. If you have a crock pot, you are familiar with the idea of braising. To get the most flavor, brown (see "sear") your meat first. Then cover the meat with veggies and a little bit of liquid, and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook over (or in the oven) low heat for a couple of hours.

Bed of Sin-namon Rolls

The sinfully scrumptious cinnamon roll. A buttery temptress, seducing innocent passers-by with her irresistible aroma and layers of delicate pastry-flesh that spiral into an ambrosial abyss. Nothing I have baked in recent memory has sparked such lust, gluttony, and ultimately sloth, as the cinnamon roll. Following a recipe format from Emily Luchetti's Classic Stars Desserts, I made my very own delicious bed of sin in a 9" x 13" pan. It takes time and patience to conjure up such black magic (or shall I say, dark brown sugar magic), but the end result is worth every second of effort. Why wait until Fat Tuesday when you could be sinning with cinnamon right now?

Recipe for Bed of Sin-namon Rolls (adapted from Emily Luchetti's recipe for Cinnamon Rolls - makes 12):

For the dough:

• 1 tbsp (a little more than a packet) of yeast
• 3 tbsp warmed milk
• 2 + 3/4 cups of flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 eggs (room temperature)
• 12 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
• Extra flour for dusting the counter
• Extra butter for the pan

Dissolve the yeast in the milk, and let it stand for a couple of minutes. In a medium bowl, mix your dry ingredients - the flour, sugar and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs with the yeast/milk on a low speed until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, and mix on low until blended. Finally, add the butter and mix until all the ingredients have come together to form a dough. Place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface, and knead with your hands for a few minutes until smooth and satiny. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with a clean tea towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours. Prepare a 9" x 13" pan by greasing it with the extra butter. It can hang out in the fridge while the dough rises.

For the Sin-namon butter:

• 16 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2 + 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar and it was great)

Wash and dry your stand mixer bowl and paddle, and beat the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar on medium-low speed until creamy. Keep at room temperature.

Once the dough has roughly doubled in size, roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to about an 18" x 11" rectangle. Spread your cinnamon butter evenly over the dough. If you wanted to add chopped nuts, you'd spread those out over the dough as well.

Starting from one of the long sides, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces and place the rolls in your prepared pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let rise again in a warm place for another 2 hours. At this point, they could be placed in the fridge to rise overnight, then placed directly in a 350 degree oven the next morning. I personally do not have that kind of willpower.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake the Bed of Sin-namon Rolls for about 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and your kitchen smells like temptation. Let cool for 5 minutes, pry out with a spatula, resist premature ravaging, and drizzle with icing.

For the icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 + 1/2 tbsp water

Whisk together in a small bowl until smooth, and drizzle over the rolls. Devour as many as you can handle, and promptly pass out on the couch.

Hot off the Panini Press

After catching up on my reading of Cooks Illustrated, Everday Food, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Martha Stewart Living and Saveur, I noticed many similar feature and articles. I'm not sure if these magazines share freelancers, or if there are just surfacing trends that the foodie movers and shakers are picking up on.

So hot right now:

• Salumi / Artisan Cured Meats
• Fresh Ricotta
• Swedish Meatballs
• Braised Short Ribs
• Breakfast (!)
• Eating Cheap
• Peanut Butter Desserts
• Home-Baked Breads
• Locally-Grown Fruits and Vegetables
• Italian Food - According to more than one publication, Vetri in Philadelphia is the best restaurant in the country right now

What I think could be hot in 2009:

• Exotic Fruits
• Arugula
• Compound Butters and Smoked / Flavored Salts
• Two-Bite Amuse Bouche-Style Dishes
• Brunch
• Tongue (you heard me)
• Mussels
• Spiced Teas
• Southern Food
• Lemon or Orange Flavors + Dark Chocolate

Loin Me Tender

I keep reading that tenderloin is generally scorned as the most "overrated" cut of meat. Perhaps filet mignon is on the decline in the hearts of foodies everywhere, but at $5 a pound, pork tenderloin will stay in my heart until further notice. Tenderloin is easy to prepare if you remember a simple rule of thumb: cuts of meat (like tenderloin) with little or no fat need to be cooked fast over high heat (conversely, cuts that are marbled with fat need slow cooking over low heat to tenderize). If the heat is too low for tenderloin, you'll find yourself serving toughloin.

How to make Easy Pork Tenderloin:

You need: One pork tenderloin, seasoning (salt & pepper, or a smoky spice rub), a heavy-duty skillet that can go from stove top to oven (I am obsessed with my All-Clad; expensive but highly recommended), and oil to coat the skillet.

Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Heat the broiler in the oven. Season the tenderloin and sear on the stove top until brown on all sides. Transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking, turning the pork every couple of minutes with tongs, and checking internal temp until it reaches 150-155 degrees. When the pork is done, let it rest for several minutes, then slice and serve. You can use the bits from the pan to make a pan sauce as an accompaniment, but for my dinner pictured below, I just whisked some butter with grainy mustard over low heat in a small separate pan while the pork was in the oven.

Recipe for Pear-Cranberry Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette:

• Mixed greens
• Sliced pears
• Dried cranberries

For the Citrus Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette together, and toss with the greens, pears and cranberries.

Yes I Can

Are you on my website right now? Turn on NBC! CNN! History is being made!

No matter what you want, believe, or vote, it's a glorious day in America. Cue the tears of joy.

I have been fasting for exactly five hours and 17 minutes at the instruction of my doctor. Her office just called to confirm my appointment tomorrow, and told me that Yes I Can eat today; all I need to do is skip breakfast in the morning. Cue more tears of joy! I just went to the store and bought a pork tenderloin, and I am going to eat it tonight at my very own Upper West Side Inaugural Ball celebration, escorted by my handsome husband and two handsome pugs, and dressed in a stunning ensemble of J. Crew sweats and a t-shirt I got on sale at Target. God bless America!

I Yam What I Yam

I'm still a little confused by yams and sweet potatoes. Just when I thought I had it down, I went to the store today and the yams and sweet potatoes were next to each other; thank goodness for the guy stocking the shelves nearby to point out the box underneath the yams that boldly stated YAMS. I know yams and sweet potatoes can substitute for each other in some recipes. I know that sometimes yams are mislabeled as sweet potatoes and vice versa. I know that yams have more natural sugar and less vitamin A and C than sweet potatoes. But I don't know how to tell them apart by looking at them. I try to cheat by looking for ones that have their flesh peeking out.

I was pleasantly surprised and interested by the sweet potato winning last week's poll (I just assumed cheddar, being cheese, would run away with it). I love sweet potatoes baked with butter and brown sugar, and who doesn't like sweet potato fries?

Recipe for Ginger-Curry Sweet Potato Wedges:

• One sweet potato, peeled (optional) and cut into wedges
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp grated lime zest (from about 1/2 a lime)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 scallion, snipped for garnish
• Additional salt for finishing

Heat the oven to 450. In a shallow bowl or in a sealed plastic bag, toss the sweet potato wedges with all of the ingredients (except the scallion and additional salt - save that for the end). Spread out the wedges on a foil-lined jelly roll pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove pan, and flip each sweet potato wedge over with tongs. Place back in the oven and turn to "broil." Cook for an additional 10 minutes until the edges start to turn deep brown. Serve garnished with snipped scallions and salt to taste. For a "bistro style" serving, fold a square of parchment paper and stuff it inside the bottom half of a stainless steel martini shaker (see photo below). Drop the wedges inside.

Second, Dress to Impress

Recipe for a yummy and healthy Mediterranean Salad Pizza:

• One batch of Pizza Dough
• 2 cups of mixed veggies, etc, chopped bite-size: cucumber, red/yellow/green bell pepper, red onion, calamata olives (halved), and grape tomatoes (halved).
• 1 cup of grated Pecorino cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Red wine vinaigrette (1/2 cup olive oil + 1/4 cup red wine vinegar + one squeeze lemon juice + 1/2 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp ground pepper)
• Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 500 with a pizza or baking stone inside. Marinate the olives, tomatoes and veggies in the vinaigrette. Soak the crushed garlic in the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Remove the hot baking stone from the oven, and sprinkle with cornmeal. Lay the pounded dough flat on the stone, and pinch the edge for the crust, being careful of your fingers near the hot stone. Brush the entire pizza, including the edge, with the garlic infused olive oil. Spread out the toppings evenly, and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Finish with salt and pepper. Bake at 500 for about 8-10 minutes, until edges brown.

First, Make the Dough

A few months ago, I participated in a lengthy audition for the show, The Next Food Network Star. The "signature dish" I prepared for the camera was a pizza. Pizza sauce runs through my veins. My talented and charismatic father, one of the founders and owners of Davannis in Minnesota, taught me what it takes to make a perfect pie. I remember handling pizza dough at a very young age.

Not only did I not make it on the show, but in the months following my audition, suspiciously similar versions of the pizza that I had presented began appearing on menus and magazine covers. Coincidence? Well, yes, probably. But my ego screams, "conspiracy!" In reality, I just think that this could be the year that arugula shines (the pizza I had made for the audition included arugula with prosciutto, truffle cheese, and a pomegranate-balsamic reduction).

How to make Pizza Dough:

• 3 cups of flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup of warm water
• 2 + ½ tsp of yeast (or one packet)
• About a tbsp of cornmeal (for the pizza stone)

Dissolve the sugar and yeast in ¼ cup of the warm water. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and olive oil. Add the water with the yeast and sugar, and then add the remaining ¾ cup of warm water. Knead the dough until it has all come together and is elastic. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, bonus. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly coated in olive oil, and cover with a clean tea towel. Keep in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes. Take the dough out, knead with your hands, and transfer back to the covered bowl to rise again, this time for about another hour.

To pound the dough, take a little extra flour for your hands and a clean surface, and, using the tips of your fingers, play the dough like it’s a piano and you are Jerry Lee Lewis. Start pounding your way around the outside and work your way in, so it spreads out evenly in a circle. To make the crust, start at the top of the circle and pinch the dough between your fingers all the way around the edge, forming a little ridge. Dress to your liking, and bake at 500 degrees on a pizza stone lightly sprinkled with cornmeal for about 8-10 minutes, until edges brown.

Disclaimer: I vouch for this pizza dough. It is good stuff. But I did not just divulge the recipe for Davannis' dough. For an authentic Davannis pizza, you'll have to visit the Twin Cities. It's quite lovely there in the summer. Winter is lovely, too, but don't forget to pack your Uggs. They've been sported by many a Minnesotan, loooong before they hit Hollywood.

France is so Over

I read a lot of magazines. According to the January issue of GQ, when it comes to dining, Italy is the new France.

I do not watch a lot of TV, but when I do, I love Lidia's Italy! She's taught me how to clean and prepare squid, make "drooling" gnocchi, and introduced me to broccoli de rape (pronounced raa-peh; be sure to roll your "r").

Do you agree with GQ? What's the scene in your city?

Speaking of France...

I recently made a batch of French onion soup, and after countless failed attempts in the past, it turned out pretty good this time, in my opinion. The key is to let the onions get well-caramelized. No short-cutting it. Good stock helps immensely, too.

Recipe for French Onion Soup:

• One large (or two medium) yellow onions, sliced into rings, and then the rings cut in half
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cups of homemade veal stock, or quality store-bought beef/veal stock
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine
• Roux made from 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp flour
• Salt and cracked black pepper
• Slices of French baguette and generous grated Gruyère cheese for topping

In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion in the butter over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally, and cook for about 40 minutes until the onions are soft, smaller, and golden brown in color. Season with salt and pepper and stir a few more times. Add the wine first and stir, then add the stock and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the roux to thicken the soup slightly. Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls, and top with a crusty baguette slice. Sprinkle a handful of cheese over each, and place in the oven until the cheese is melted, bubby, and starting to get brown.

Memories and Melted Cheese

Sometimes the most memorable meals are not particularly indulgent or expensive, but ones you share with someone special, in a single magic moment. One of my most memorable meals was a crepe fromage that I shared with my husband in Paris. It was a perfect spring day. We had started at the Louvre in the morning, and leisurely strolled along the Seine, through the 7th Arrondissement, until we reached the Eiffel Tower. A street vendor prepared us a fresh, hot crepe, and we snacked on it together while watching the sun go down and the Tower lights come on.

Recipe for a Crepe Fromage (it's not Paris...only Paris is Paris):

Make the crepe batter by combining 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of warm water, 2 large eggs, 2 tbsp of melted butter, and 2 pinches of salt in a blender and blending until smooth. Let the batter rest for at least 15-20 minutes.

Warm a nonstick crepe pan or a well-seasoned carbon steel pan over medium heat. Pour a small amount (about 2 tbsp) of batter into the pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Cook until lightly browned, then swiftly flip over. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on half of the crepe, while letting the other side get browned. Fold the crepe in half over the cheese, then fold in half again. Serve hot, with a side of Paris.

Bed

Inclement weather and a wicked post-holiday hangover has driven me to my bed, rather than my kitchen, these past few days. It feels so nice to be swaddled by a fluffy down comforter, while a soft pillow gently cradles my head. A bed is a safe and warm place when the world outside is harsh and wintry. Sometimes I wish I could just hibernate bear-style. I like fish and berries. I think I'd make a pretty good bear.

From Brighton Beach, With Love

This is why I moved to New York.

As I rode the B train back towards home on the Upper West Side after my late-morning jaunt to the Ukraine (aka Brighton Beach, nicknamed "Little Odessa"), I stared out the window at the falling snow on the passing streets, inhaling the delicious aroma of the fresh pastry on my lap. One of the most amazing things about this city is the diversity in culture, and those hidden neighborhood pockets at the end of every train line that transport you to another world.

About a week ago while I was working, I met an elderly man named Alex, tearing tickets at a movie theatre. As we got to chatting, he told me about how he ended up in New York after growing up and spending most of his life in Russia. I couldn't help myself, so I asked him about Russian food. What reminds him of home? What does he make when he needs some comfort food? "I don't cook," he frowns and waves off my question, much to my disappointment. But after pausing for a moment, his face softens a little and he says, "Whenever I need a real taste of home, I go to Brighton Beach."

I decided that I simply must check this place out. A few mornings later I rolled out of bed, bundled up, and set out to the tiny waterfront area in Brooklyn. After about an hour-long train ride, I was sure I had fallen asleep and actually ended up in Kiev. As I descended from the train platform, the snow fell harder and faster, and I tugged my faux-fur-hat-with-ear-flaps tighter on my head. Storefront signs began to appear, one after another, in an unfamiliar language. Conversations swirled around me in what I assumed was the same strange language.

In my mind I was a glaring outsider, but people passed me without so much as a look. I curiously glanced into the open doorways of one bustling market after another, before finally mustering the courage to go inside one of them and take a look around. People shouted, bumping into each other, and sometimes stopping to ask me a question. Not a word of English was spoken. Undaunted, I stood in line at a baked goods counter where customer after customer ahead of me requested a slice of the same mysterious pastry dessert. I watched as the woman working behind the counter would bring out more and more of this thick layered pastry, lop of a huge slice, wrap it up, and then do it all over again for the next person in line. When it was finally my turn, she said something to me in Russian (at least I think it was Russian; I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to the language nuances of Eastern Europe), and, mentally crossing my fingers that she might understand me, I pointed to the favored pastry and asked in my most pleasant English, "What is that?" She looked at me, startled, and said in her most forced English, "This? It's like, a Russian Napoleon. It's nice" (I'm embarrassed to admit that her thick accent and the way she said "Eetz nah-ice" reminded me of the movie character Borat).

I requested a large piece of the treat since it was New Year's Eve and I needed to bring a dessert to my friends' house that evening. After I left the shop, I felt more confident, but still wished I had bothered to learn a little bit of the language beforehand. I returned to the train with my prize, hoping it would not disappoint my hosts for the evening. The aroma assured me it wouldn't. Good food is truly universal.

I snapped that last photo on the train ride home from Brighton Beach. Unable to resist the wonderful smell, I had to open the box and peak in on what I had just acquired from my adventure. When we finally ventured over to the home of our friends, Kip and Patrick, I apprehensively confessed that I had decided not to cook or bake something, and instead brought some esoteric Russian fare. Fortunately, the dessert was enjoyed by all, and it was just as deliciously interesting as I imagined.

I tried to search for a similar recipe online that closely matched what we had devoured. Click this recipe link to recreate your very own Russian Napoleon Tort.

Who Needs Girl Scouts?

I really can't get enough cookies. And since I have more cocoa powder and candy canes left over from the holidays than I know what to do with, I decided to take to the kitchen and create some peppermint-chocolate goodies. These are actually less like cookies, and more like small cakes. The taste is very similar to a Girl Scout's Thin Mint cookie, except it's a soft, fudge-y Fat Mint cookie.

Recipe for Fat Mints (makes about 30 small cookies):

• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) of butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp peppermint extract

For the glaze/topping:

• 2-3 candy canes, crushed
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp of water

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until it becomes a paste. Beat in the egg and peppermint extract until combined with the butter and sugar mixture. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Shape the dough into rounded teaspoon-sized balls, spread out on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and water to make the glaze. When the cookies are cooling, spread a little chocolate glaze on top and garnish with the crushed candy canes.

Nuts About New Year's Eve

If you're planning on hosting a posh New Year's get-together, champagne is key, but don't forget the finger foods. Whether you prefer a festive buffet, or a smattering of various appetizers placed throughout your house, small bowls of roasted nuts will compliment your snacking layout nicely. When I worked at Kitchen Conservatory in St. Louis, I became addicted to the honey roasted almonds that we would put out for the (ahem) customers. They make a great holiday munch.

How to make the Salty-Sweet Honey Roasted Almonds:

• 2 cups of whole raw almonds
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 2 tbsp of water
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp of kosher salt

Don't heat the oven - first, spread out the almonds on an ungreased baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven, then turn the oven to 350 degrees and take out the sheet after about 15 minutes and set aside. Toss once about halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, stir together the honey, water and oil in a medium saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Stir in the roasted almonds and cook, stirring until all the liquid has been absorbed by the nuts. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar and salt. Transfer the nuts to the bowl and toss until coated. Spread the nuts out on a sheet of wax or parchment paper to cool.

New York Brunch

The origin of Eggs Benedict is unclear, but its popularity is undisputed. Each weekend, the residents of New York collectively sit down for brunch. Nearly every restaurant in the city offers a special weekend brunch, and nearly every one includes some form of Eggs Benedict on the menu. There's traditional (english muffin, a slice of ham, and a poached egg with hollandaise), nontraditional (with smoked salmon, bacon, spinach, or tomato; the list is endless), and even McTraditional (the Egg McMuffin was inspired by Eggs Benedict - a slice of cheese sheepishly substitutes for the hollandaise).

How to make Eggs Benedict:

Toast an english muffin, and cover it with a piece of canadian bacon. Place a poached egg on top and cover with hollandaise sauce. I like to serve it with roasted asparagus on the side, which taste great swept up in the overflowing egg yolk and hollandaise sauce.

How to poach an egg:

In a shallow saucepan, bring a couple inches of water and a splash of vinegar to a very gentle simmer. The small amount of vinegar will help keep the egg together. With a slotted spoon, swirl the water and crack the egg right into the water. Keep swirling gently so that the yolk becomes encased by the white, and so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Be careful to keep the simmer and swirl gentle enough so as much of the egg stays together as possible without scrambling. Cook for a few minutes until the egg has somewhat solidified, but the yolk is still soft. Remove the egg from the water with the slotted spoon and transfer to a lint-free tea towel so the egg can dry off until you're ready to build your Eggs Benedict.

Make the hollandaise sauce:

(Note: I do not make hollandaise according to tradition... I use more egg yolks. And non-clarified butter.)

In a medium saucepan (or use a double boiler if you have one) bring a couple inches of water to a simmer over very low heat. In a stainless steel bowl set over the steaming water, whisk 4 egg yolks with the juice of 1/2 a lemon, plus a pinch of salt. Whisk continuously until the yolks become thick and light in color, and have increased in volume. This will take several patient minutes. Keep a hand on the side of the stainless steel bowl - if it gets too hot to touch, you may want to turn the heat down a little, or remove the bowl for a minute to prevent the egg from cooking too fast and getting chunky. Once the yolks have thickened, whisk in 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, one tablespoon at a time. Spoon the warm sauce over the poached eggs, and garnish with snipped chives. This will be enough sauce for at least 6 Eggs Benedicts.

Yule Tide Carol

Merry Christmas! I wish you comfort and joy, and lots of good food, through the holidays and into the new year.

If you could please allow me the pleasure... to serenade you with some merry measure... it would be this rendition of Deck the Halls.

And to all a good night!

Happy Cookie Days

Cookies are the food stars of the holidays. Every food magazine in December features beautiful shots of cookies and their corresponding recipes. Every family has a holiday tradition that revolves around cookies, whether it's leaving freshly baked treats for Santa, or hosting cookie exchange parties with friends. As an annual Yuletide ritual, I make the same ginger-molasses cookie every year. It's not the most popular cookie in my household, but to me it is synonymous with Christmas, and it's one of my favorites. My mother's Grandmother, Veronica Townsend (after whom I was named) used to make these for my mother, who then used to make these for me. Someday, I'll make these for my grandkids.

I made a batch of these yesterday, along with some classic chocolate chip cookies for my husband. I thought I might try to experiment and "Christmas them up" by taking a bit of the dough and adding some peppermint extract and crushed candy canes. Not a good idea. I've never baked candy canes in cookies before, but apparently they become a chewy, sticky, red-and-white-runny mess. So I nixed that operation. I still have a lot of candy canes in my possession for test creations, so maybe I'll try something else (being careful not to add them as garnish until after baking).

Recipe for Grandma Veronica's Ginger-Molasses Cream Cookies:

Mix together:

• 1/4 cup of butter (softened, but still a little cold)
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup molasses

Stir in:

• 1 tsp of baking soda, dissolved in 1/2 cup of warm water

Sift together these dry ingredients, then mix them into the wet ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of ginger
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Heat the oven to 400 degrees, and chill the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Drop rounded teaspoons full about 2" apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake until set, about 7-8 minutes. While the cookies are still a little warm, frost with icing.

How to make icing: Stir together 3/4 cup of powdered sugar with 1/4 tsp of vanilla and 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp of cream.