The Wednesday Chef

Month: November 2006

  • Regina Schrambling’s Almond-Cranberry Cookies

    Well, actually, these aren't meant to be made with almonds. They're supposed to be pistachio-cranberry cookies (with vanilla extract instead of almond extract, and salted, chopped pistachios instead of toasted almonds). But yesterday was the kind of dark, cold day that simply begged for a lit oven and a tray or two of baking cookies…

  • King Arthur Flour’s Fudge Pudding Cake

    This is possibly the easiest chocolate dessert you'll ever make. That doesn't mean that it's the best dessert or the chocolatiest, because it's not. But it does win the crown of easiest, and when your dinner preparation takes twice as long as you thought it would and you realize that baking dessert was the simplest…

  • Regina Schrambling’s Lentil and Duck Salad with Hazelnut Dressing

    I don't know if you noticed, but there hasn't been much balance in terms of cooking from both coasts here lately. Although it wasn't done on purpose, it's been all NY Times all the time, and my LA Times recipes have begun to nurse a distinct grudge against me in their little corner. No more!…

  • The Pink of Perfection

    M. Kennedy, the ringleader of this NaBloPoMo business, has directed us post-addled writers to relax at the halfway mark. "Post something from Youtube!" she says blithely. Well, dear readers, I have something much better than that. Mosey on over to Sarah and Sebastian’s fantastically clever site, The Pink of Perfection, for video footage of my…

  • Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread

    I imagine many people's weekends were spent like mine – with a bowl of flour, instant yeast and water fermenting in a warm corner of the kitchen as they went about their business, courtesy of Jim Lahey and that kitchen imp, Mark Bittman. Yes, you all know how I feel about the Minimalist. I usually…

  • In My Kitchen

    1. A rainbow collection of cast-iron cookware collected over the years: the green one given to me by my father in college along with my first (and still, best) kitchen knife, the orange one a birthday present from a friend last year (thanks, Kirsten!), the blue one scored for 75% off at Broadway Panhandler when…

  • Chloe Doutre-Roussel’s Spicy Hot Chocolate

    My photography skills are quite limited when it comes to brownish liquids in white mugs, it seems. Trust me when I tell you that this tasted much, much better than it looks. Well, duh. Could a vanilla bean and chopped bittersweet chocolate and milk and cream and spunky spices and two spoonfuls of sugar all…

  • Nigel Slater’s Chicken and Rice Salad

    I'm not going to be beat around the bush here. Gentle readers, I have to tell you, this NaBloPoMo thing? Is exhausting me. It's been such a great week, what with those elections and the first female Speaker of the House and healing my great heartbreak from 2004 (and, frankly, 2000, but let's not even…

  • Nigel Slater’s Clams with Ham and Sherry

    I actually don't know what to call this post. Because I took inspiration, yes, from Nigel Slater's recipe for Clams with Ham and Sherry, but then, so inspired by his slapdash manner, I found myself improvising everything. I ended up with a succulent, savory bowlful of New Zealand cockles and chorizo. So, here's my compromise.…

  • Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries

    In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll tell you right away that I was sent a copy of Nigel Slater’s latest book by his US publisher last week to review here. But I’ll also tell you that I would have happily paid full price for this book, because ever since discovering the Observer Food Monthly…