Archive for June 2009

Avocado and Pink Radish Crostini
Makes about 15

This recipe could not be simpler, or more suited for the season (not to mention my refrigerator), and yet, I don’t think I would have thought of the combination had it not been for Chocolate and Zucchini. I’ll admit that before Spring hit this year, I was never the biggest radish fan. If I were, it would have been inevitable that I’d have topped a crunchy sliver with a bite of avocado as I do with most any vegetables year round, and in the summer,…

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Mixed Greens with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette
Makes 4 servings

I’ve been told that the true sign of maturity is being able to care for another living thing. Since I’m currently single, and not looking for any pets or babies to fill that void in the near future, I decided to test out my grown-up conscientiousness by buying (and potting, mind you) a basil plant. It’s been a few weeks now, and after giving the majority of its leaves to this dressing, my baby is back in action, and my how…

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EVENT: Old Friend, Old Flavors
VENUE: Phoebe’s Apartment, Flatiron
PARTY SIZE: 2
TYPE: Casual Weeknight Dinner
MENU: All Grown-up White Cheddar Broccoli Mac n’ Cheese; Mixed Greens with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

My friend Anna was like my sister growing up. Our families spent all their time together, her friends were my friends, and though our eating habits could not have been more different in our respective homes, we shared a lot of meals. I had always thought of my house as the black hole for…

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Carrot Salad with Orange Flower Water

Makes 8 amuse-bouche servings

Read the original post here.

Ingredients
1 lb carrots, peeled and finely grated on a micro-plane
1 lemon, juice only
4 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp orange flower water
1 tbsp white vinegar
Salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, then leave to marinate for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator.

Taste and adjust seasoning as desired, then serve either chilled or at room temperature.

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a real dining room table, complete with full place settings, and crusty bread

EVENT: The Rents Woke Up One Day and Decided to be Social

VENUE: Phoebe’s Parents’ Apartment, Upper West Side

PARTY SIZE: 8

TYPE: Sunday Supper, Moroccan Feast

MENU: Carrot Salad with Orange Flower Water; Fish Tagine with Chermoula, Preserved Lemon, and Mint; Haricot Vert; Couscous; Assorted Tarts

The summer after my senior

…

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I brought these to a potluck recently. I thought of a) reheating them, and b) topping them with a sauce, but in the end, I did c) none of the above. The same amount of tofu-zucchini mixture would make burger-sized croquettes for 3 or 4 people, and they’d be good served à la Phoebe’s chickpea burgers, with raita and slaw.

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DISH: Saturday Salad with Walnuts, Zucchini, Dates, Radishes, and Gouda
TYPE: Favorite Foods
MAIN INGREDIENT: Lettuce

The other day, I was walking down Park Ave, back to the office from Just Salad, my favorite lunch take-out place in Midtown. It is a design-your-own-salad venue; you pick greens, add-ins, and dressing, and the guys behind the counter assemble, chop, and charge you (kind of a lot). So there I was carrying an enormous salad in a bag, wishing that there were fewer than six and a half blocks between salad and my cube, because…

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DISH: Chocolate Chip Cake
TYPE: In the Night Kitchen

Phoebe thinks I have a weird obsession with freezing things. I don’t, really. Growing up, all the freezer held besides ice and ice cream was butter. We didn’t freeze meat, and we didn’t eat many frozen vegetables (except peas; I have fond memories of eating frozen peas—undefrosted). With a few exceptions, I’ve stuck to the rule of thumb that food is generally better from the fridge or the pantry than it is reheated from the freezer. (If you’ve ever been to Picard, in…

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Fusilli with Asparagus-Mint Pesto
Serves 4

Walk through any farmers’ market or well-stocked supermarket aisle and you’ll see bundles upon bundles of fresh, local asparagus. Likewise, the table at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, where I went for a lunch a few weekends ago, on a trip organized by Food For Thought Tours. There, I was served asparagus on top of fresh baby greens, and, most unusual, it was all drizzed with a puree of more asparagus and mint. I tried to recreate these fresh flavors in this dish, using the asparagus stalks to create a…

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DISH: Broccoli-in-Garlic-Sauce Fried Rice
TYPE: Transforming Take-out

Sometimes even we food bloggers get take-out. It’s such a New York delicacy that it feels unduly austere not to take advantage of it at all. And as long as you’re careful with the menu and exercise some form of self control, things from paper and plastic containers can sometimes be just as budget friendly as supermarket shopping.

I have an obsession with Hunan Delight in Park Slope, which I count not only as the best Chinese food in my neighborhood, but even…

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