Snacktime at Pinkberry

It probably sounds shocking that a 20-something year old female Native New Yorker has never been to Pinkberry. But, shocking as it may or may not be, it's true.

I went to Pinkberry for the first time this week. I'd heard rave reviews from friends over the years, but was just never compelled to go in--until now.

Pinkberry brands itself as a healthy frozen yogurt chain where you can get all natural yogurt in a variety of delicious flavours with an impressive array of toppings, from the standard sprinkles and cookie crumbles to a selection of fresh fruit. It's typical of a lot of smaller to-go chains popping up all over the country, and particularly in New York City. Pinkberry is small, with a clean and crisp interior--white and green walls with clear, modern-looking chairs and seating. It tries to look healthy and clean, and comes off as such. Their frozen yogurt is pretty tasty. I was pleased with my combination of pomegranate yogurt with blackberries, granola, and strawberries as toppings.

The only complaint I had was that the price was not as marked. I got a medium, which I was told came with 3 free toppings included in the cost. The price was about $2 more than I anticipated, and the service was not as good as I could have hoped.

All in all, it's a good product, but if you're trying to be on a budget, make sure you clarify what you are getting before you get an unpleasant surprise.

Scandanavian Smoked Fish Quiche

With a removable-bottom quiche pan comes great enthusiasm.

Last Monday, my mom and I made a pilgrimage to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to purchase some additions to our meager collection of cooking supplies at home. Two hours and a great deal of excitement later, we came home with 3 non-slip mixing bowls, a block of knives, and a removable-bottom quiche pan.

Over the summer, I had spent a great deal of time in Boston where Alex was living and working for the summer. On the days when I was there and he had to work, I amused myself by exploring the Boston and Cambridge areas. One of my favourite places to visit was a shop in Harvard Square (also with a location on Beacon Street) called Black Ink. The shop is a treasure trove for all kinds of kooky, fun, clever, and generally unnecessary things that you just have to have. The two things that I purchased there over the summer were both unnecessary, but at least practical--a Not for Tourists Guide to New York City, and a Nordic Bakery Cookbook filled with scrumptious recipes for novel foods. A book with a passage that reads, "This recipe is traditionally made with reindeer meat, but as reindeer meat is not widely available, we have replaced it with bacon" (LMAO).

There are at least six recipes in the book that required this fabled quiche pan, and I wanted to make them. All of them.

The first one I am attempting is a Smoked Fish Tart with leeks and cheese.



The Recipe:

13 tbsps unsalted butter

3 1/2 tbsps sour cream

1 cup flour (the recipe calls for all-purpose, but I made it with whole wheat)

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

***

1 tbsp canola oil

2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and thinly sliced

3 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

small handfull of dill

7 oz smoked / cooked fish of any kind (I used cod)

sea salt and pepper

***
For the crust:

Cream the butter and sour cream in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add to the butter mixture and mix until a dough forms. Roll the dough into a ball, and then flatten into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is better!).

For the quiche:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If you are using fresh fish instead of smoked, cook it at 450 degrees (8 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness).

Start to prepare the filling. Heat a skillet with the oil and add your leeks. Cook them on medium-low for about five minutes or until they become slightly soft.

If you are a first-time-leek-cooker like me, here is how to prepare a leek:

Feel the outside skin of the leek and cut off the leaves where they start to feel tough. If the portion attached to the white part feels tough cut it until you have the white part and a bit of the light green part left. Cut off the roots and cut the leek lengthwise. Then slice into thin slices. Rinsing leeks is important, but is also a pain. Put your leek slices in a collander, and rinse them thoroughly to get the dirt and sand out from between the thin layers.

While your leeks are cooking, prepare the other filling. Combine the eggs, milk, dill, and cheese and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.

Here comes the slightly tricky part: you will need to roll out the dough and then place it into the tart pan. My dough was very hard to handle because it became soft very quickly after being taken out of the fridge, which made it impossible to roll and move. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it immediately even if it seems stiff. If you worry about making it into the pan, take the removable bottom of the pan and roll on top of it, before popping it into the rim of the pan. Do this step quickly to avoid a mess / having to re-chill the dough.

Once it is in the pan, press it to the sides and bottom and remove excess dough from the top.

Put the leeks in the crust, as well as the fish. Then pour in the wet mixture. Make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Place in the oven (preferably on a cookie sheet to avoid mess) and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is brown.

Serve wam or cold.

***

Check out Black Ink at their website: http://blackinkboston.squarespace.com/

Buy the book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Bakery-Cookbook-Miisa-Mink/dp/1849750963/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316533222&sr=1-1

Restaurant Review : Balon

I had the pleasure of going to a beautiful wine bar and restaurant on the Upper East Side the other day. Located at 81st street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue in Yorkville, Balon is an excellent and cozy spot to linger with a glass of wine and to enjoy some spectacular food. 81st street on the East Side is a restaurant goldmine: four of my favorite food-haunts are located within a one block radius (there's Yuka, a high quality all-you-can-eat for $21 sushi bar; Alice's Teacup III, for tea and scones; and Luke's Lobster, for expensive but mouth-watering seafood and lobster treats). I would pass Balon when I went to these other restaurants, and every time I passed, I wanted to go in.

The ambiance is what first caught my eye. On a warm evening, the bay windows are opened above an iron grille decorated with vines and christmas lights to reveal a modern, minimalist interior decorated in warm tones offset by warm lighting. The interior is garden themed, and guests are welcomed to sit back in wicker chairs at tables decorated with bright roses. My friend and I were seated in the window seat for two, where we stayed for over 2 hours without interruption.

The wine list is impressive and offers wine either by the glass or the bottle. While it might be described as expensive, it is by no means overpriced for the quality of the food, ambiance, and service. Wines range from moderately priced to pricy (from $9 to $18 a glass), giving patrons a wide choice. The food selection is impressive and expertly-crafted. Entrees are in the $20-$24 range, but you can enjoy a dessert for $10.



My friend and I each opted for a glass of wine and a dessert. She chose the pumpkin bread pudding with a glass of prosecco, while I had a glass of Crozieres red accompanied by a molten chocolate lava cake.

Both were, to put it plainly, incredible. My friend and I agreed, without hesitation, that that was one of the best desserts we had ever had. My wine was excellent and the serving size was not skimpy. My dessert was ample and to die for.

Balon is excellent for a special evening with friends, or if you're looking for somewhere quiet where you can linger for hours. I would not hesitate to go back, and hope that I have an excuse to do so soon.

Butternut Squash and Mushroom in Puff Pastry

Last year when I was in school and had a large, beautiful kitchen, I fell into the habit of making the New York Times' Dining Section recipe each Friday when I got out of class and had the time to challenge myself in the kitchen.

One of the best recipes I ever made was from the November 5, 2010 edition of the Times--a butternut squash and mushroom wellington. It was an ideal fall recipe: warm, mellow, rich, and delicious. Today, to celebrate the first day of Fall, I decided to give the recipe a reprise, with the added pleasure of using my own squash (for those of you who are keeping track, I have used 3 squash and given 1 away; 8 remain, so stay tuned for more squash recipes!).

The recipe takes fragrant cremini mushrooms and pairs them with butternut squash that is cooked in butter and caramelized with maple syrup. Shallots, thyme, white wine, and goat cheese make these pastries to die for.

The Recipe:

4 tablespoons butter
1 small butternut squash (1 1/4 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (14-to-16-ounce) package puff pastry
1 cup crumbled goat cheese

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment or tin foil.

2. In a very large skillet over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the squash in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 4 minutes. (If squash won’t fit in a single layer, cook it in batches). Stir and continue to cook until squash is golden, 7 to 10 minutes more. Stir in the syrup, thyme, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook one minute. Scrape mixture into a bowl.

3. Turn the heat down to medium and melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Stir in garlic and shallot; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining salt. Cook until mushrooms are soft and their juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook for another few minutes before stirring in the pepper and additional salt.

4. On a lightly floured surface, unwrap the puff pastry. Cut into 2 5-by-15-inch rectangles. When you've done this, move your pastry sheets to the baking sheet to avoid the disaster of transferring them when they are filled with ingredients (which I totally did not do). Spread mushrooms on each pastry rectangle leaving a 1 inch border (the original recipe suggests leaving a 1/4-inch border, but I highly recommend a bigger border so you have more room for wrapping the pastry closed). Spoon the cheese crumbles over the mushrooms, and spoon the squash over the cheese.

5. Brush the exposed borders of dough on each rectangle with a little water or egg white. Fold the long sides up to meet in the middle and pinch together to seal; pinch the ends, too. Carefully turn the pastries over so that they are seam down (otherwise, they will open and explode when you are baking them--not good). Bake until they are puffed golden, and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

These are not too difficult, aside from the puff pastry which can be tricksy. Just treat it delicately, and be careful not to break or tug it too much and you should be fine.

Check out the original recipe on the NYT website!: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/dining/10apperex.html

Photos courtesy of the New York Times.

A Taste of Autumn : Apple Tarts

Today was a bit of a rough day: I worked on things that I don't care about and had no motivation to do, I didn't leave the house because I didn't have to, and, to put the icing on the cake, I stepped on my mother's laptop which was on the floor and broke the screen (and spent a few subsequent hours planning repairs, shipping, and file back-up).

What made my day better? Listening to She & Him and deciding to put the apples I had bought to good use by making a French style, thin apple tart with an apricot glaze. I recently bought a tart/quiche pan with a removable bottom, so this needed to happen.

The Recipe:

This recipe is based on the Joy of Baking recipe for a French apple tart (http://www.joyofbaking.com/FrenchAppleTart.html), but I tweaked it a bit in the process.

Sweet Pastry Crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter

1 egg


Apple Filling:

6 medium apples

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/4 - 1/2 cup white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided


The Glaze:

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1 tablespoon Rum

***

Mix butter and beat until softened. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg, beating just until incorporated. (Don't over mix or the butter will separate and lighten in color.) Add flour and salt and mix just until it forms a ball. Refrigerate about one hour or until firm. Prepare a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11 - 12 inch circle that is uniformly 1/8 inch thick. Unroll onto top of tart pan and gently press to the sides of the pan. Cover and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Place an empty cake pan on the dough to make sure it doesn't puff up. Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly browned.

For bottom layer of apples: Peel, core, and slice three of the apples. In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and stir in between 2 - 4 tablespoons of the sugar, the lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the apples and saute over moderate heat, stirring occasionally for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Gently mash the apples with the back of a spatula or spoon and stir the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.

For top layer of apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into slices 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick. Melt 1 tablespoon (13 grams) butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the other 2 - 4 tablespoons (25 - 50 grams) sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the apples and saute until they begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Set the cooked apples aside.

Spoon the applesauce mixture into the cooled pre-baked tart shell. Arrange the apple slices in concentric circles over the applesauce, and brush with 1 - 2 tablespoons melted butter. Bake the tart on a baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the apples are nicely browned and soft. Once the tart has cooled lightly glaze the apple slices with warm apricot glaze.

My Own Butternut Squash Soup

This week has been pleasantly cool and autumnal, and I LOVE it. It's not too hot or too cold, you can be comfortable in either your summer or fall clothes, and you don't have to worry about melting every time you go outside. Fall is one of my favorite seasons: I love the feel, the look, the happy fall outfits, and the food.

Fall makes me think of apple and pumpkin pies, stews, mushrooms, baked goods, and apple cider. One of the best and most versatile autumn vegetables is the butternut squash, which can be prepared in unlimited and equally-delicious ways. This summer I prepared for my annual squash need by planting three squash plants in my garden. To my delight, they yielded about ten 1.5 pound butternut squashes. Needless to say, I will have to find new and innovative ways to prepare them in the weeks ahead.

The first thing I wanted to try was a butternut squash soup. I remember making butternut squash soup with my grandmother when I was a little girl. She had a big and beautiful old-fashioned kitchen in the turn-of-the-century house where she was born in Queens. There was a big iron stove and a faded wallpaper with green and gold glittering urns on it. The appliances and the furniture was from the 60s. We would bring out her special puree-wand and put it on the table. I'd kneel on one of the mint green plushy chairs to reach the table, and help to puree the squash.

Today, I went to my tiny and ill-equipped kitchen to make butternut squash soup. I had browsed some recipes, but didn't find one that shouted, "YES! Make me!" So, I created my own.

The soup was delicious and very unlike butternut squash soups I have had before. It was subtly spicy, but refreshing. Not one flavour was too overpowering, yet it was anything but boring.

This is my spicy, subtle twist on a fall favorite. Enjoy!

The Recipe:

2 1-1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into half inch cubes
4 cups water
1 beef boullion cube
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup shallots, diced
2 inches of fresh ginger, grated
2 tsps medium curry
2 tbsps butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cream

In a large pot, melt the butter and cook the onions and shallots on medium heat. Add the curry, ginger, and garlic and stir. Add the cubed squash and cook for about 8 minutes. Stir in the water and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer. Cook until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you have a blender, puree the squash in small batches. If you are like me and do not have a blender or food processor, you can take an electric mixer to the mixture and blend it until all the squash has been pureed. If you find this difficult, you might want to hand mash the squash with a masher and then blend it.

Serve hot and with sour cream.

Photo credit: marthastewart.com

The Buzz : Mojitos, with a Twist

I love cocktails. No, I am not an alcoholic. I just love mixing different things together to create something delicious, unexpected, and potent. Making a great cocktail is hard, because it takes forever to get it right and keep getting it right. The cocktail is a work of art. It's not just about the alcohol or its effects: it's about the presentation, the mental and physical stimulation, the taste, the aura, the pure excitement of having a cocktail.

One of my favorite cocktails is deceptively simple on paper, but, after some practice, becomes a standard in your cocktail repertoire. The Mojito is a summer classic, perfect for the hot Havana...I mean, New York city nights when you need something to cool you down. A good mojito does not taste of alcohol, but refreshes with a crisp combination of lime and mint with a splash of sparkling base.

My mojito recipe combines several different ones and makes, at least what I consider, a damn good drink.

First, you will need to chill your glasses. You may ask why, or silently decide that it's ok not to chill your glasses because "it will turn out the same anyway." Wrong, my doubting friend. Go put your glasses in the freezer and read the rest of this once you have done so.

Ingredients:

1 lime
Mint sprigs
Sprite Zero or Champagne
1 oz. Rose's Lime juice (the original lime juice that was in the first mojito in Havana)
2 oz. Light rum (white Bacardi works well)
¾ oz. Simple syrup (see how to make simple syrup below)


Crush the mint sprigs at the bottom of a chilled highball glass. Make sure that you crush them enough to release their minty goodness. Fill the glass with crushed ice cubes, so as to trap the leaves at the bottom. Add the simple syrup, lime juice, and rum and stir. Top off your glass with Sprite Zero or Champagne.

Simple Syrup
½ cup water
½ cup sugar

Stir together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and wait until sugar is completely dissolved. Chill.

Image credit: bevcooks.com

Prepared...at Home: Tabouli

I thought it would be an interesting project to try and duplicate foods that we typically purchase prepared at home. Would they be equally, or perhaps even more delicious than their prepared counterparts? Would they pale in comparison? Well, I was going to find out.

The first thing that I wanted to try to make at home was tabouli, the traditional Arabic dish that you can find in the grocery store near the hummus. Tabouli is traditionally made with bulgur, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and cucumber and seasoned with olive oil and lemon. "That can't be too hard," I said, as I found a box of bulgur in the supermarket and proceeded to amass the ingredients specified in the recipe on the back of the box.

Last night, I whipped out all of my ingredients and arranged them on the countertop before beginning my cooking adventure.

Tabouli a la Back of the Box

1-1/2 cups dry bulgur
2 cups boiling water
3 tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 bunch of scallions
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice

Let the bulgur soak in the boiling water for at least two hours. Then, drain the remaining water and put in a bowl. Chop all of the vegetables finely and add them to the bulgur. Create a dressing of the olive oil and lemon juice and let it rest 2 hours before serving.

That sounds easy, doesn't it?

I'm pretty sure that my kitchen revolted. It did not want to make tabouli.

The problem with this recipe was that it was too vague. Cucumbers are wildly different in size, as are bunches of scallions. The bulgur wheat needed more water than was specified, and I think that I added more water to compensate which made it slightly soggy. I did not chop the vegetables finely enough, which was my own problem, but I also did not think that the vegetables really worked. The sauce was also not right for some reason. The final product was moist, overly-chunky, oddly flavoured and not very satisfactory.

Maybe this was just my failure to make good tabouli, but I also tend to think that store-bought tabouli is just better for the money and effort.

The verdict: buy some tabouli, and make something else

Photo credit: http://hilahcooking.com/how-to-make-tabouli/

Two Words : Strawberry Cheesecake

My boyfriend Alex's birthday was fast approaching, and I had no idea what to make him. Last year, I had truly outdone myself with a ridiculous chocolate cake from Epicurious--the Mile High Chocolate Cake, which comprises four layers of chocolate glued together with butter and more chocolate. This year, I wanted to do something different, but I wasn't sure what. I flipped through the photos of to-die-for cakes on the Food section of Pinterest trying to find something. Finally, I stumbled upon a photo of a chocolate cake that eventually led me to another cake entirely--Martha Stewart's Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake.

I love strawberries. I love cheesecake. What deranged person doesn't? (Well, I know some people but we won't talk about them). Alex, being an intelligent human being, also loves strawberries and cheesecake, especially when they are combined.

The cake was pretty labour-intensive and must have used every pan / bowl in my broom-closet-sized kitchen, but hot damn, it was good.

I've made cheesecakes before, but they were always too dry and not as delicious and when I had gotten them from New York landmarks such as Junior's or Zaro's. The trick with this cheesecake was the way in which it was baked. When I first read the instructions, I had one of those, "Wait...what...?" moments. I read the steps about 3 times, feeling my blonde hair absorbing all my intelligence, until I realized that while it sounded terrifying, the step was probably not so bad in practice. Martha instructs that you wrap a springform pan in 2 layers of tin foil, place it in a roasting pan, and fill the roasting pan with boiling water until it reaches half way up the springform (O_O). But, once you do it, it's not too hard. My kitchen was not equipped with a baking pan large enough to accommodate my springform, so I did it gangsta style: in a cast iron frying pan.

The cake was per-fect. In every way. The strawberry layer was superb, the mascarpone cheese made it taste like a real, authentic, restaurant-quality cheesecake. My boyfriend's eyes rolled back with delight, his new roommates realized I was worth keeping around, his sister, with whom I have a gentle baking competition, admitted defeat and I got a piece of cheesecake.


The Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound strawberries, hulled
3 tablespoons light corn syrup (*alternative: I substituted honey for corn syrup and it was delicious!*)
1 cup finely ground graham crackers (about 4 sheets)
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pound plus 13 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and reserved (you can also use 3 tsps of vanilla extract if you cannot find / afford vanilla bean)
8 1/4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature

Steps:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place strawberries in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with corn syrup, and toss gently to coat. Bake until syrup thickens and strawberries turn deep red and shrink slightly, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer strawberries and syrup to a medium bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Let cool completely.

Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter in a small bowl. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to make an even layer. Bake until crust is firm to the touch and has just darkened, about 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let crust cool completely.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Put cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, then gradually add remaining cup sugar and the salt. Scrape down sides of bowl; add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl, and mix in vanilla bean seeds and mascarpone until very creamy and no lumps remain, about 3 minutes. (Reserve vanilla bean for another use.)

Transfer 5 cups cream cheese mixture to bowl with mashed strawberries; stir to combine. Pour strawberry-cream cheese mixture on top of crust; smooth with an offset spatula. Carefully spoon dollops of plain cream cheese mixture on top, smoothing with an offset spatula.

Wrap the exterior of the springform pan in 2 layers of foil; set in a large roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with boiling water until water reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake cheesecake until set, about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours (up to overnight).

Voila!


Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Online: http://www.marthastewart.com/340256/strawberries-and-cream-cheesecake

We're on mission--a food mission

May of 2011 was a time of major change for me: all within the span of a month, I graduated from college and entered the ever-widening realm of the unemployed, started working out for the first time in my life, experienced many major personal and emotional changes, and traveled to Asia for the first time. Within 30 days, everything about my life and my day-to-day routine changed. Graduation brought with it not just a diploma (though that was a great comfort), but complete freedom: no classes, no structure, no extra-curriculars, and no idea of what to do next.

The summer was busy: I spent no more than 14 days in one place for the entire span of the summer. I traveled all over the East Coast, from Vermont to Massachusetts to New York and back, then to Asia and Europe. Now, as most of my friends return to school, as my parents go back to their jobs, and as fall settles in on New York City, I find myself free to fill my time as I please.

Now, that may sound like fun, but as every recently-graduated and unemployed 21 year old can tell you, it's scary. It's terrifying. It's anxiety-attack inducing.

That's where food comes in.

I have always loved to cook. Coming from a French-American family, cooking has always occupied an important role in my life. One cannot underestimate the importance of good-quality and good-tasting food not only in nourishing the body, but in bringing people together. During my time in college, I was faced with the fun prospect of cooking for myself in my apartment. I became more comfortable with quotidian cooking, and not just the preparation of meals for dinner parties or large events. Those happened, to be sure, but something that I truly enjoyed was discovered how things went together, and learning how to expand my food horizons.

With this blog, I hope not just to chronicle my cooking, baking, and bartending exploits, but also to share the things I learn about technique, nutrition, healthy eating, food preparation and shopping, and eating out on the town in New York City.

I hope that you enjoy the stories from my kitchen, and that you leave a little hungrier than you were before you arrived!