Big Girls Test Kitchen

You’re looking at two Coconut Budinos, the sweetest little individualized desserts ever to be beloved by everybody. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and require no skill to make. They’re universal, unless you’re a coconut hater. Democratic, if you will.

A democratic dessert fits perfectly in with what’s going on today, because I want to share some plans with you and ask for your opinions: What are you looking for when you come to BGSK? What are your favorite parts of the site?

I talked on Friday with Rachel, our WordPress designer, about getting into gear to make design changes I’ve been…

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Supposedly my great-grandmother, who lived to be 104, started each day with a piece of toast spread with both cream cheese and butter, and I think I may have inherited her love for fattening dairy products. Hopefully, that will not compromise any longevity she may have passed down to me.

She wasn’t Irish, and neither am I. But some of the best butter with which to slather your toast is.

In Europe, the cows must eat some gourmet grass, because the milk they produce is creamy. Much of it really does contain a higher percentage of butterfat than you…

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Creamy polenta has always seemed like a rather daunting dish to serve a crowd of guests. It takes longer to cook than one would imagine, and in my experience, it can transform from a soft, pillowy cushion into a rubbery, coarse brick in seconds. Because of this, I’ve always intentionally gone for the brick version for dinner parties.

Recently, I came across this Bittman article and discovered a different way of preparing polenta. Instead of pouring the cornmeal into boiling water in a steady stream and whisking furiously to prevent any lumps from forming, you…

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Beets are kind of a polarizing vegetable. When I was little, something about them didn’t agree with me. Perhaps it was because the color, in my eyes, made them resemble the fruits of my nightmares, rather than the veg of my dreams. But in the last few years I’ve really come around. And in fall and winter, when sometimes they seem like the only thing besides potatoes and squash at the farmers’ market, they are all the more comforting as part of a warm, healthful salad.

A month or so back, I had…

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Since starting BGSK in November 2008, I’ve purchased a surprisingly small number of cookbooks. Yet, I was forced to buy a second, identical, bookshelf to house all of the books I seemed to accumulate. And when it finally came time in May to move out of my apartment, I found that new bookshelf had to be packed up in five large storage boxes full of big, beautiful, clunky cookbooks.

How did this happen? Well, when you become a food writer, there seems to be two go-to presents: cookbooks and aprons. I now have a more diverse and…

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OTHER BOOZY FOODS: Oatmeal Stout Cake; Beer-Braised Short Ribs with Soy and Honey; Baked Tofu with White Wine, Mustard, and Dill

If my ex-boyfriend North had his way, he would have eaten Penne alla Vodka for every meal. No matter what the venue—New York diner, upscale Italian restaurant, or our college dining hall—he would try to order this pasta dish, and amazingly enough, most of the time he got his way.

I’ve never been one for depriving myself of rich, indulgent food. But somehow I drew the line at Penne…

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OTHER MAIN COURSE SALADS: Spicy Thai Beef Salad with Mizuna; Crispy Duck Salad with Pears, Pecans, and Ginger-Honey Mustard Vinaigrette; Saturday Salad with Walnuts, Dates, Zucchini, and Gouda

Salads are sometimes a bit of a food pickle for people trying to stay healthy. If you add bacon, cheese, egg, and chicken to your lettuce to make it delicious, and then slather it in creamy ranch dressing, is what you’re eating still truly a salad? Emotionally, maybe. But calorically? Hell to the no.

The cobb salad is probably the menu…

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OTHER GLOBAL HYBRIDS: Moroccan Bouillabaisse; Soba Noodles with Kale, Parmesan, and Walnut Sauce; Austrian Breakfast Tacos

Throughout our many book appearances and Q&A’s, both online and off, one of the most popular questions people like to ask us is about our process: how do you come up with your recipes? Where do you get your inspiration?

We’re both pretty creative people, so the answer more often than not is: the idea just popped into my head, and I’m not quite sure how it…

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Non-Gluten Free Fried Seafood: Baja Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Crema; Lightly Fried Tilapia with Caper Brown Butter; Over-Fried Flounder; Coconut-Crusted Tilapia; Pan-Fried Trout with Pecans

I suppose it could be considered lucky that I found out about my little problem with gluten right at the brink of summer. If there is ever a time when I crave pasta less, it’s probably August, when the weather makes me want to sit in my shower under an icy stream and never come out.

But while summer offers…

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OTHER SWEETS YOU’D NEVER GUESS WERE DAIRY FREE: Sweet Almond Pancakes with Fresh Raspberries; Peanut Butter Granola Bars; Pumpkin Pancakes; Double Gingersnaps; Banana Coconut Crumb Cake

When you live in the city, and you have a small kitchen, you have to say no to a lot of kitchen tools and devices. While, sure, it would be nice to own the right equipment for every occasion, we really have to weigh what there is room for in our cabinets. Would our baking be more efficient if we owned the right…

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