I’ve all but given up American-style yogurt; I now favor the thick, tangy Greek variety that is finally available in most supermarkets. It’s largely, but not solely, a taste issue: plain Greek yogurt not only has a more assertive flavor that melds well with fruit, granola, honey, and any number of other accessories, [...]
This unassuming, modest-looking Venetial Apple Cake is, so far, my favorite recipe from the new book of Babbo restaurant’s desserts, Dolce Italiano, by Gina De Palma. Polenta lends it a slight chewiness; a grated apple nearly dissolves into the rest of the batter when baked, producing a sweet flavor that is intensified by the addition [...]
A must-visit for any baker, cooker, or food-lover in the city is Kitchen Arts & Letters, a cozy nook on the Upper East Side specializing in cookbooks and other culinary literature. It is organized into sections according to subject, including soups, salads, chocolate, baking, and books by big-name chefs. Hard-to-find and out-of-print books can be had [...]
For the serious baker (and by “serious” I mean obsessed with making and eating pastries and the like), I recommend Gina De Palma’s Dolce Italiano cookbook for its recipes, of course, but also for its instructional value. You will learn so much from this book. Doing a cursory flip-through, I was a bit intimidated; De Palma is, duh, [...]
Fan of Top Chef that I am, I was so excited to get Padma Lakshmi’s new cookbook, Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet. There is a great emphasis on foods with light, fresh flavors; spices; and the blending of culinary traditions from around the world. Weaved throughout are little vignettes that reveal a bit about the author [...]
Anyone who knows me can attest to how much I adore Nigella Lawson. I think she is a fantastic, engaging writer who has a way of making her recipes sound both comforting and exciting. So it was with great anticipation that I awaited her latest book, Nigella Express. Happily, it is the same mix of [...]
