If we can cook it, you can cook it!

Category: Summer Food

The Ultimate BLT

The Ultimate BLT

My fondness for tomatoes is a recurring theme this month.  As we reluctantly end August, I will make the most of what has been a terrific tomato season here on Long Island.  I love every kind of tomato from the largest of heirlooms to the…

Pan con Tomate or, as we say in Catalonia, Pa Amb Tomàquet

Pan con Tomate or, as we say in Catalonia, Pa Amb Tomàquet

ONE OF SPAIN’S MOST FAMOUS TAPAS, PAN CON TOMATE IS EASY TO MAKE After our ten-day trip through Portugal in July, it seemed a shame to be just an hour and a half by air from Barcelona and not go there—especially since Andrew had only…

Claire Saffitz’ Steak Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

Claire Saffitz’ Steak Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

We were serving lunch outdoors this weekend. I was looking for something simple to do. We’d planned a weekend of several different dishes in the “chicken or fish” categories. Cruising through August’s Bon Appetit, I saw a stunning salad.  Beautiful cherry tomatoes, thin slices of…

Blueberry-Muffin Cake from Fine Cooking

Blueberry-Muffin Cake from Fine Cooking

If you’re looking for a great cooking magazine, you really should look into Fine Cooking. It’s a wonderful learning tool. It would make a great gift for the Graduate or anyone starting out on their own. Its recipe directions are not shorthand. They’re written to…

Strawberry Snacking Cake from Bon Appetit and Sarah Jampel

Strawberry Snacking Cake from Bon Appetit and Sarah Jampel

Main Visual: Photo Courtesy Bon Appetit. Strawberry season has arrived and this year’s Hampton’s crop reminds us all why we wait for these heart-shaped, bright red, sweet and juicy berries all year.  The question is what to do with them and the answer is right…

A visit to the C.I.A., A recipe for a True Tuscan Bread Salad and one for a Lower Gluten Salad made with Wheatberries!!

A visit to the C.I.A., A recipe for a True Tuscan Bread Salad and one for a Lower Gluten Salad made with Wheatberries!!

The thrill of being invited to participate in a three-day adventure at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley, California branch is about as good as it gets. Especially if you’re a self-taught home cook.  And the experience exceeded every imaginable expectation I had. How…

Gail Simmons’ Bumbleberry Buttermilk Upside Down Cake

Gail Simmons’ Bumbleberry Buttermilk Upside Down Cake

Gail Simmons is such a glamorous presence on “Top Chef” that it’s easy to forget she’s first and foremost a great cook.  She’s also a fellow Canadian so I took a great deal of heat from Andrew for not knowing what a Bumbleberry was.  I’d…

Ice Cream Sandwiches…Portable Summer Treats

Ice Cream Sandwiches…Portable Summer Treats

I must admit to having been slightly taken aback when Andrew told me his weekend plans included making Ice Cream Sandwiches.  Not that I didn’t want one.  And when the smell of his dark chocolate ‘biscuit’ wafted through the kitchen, I could hardly wait until…

Watermelon Blueberry and Radish Salad with Laura Chenel’s Goat Cheese Medallions

Watermelon Blueberry and Radish Salad with Laura Chenel’s Goat Cheese Medallions

Salad lovers are in sheer heaven now and will be through the rest of the summer.  The ingredients for perfect salads are everywhere. And the earliest part of the season yields the tenderest of greens. Arugula has its bite but it’s far from bitter which…