Homemade Almond Milk

A few months ago I discovered OMilk, a brand of almond milk made right here in Brooklyn without gums, preservatives or stabilizers.  I’ve had commercial almond milks and they’re whatever, but OMilk was so good, I quickly developed an addiction to it.  I would go out of my way to the few stores that sell it and fill my bag with those milky white bottles of cold creamy joy.  Now that I know what a cinch it is to make at home, I can have fresh almond milk without even leaving the house (except to buy almonds).  

Romesco Sauce (w/ Grilled Spring Onions)

Once again I found myself amongst friends and strangers scooping up romesco sauce with charred spring onions, stuffing them into my mouth with my bare hands and chasing them with gulps of bottomless rosé.  Yes, it was my second time at Back Forty West’s annual version of Calçotada, a Catalonian celebration of spring where a crap load of spring onions are blackened on a grill, dipped in romesco sauce and eaten in abundance.  

Radish, Watercress and Mascarpone Crostini

I was disappointed when I heard that Betto in Williamsburg had closed, either temporarily or permanently; the internet didn’t know which one it was.  Betto was hidden on a quiet side street and had a clean airy feel and lots of slick wood furnishings.  It was also quiet and peaceful, not what I was expecting from what seemed like a trendy new spot.  My first visit there was with my sister last summer.  We were toasting her big upcoming move to LA with tall slim glasses of bubbling, blood-red Lambrusco.  

Mascarpone and Lemon Zest Gnocchi

Working on the deck in a tank top under the warm sun while guzzling Mexican Cokes is enough to make me want to call in sick for the whole summer.  All I want to do is drink cocktails on a lawn chair, cook up a storm and garden until I pass out.  We took a ride to Home Depot this weekend to buy a big box of starter plants and a car load of wood to build new planters.  Alan power-sawed the planks behind a cloud of wood dust as I dug dirt out of planters and nudged baby plants into the holes.  

Tofu Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

“Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river” I sang as I made Vietnamese inspired spring rolls all day last Sunday.   I’m not known for recipes with long lists of ingredients or lengthy prep times, but this recipe took me close to three hours to prepare and I’m telling you it’s worth it, especially if you’re inviting over a bunch of friends who can help you with the rollin’ and the eatin’.  On my recent trip to LA to visit my sister, we pigged out at Umami Burger, Malibu Seafood, Square One Diner, Susan Feniger’s STREET and Little Dom’s... 

Raw Asparagus Salad with Red Onion and Pecorino

“Raw power honey just won't quit, raw power I can feel it, raw power honey can't be beat, get down baby and a kiss my feet.”  Perhaps rock-star Iggy Pop knew about the power of a raw asparagus salad, how it pleasantly surprises people who thought asparagus could only be eaten cooked. I was skeptical when I saw Anne Burrell’s recipe for raw asparagus salad in her cookbook, Cook Like A Rockstar, but her headnote promised that it would be a unique crowd-pleaser.  

Love Chopped? You'll Love Mystery Bag...

Introducing the Brooklyn Salt Mystery Bag; you pick the ingredients, and I figure out how the heck to combine and transform them to create a tasty dish.  Alan chose the ingredients for my first Mystery Bag which included tomatillos, pork, orecchiette and pickled jalapenos.

Berry Clafouti

Lynyrd Skynyrd once sang, "Ooh that smell, can't you smell that smell".  I like to believe they were singing about the heavenly scent of berry clafouti baking in the oven, but really they were singing about the “smell of death”; naturally.   I first made clafouti, a traditional French tart, with three strangers at a group cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education.