Instant Gratification

We received a beautiful All-Clad waffle iron, thoughtfully paired with waffle mix from Bouchon Bakery, as our first wedding present. Having arrived right to our doorstep, within 24 hours we broke down and whipped up our first satisfying batch.

Tis the season

...for pumpkin bread!

Breadzel

I have even more respect for the art of making bread after having made these pretzel challah rolls. While few ingredients, there are many steps before the dough can actually be called bread. Three out of the four hours it took to make the rolls was spent waiting for the dough to rise-- which it did so nicely I even impressed myself.

Once the rising, rolling, knotting, and proofing were completed, I plunged the puffy little knots into boiling water before baking them for 20 minutes in the oven. The rolls came out shiny and golden, and perfect for dipping in dijon mustard.

Ibu Oka | Bali

Ibu Oka is highly rated, but the kind of place where its best not to look at anything too closely if you want to keep your appetite. For $4 we tried the babi guling (suckling pig) recommended by Anthony Bourdain. Suckling, yes... crispy, YES... it was delicious and worthy of a visit if you ever find yourself on that side of the world.

Balinique | Bali

Red White & Blueberry

The 4th of July was a perfect day: we slept in till 10, made blueberry dutch pancakes for breakfast, celebrated Théo's 2nd birthday, and ended the evening watching the spectacular fireworks display over the Hudson River...

Buvette

A spontaneous lunch at Buvette on Wednesday was a nice change from the ordinary workday.

Bakeri

Discovered Bakeri while galavanting through Williamsburg this past weekend. A charming blast from the past. I could have sat there all day had there been a fan in sight. Instead, I grabbed a business card and took my iced coffee to go.

Mast Brothers Chocolate

Springtime Brunch in Gramercy

Spring has sprung! And what better way to enjoy the warm weather than with good friends and delicious food. Jake and Silka recently relocated to the Berkshires to pursue their agricultural and culinary endeavors, yet returned this past weekend to hold a brunch for a few friends. It was bittersweet, as it reminded us of what we are already missing without the Butcher & the Baker living around the corner. We miss our neighbors and good friends, the spontaneous get-togethers and of course, their incredible leftovers. We are thrilled to see what Jake & Silka cook up in their new home and hope they'll make room for two more at their table 'cause we're coming to visit!

Haven's Kitchen

'NOLA

For Christmas Silka & Jake gave us a jar of homemade granola. Needless to say it was delicious and so didn't last us very long. As soon as they filled us in on the recipe I made my way over to Kalustyan's on Lexington to pick up all the ingredients for Nigella Lawson's totally perfect granola.