Indian Take In

Michelle and Andrew visited our apartment for the first time this past weekend, an occasion worthy of a special dinner. They both love Indian food, and since guests make great guinea pigs for new recipes, I decided to make our favorite Punjabi dishes: chicken tikka masala and saag paneer. Everything was homemade from start to finish, including the chai coconut ice cream!  My favorite part of the night was seeing the look on Ronak's face when he came home and realized that the familiar scents of Indian spices were actually coming from our kitchen.

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.

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...

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!

Chai Time

A while back I had posted about my love for the Shah-family chai, and now I'm excited to share the recipe. I'm in the habit of picking up ginger and mint with each trip to the grocery store so that I can make the tea on a regular basis.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp. Wagh Bhakri brand tea, a granular black tea found at Indian grocery stores
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 6 fresh mint leaves

Makes 3 cups

In a small saucepan, combine the water, milk, tea, sugar, and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the tea reaches a boil, reduce heat and stir in the mint leaves. Return the tea to a boil and then promptly remove from heat. Strain tea and add more milk and sugar to your desired taste.

Oat Meals

They say the closer you live to work, the more likely you are to be late. I can attest to that! Recently I’ve been waking up 45 minutes earlier so that I can take my time at home and still get to work on time. When I was living in Brooklyn, I spent that extra time commuting-- now I use that time to catch up on reading, write lists and make breakfast, the best perk of working so close to home.

This new routine of mine coincides nicely with our joint goal to eat healthier breakfasts. This week we started each day with a bowl of McCann’s quick cooking oatmeal. Oatmeal can be a bit boring, so to keep it interesting we've been changing up the toppings:

Monday: Bananas with Toasted Pecans & Brown Sugar

Tuesday: Blueberries with Brown Sugar & Flax Seeds
On this day, I had an ripe banana lying around so I mashed it up, and mixed it right into the pot of cooking oatmeal. Delicious! (Thanks to Phoebe for this tasty idea!)

Wednesday: Apples & Cinnamon.
To make the apples: Peel, core and dice 2 medium apples. Place them in a small pot with 2 tablespoons of water and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cover and let simmer until the apples are soft and the juices are mostly evaporated. About 5-7 minutes.

All this healthy eating has us thinking about the bagels, eggs and bacon we’d like to have this weekend!

Pop on Over

On Friday I received my December issue of Real Simple. As I flipped through I came across a recipe for "Secretly Simple Popovers" which inspired our breakfast for Saturday morning. We happened to have some bacon on hand, so I got to experimenting... and I have to say, the result was absolutely delicious.

Bacon & Parmesan Popovers
(adapted from a Real Simple recipe)
Makes 12

Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 slices bacon, cooked, drained and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the bacon: Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil. This will make for easy cleanup later. Arrange the bacon slices on the top broiler pan and place in a cold oven. Turn oven onto 400F. Walk away, and come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown and crispy, it's done. Drain on paper towels. Once cool, cut the bacon into 1/2" pieces and set aside.

Keep oven on at 400F. Brush the cups of a 12-cup non-stick muffin tin with butter. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, eggs, butter and salt until only a few lumps remain (do not overmix). Gently stir in bacon.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle each cup with a teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. Bake until puffed and a deep golden brown, 30-35 minutes. (Do not open oven door before 30 minutes or the popover will collapse. Serve immediately!

Tried & True

When we're entertaining and deciding what to make for dessert, the recipe for Banana Tarte Tatin is one we go back to time and time again. It looks impressive and is bound to get a lot of ooos, ahhs... and mmms. It's a cross between Bananas Foster and Tarte Tatin, two of our absolute favorite desserts. The tart is best served slightly warm or at room temperature so it can be made a couple of hours ahead.

In the past we've served it with vanilla gelato, but this time around we opted for a dollop of Ronnybrook Farm crème fraiche. The perfect pairing!

Good 'n Plenty

While at Stone Barns last weekend we picked up a new cookbook: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. At first we wondered if we really need yet another cookbook, but after flipping through the mouth-watering photographs we quickly decided 'yes, we do!' What we were missing in our collection was a good vegetarian cookbook, one with recipes that inspire us to eat more healthily, but still manage to fill us up.

Last night we made the cover recipe Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce, after all it was the cover image that sealed the deal on our purchase. The ingredients were few and simple, and all together created a very tasty dish. Served alone, the eggplants make a great starter, but for a more substantial main meal we served them over rice. Thinking about it now, next time I'm going to use Israeli couscous which would be an even better compliment to this middle-eastern dish.

Peared Down

This time of year seckel pears make their grand entrance at the farmer's market. Their small size and sweet crunch makes them irresistible. I tend to buy too many knowing that even if I don't get around to eating them, they will at least look pretty on the kitchen table.

Last night I found a recipe for Upside-Down Pear Tartlets . The selling point-- it only calls for only 4 ingredients, all of which I had on hand. Puff pastry, butter, sugar and pears. I substituted seckel for d'anjou so slicing the pears wasn't necessary, just a quick lop in half. I reduced the overall size of the tartlet by using standard muffin tins (the recipe calls for jumbo) and cutting the puff pastry rounds to fit. I found that a 1/2 cup measuring scoop makes the perfect 'cookie cutter'.

Warm and sticky, we ate them right out of the oven... and then of course, the rest for breakfast.

Summertime Salad

We used the jalapeño and cucumbers from our garden to make this refreshing watermelon-cucumber salad. The recipe makes about 6 servings, but the two of us ate the whole bowl in one sitting.

Ingredients:

4 cups watermelon seeded and cut into generous 1/2 in cubes
2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 in pieces

3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (I didn't have any on hand)
2 teaspoons seeded and finely diced jalapeño, or to taste
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Cracked black pepper

1. Combine melon and cucumber in a colander set over a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

2. Transfer melon and cucumber to serving bowl. Whisk lime juice, hoisin sauce, jalapeño and salt in a small bowl and pour over cucumber and melon. Add parsley and toss gently. Add black pepper to taste and additional salt if needed.

Saucy Chick

I'm not sure where Bonne-Maman first came across this BBQ sauce recipe (possibly from a magazine clipping) but she's been making it for so long that it has become a family staple. The smell of this tangy sauce conjures memories of the backyard barbeques we used to have at her house in North Brunswick.

Makes 1 cup (Serves 2)

1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
1 large onion (sliced in half, then in thin half-rings)
1/4 cup salted butter
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Place the vinegar, water, sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice, onion and butter in a small saucepan. Stir together and simmer uncovered on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Bring back to a simmer and serve over grilled chicken. If you find the sauce to be too thick or too tangy, add a little more water to loosen it up and mellow the flavor.

Cucumber Cool Down

Last week's heat spell took a toll on our once-thriving cucumber vine (not to mention our ability to function). It no longer looks as lush, but it's still producing cucumbers so I can't give up on it completely. To cool us down a bit I harvested a few cucumbers and made refreshing 'kachumber' coolers:

4 Cucumbers, Peeled and Seeded
Juice from 1 Lime
1/2 cup Simple Syrup
6 ounces Gin
1/2 cup Club Soda
Fresh Mint

Liquify the peeled and seeded cucumbers in a food processor. Press pulp through a fine mesh strainer to capture the cucumber juice. Discard solids. You should have about 1/2 cup of cucumber juice. Add an equal amount of simple syrup. (To make the simple syrup, bring equal amounts of water and sugar to a boil. Turn burner off and let liquid cool.)

Add the juice of one lime to the cucumber and sugar water, about 2 Tablespoons. Fill a large tumbler with ice and add one and a half ounces of gin, two ounces of the cucumber/lime/sugar water. Top off with club soda and garnish with a cucumber wedge and muddled mint. Ahhh... so refreshing! The remaining cucumber mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Just give it a shake before using as the fine pulp settles to the bottom.

Patio Pickles

I chose to grow kirby cucumbers this year for one specific reason: Pickles! I love pickles and anything soaked in vinegar. Our four plants have already produced about a dozen cucumbers. The best thing about watching them grow is that they already look like pickles while still on the vine.

I made three different pickle recipes, each very different from the other: Quick pickles, Refrigerator Pickles and Half-Sours.

I'm most proud of the half sours because they taste like "real" deli pickles and involved a 2-day fermentation method, which sounds way more complicated than it is.

Sweet (& Salty) Tooth

Both of us love caramel with its perfect balance of salty and sweet. I never thought of making it myself until I came across a recipe for confiture caramel beurre salé and decided to give it a whirl. It calls for only 5 basic ingredients: Sugar, water, butter, salt and cream.

I should mention that patience is also a necessary ingredient. My first batch of sugar crystallized into a hot gooey mess and it was then that I realized that the recipe wasn't as straightforward as I thought. I took a deep breath, studied a few tutorials on YouTube, and was able to successfully caramelize the sugar on the second attempt. It was easy from there on out and fun to watch the molten liquid become actual caramel-- and more importantly taste like actual caramel.

Family Recipe

One of the perks about going to Ronak's house is eating an abundance of delicious homemade Indian food. His family is Gujarati vegetarian so the flavors are very different from the Punjabi dishes I'm used to ordering in Indian restaurants.

Another perk is that we can have one-on-one Indian cooking lessons anytime we like. I recently took advantage of this generous offer and spent the afternoon cooking with Ron's mom. I learned how to make Batata Suki Bhaji (potatoes with tumeric, mustard seed, cilantro, lime juice & green chili peppers), as well as roti and parathas. Once we get set up with the necessary spices and cooking tools, we're going to have a lot more Indian food at home.

Oven-to-Table

We bought the ingredients at Eataly to make these homemade pizzas. Freshly baked foccacia, prosciutto, homemade mozzarella, cipollini onions and tomato paste (the imported kind in the tube so we can have it on-hand). We topped them off with finely sliced basil, Maldon salt and cracked pepper. After 5 minutes under the broiler we had ourselves a simple and tasty meal.

Crowd Pleaser

I found this Martha recipe for chocolate macaroons about 7 years ago, and ever since it's been my go-to dessert for all kinds of events. I'm always left with an empty plate and numerous requests for the recipe, so it's about time I share it:

Ingredients

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (I use sweetened)
  
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Reduce heat, and allow it to simmer. Place chocolate in a small bowl, and set over saucepan. Stir until chocolate is melted, and set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine cooled chocolate, cocoa, sugar, coconut, egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Use your hands to mix well, completely combining ingredients.

4. Dampen hands with cold water. Form 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture into a loose haystack shape, and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture, placing macaroons 1 inch apart.

5. Bake until just firm to the touch but still soft in the middle, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven to a wire rack, and let cool on baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.