This recipe for corn relish is a flagship of Springy Banks Cannery (a.k.a. my kitchen). Rather than elaborate with frills and filigrees, as is so often the case when I repeat recipes year after year, this minimalist treatment is the Mies van der Rohe of corn relish recipes. Hey let's drag in another pretentious reference! Coco Chanel is on record … [Read more...]
CRISP BREAST OF DUCK JULIE ANNE: AN ORIGNAL GOURMET RECIPE
This recipe leapt off the page from the the An American Place cookbook. Crisp duck skin, delicious as it is, isn't a much of a culinary mystery. But the technique in this recipe -- rendering the fat, leaving the meat nice a rosy red and getting a 100% enjoyable crispiness to the skin, sounded, well not too good to be true, because it sounds so sensible. But the method … [Read more...]
FLAN DE COCO: A LOCO DESSERT
I am currently in the thick of putting together our third annual House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year at Rockefeller Center this July. Each year, seeing this amazingly beautiful building pop up practically overnight, like a mushroom after a rain, is incredibly exciting. A showcase for stunning kitchen design, original gourmet recipes and famous … [Read more...]
GET SET FOR SUMMER
I'm always on the lookout for great gadgets and specialized cookware. Once I have the tool, I tend to do the chore more often with greater satisfaction, both in the process and the results. I poked around the kitchen and selected a few favorites I use a lot come summer. Each does its job very well and gives the … [Read more...]
OYSTERS WITH OYSTER SAUCE AND BLACK BEANS
Histories of olde New York tell how our waterways were originally paved with oyster reefs, from Sandy Hook all the way up to Ossining. So common, they were considered poor people's food (as were lobsters out on the east end of Long Island back in the day...). In our time honored fashion, this abundant resource was pretty … [Read more...]
A Nice Little Tool to Have
If you've ever wondered (and you may well never have) how the little cornichons served with pates in restaurants are sliced so thinly then decoratively fanned out, here's the key: a cornichon slicer. Multiple sharp blades just millimeters apart make the cuts straight and true. It's not something you'll use everyday, but when the opportunity arises, it's just … [Read more...]