Jan
3
2011
Aug
10
2010
Beet Gnocchi & Smoked Almond Pesto
Jul
21
2010
Hump Day Happy Hour: Ginger & Cucumber Sake Cooler
Part 3 of my July cocktail series featuring thirst-quenching libations every Wednesday this month. Glug, glug, glug, glug…
Jul
14
2010
Hump Day Happy Hour: Pastis Cocktail for Bastille Day
Part 2 of my July cocktail series featuring thirst-quenching libations every Wednesday this month. Glug, glug, glug, glug…
Jun
28
2010
Piselli al Prosciutto
No crazy musings here, folks. Just a classic case of “Girl meets peas. Girl cooks peas”.
Jun
15
2010
Croquembouche
He called me last week at 5pm on a Thursday afternoon from work and said, “Can you make a cake for 15 people for tomorrow?” Uh, err, umm…sure?!
May
28
2010
Cacio e Pepe & Welcome to the Neighborhood!
Has it really been 23 days since my last post?!? “Bad blogger! Tsk tsk tsk!” (as I scold myself and wiggle my index finger from side to side). It has been quite a frenetic month with packing and moving and unpacking again. But we’re happy to finally sit back and enjoy our new home!
Apr
22
2010
Steamed Sea Bass Roll In a Sesame Ginger Sauce
Apr
13
2010
Bibingka – A Filipino Dessert
My very first and successful attempt at one of my favorite classic Filipino treats. An interesting amalgamation of flavors, bibingka fuses together a simple rice flour cake with coconut milk, salted eggs and cream cheese.
Mar
31
2010
Kiwi Granita
One of my favorite parts about going on vacation is the challenge to use all our perishable ingredients in order to avoid coming home to radioactive mutant produce with fur and legs. Kiwi was one of them.
Mar
12
2010
Braised Chicken In an Adobo Reduction
Alas, my very first Filipino recipe. With a twist, nonetheless. And a bon voyage to us!
Mar
10
2010
Pots de Crème au Caramel Salé
Years ago, I saw a similar dessert on a menu at a restaurant. Sadly, my inhibition of slaughtering the classy pronunciation trumped my desire for this tiny jar of goodness. Lesson learned. So say it with me now: po – de – krem. Not: pots – day – cream.
Mar
5
2010
Oeufs En Cocotte…On Quack
While most women get hot and heavy over French designer labels such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Christian Lacroix, my heart skips a beat for a different kind of haute couture. Frankly, I’m quite appalled that it wasn’t seen on the designer runways last month.
Feb
8
2010
Spicy Minced Pork in Lettuce Cups
Our trip to Costa Rica is T-minus 32 days. We have to conquer 2 volcanoes, climb a mountain at 3800m (12,467 ft. for my fellow Americans), survive in the rainforest and dive 20m down into the ocean. So yeah, we’re remotely trying to eat healthy and shape up.
Feb
2
2010
Jour des Crêpes!
The second day of February is a religious holiday the French call la Chandeleur – a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary. There are several traditions surrounding this holiday so sit back, eat a crêpe and soak in a little more culture.
Feb
1
2010
Buttermilk Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes & Lemon Curd
Better late than never. This past Friday was in fact, National Blueberry Pancake Day according to Bon Appétit magazine. Apparently my biological foodie clock is almost in sync because I already had plans to make this for our Sunday brunch.
Jan
31
2010
Tuna Tartare – Fish & Chips with a Twist
Oooops! I did it again. It’s like an abusive relationship that you can’t leave because it’s THAT good. You know what I’m talking about. Oh sweet Chinatown.
Jan
28
2010
Spaghetti Pomodoro
I was a young foodie padawan when I started my first job in the restaurant industry. California Pizza Kitchen was my Yoda. For three years, I waited on tables, silently learning and developing my palate. This was my favorite dish, and it was my destiny to conquer it.
Jan
28
2010
Truffled Papardelle & Poached Eggs
My best friend has once again teased me about my multi-syllabic meals but this is coming from a guy who has no problems eating tuna straight out of the can. So I dedicate this recipe to my BFF of 18 years.
Jan
25
2010
Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna & Ponzu Sauce
Jan
22
2010
French Onion Soup
Filled with tears, blood shed and triumph, this entry has all the makings of a blockbuster thriller. I bet you didn’t realize french onion soup could be so exciting.
Jan
14
2010
Hearty Beef Chili
Alas, a real deal manly meal! No truffle oil, no hollandaise, no puff pastry. It doesn’t have any fancy French words thrown in like mousse, roulade or frisée. Just a good ol’ hearty meal after a long day in the fields, harvesting wheat in your tractor (is that what you even use a tractor for???).
Jan
12
2010
Roulade of Salmon Tartare & Roe
I was a late bloomer. The California roll was my idea of sushi. Meanwhile, all my trendy friends ordered sashimi. I was determined not to let some squishy, raw fish bring me down. I wanted to be cool and look at me now!
Jan
11
2010
Rustic Tomato Pizza
Jan
7
2010
Truffled Mac n’ Cheese & Wild Mushrooms
Talk about culture shock. It was only his second week away from his motherland, a place that boasts over 3,000 varieties of cheese. At the high-pitched sound of a beeeeeeeeeeep, a tiny bowl of gooey flourescent orange food emerged from the microwave. Welcome to AM-ER-ICAAAA!
Jan
4
2010
Eggs Benedict on Quack
Bonne année et bonne santé! It’s been a hectic month with all the baking, gift-wrapping, train rides and weekends away from home. Our apartment is in dire need of a disaster relief task force to finally get things back in tip top shape. But first, I need to divulge our recent addiction to quack.
Dec
23
2009
Pupcakes For Cowboy & Ninja
This post is dedicated to the two furry, four-legged loves of my life. Meanwhile, the two-legged love of my life is probably snooping around the kitchen trying to sneak a bite of these pupcakes. All three of them have a lot in common. They eat everything.
Dec
22
2009
Truffe Au Chocolat – Chocolate Truffles
The inspiration to many of our culinary musings, his mother has given us countless recipes from her own archives. En français, of course. I hope one day I won’t mistakenly put ground beef in a mousse au chocolat recipe… “Oh! It said œuf (egg)? Not bœuf (beef)?!”
Dec
21
2009
Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches & Peppermint Creme
If peppermints were animals, they would probably go into extinction due to all the peppermint consumption around the holidays. So it’s a good thing they’re not because I’ve been using an awful lot of them in my recipes lately.
Dec
18
2009
Pepperminty Chocolatini – Holiday In a Glass
Godiva white chocolate liqueur with swirls of peppermint schnapps – for those who prefer to drink their dessert.
Dec
17
2009
Pumpkin Spice Muffin w/ Gingersnap Crumble
As they say in France, “jamais deux sans trois” – never two without three. So I present to you the third of my recent crumble obsession. I wanted one last chance to jump on the pumpkin bandwagon before the holidays were over. And this is such an easy recipe. Trust me.
Dec
16
2009
Mixed Berry Crumble For Two
As I bit into my dessert, memories of this past summer came flooding back. A refreshing jaunt along the Basque coastline with his father and sister. Up and down the cliffside with views of San Sebastien in the near distance. And a rewarding lunch of tagine followed by his mom’s delicious berry crumble.
Dec
14
2009
Cranberry Muffins w/ Hazelnut Crumble & Orange Butter
I woke up Saturday morning with a sudden epiphany. I still had a package of leftover dried cranberries that was the forgotten love child from my curry chicken salad recipe. It was time to put an end to its misery from the back corner of our pantry.
Dec
10
2009
Pomegranate Sparkle
Eat. Drink. Be merry! The ultimate recipe for a joyful holiday season. You didn’t think we could get through this season without any alcohol, did you?
Dec
10
2009
Prosciutto Egg Cups & Wild Mushrooms
An entire meal that was invented for people who like to sleep in on a weekend. A meal that says “Sure! Go ahead and have a few cocktails with your eggs and bacon!”. The one meal where you won’t be considered an alcoholic for boozing it up before noon. So what’s not to love about brunch?
Dec
8
2009
Tiramisu- La Dolce Vita!
Sounds fancy. Looks fancy. Hence, it’s probably too complicated to make it yourself. I always assumed I’d be better off ordering it from a restaurant than causing a tornado of cocoa powder, mascarpone cheese and lady fingers in our kitchen as I sit defeated in a puddle of espresso.