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Crispy Herbed Baby Potatoes
The golden crust on a roasted potato is the signal that dinner is ready. Chicken can rest for a moment, but when the potatoes are done, it’s time to eat. Crispy on the outside with a piping hot, soft interior, a potato wedge is an ideal mid-week comfort food. While it may seem like a rather humble marriage, the union of heat, fat, and starch elevates a random Wednesday, or a stressful week, like few foods can. It seems simple enough to cut up some potatoes, toss them with a little oil, and pop them in the oven, but this often doesn’t result in the crispy roasted potatoes we want.…
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Hands
“…they kneaded and twisted and unknowingly squeezed youth back up through their veins…” – From “Making Taralli” – a poem of mine originally pushed in Ginosko Literary Journal The women in my family have beautiful hands. Of all their pleasing qualities, this is the one that fascinated me as a child. Well-formed and graceful, not to be confused with delicate, they are the type of hands that served, cooked, and too often were wrung together over loss. As they worked with dough or arranged chicken in a stock pot, their plump skin defined my notions of age in such a way that I found it difficult even to remember the…
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Blueberry Upside-Down Cake with Lavender Whipped Cream
Giving a peek at what lies under the frosting, a naked cake is rustic and undone. Fat berries, split figs, or a few blooms are the decorations that indicate this stack of layers is ready for the table. These cakes invite us for a romp, a slice. If a berry rolls this way or that as we dig in, we have just made it more rustic. No one is afraid to cut a naked cake. The original undone cakes were the upside-down type – thin, buttery layers topped with caramelized fruit and maybe a dollop of whipped cream. The allure of a blueberry version goes further. Other fruits may brown…
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Mexican Street Corn with Chile Butter
Cultivated and still grown widely in the Americas, corn has its origins in a wild grass of Mexico that encased its kernels in a hard shell. Luckily it is easier to access the kernels of modern corn, which we can bite right off the cob. When it comes to the Mexican street food known as elotes, it might also be messier. Vendors top grilled corn with a creamy sauce, cheese, and chile powder, creating a meal unto itself. This version replaces the traditional mayonnaise with a slather of chile butter. Serve it on the cob (elotes) or off the cob (esquites). Ingredients 4 ears of corn ¼ cup unsalted butter,…
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Nectarine Sorbet
At its best, sorbet is simply fruit transformed. Crisp slices and whole berries are perfect in May and June, but by the last stretch of summer, I crave all sorts of icy but melty goodness. Late August calls for a lush cup of sorbet. This no-churn nectarine version will help to stave off the restless feeling that kicks in when we realize the days are getting shorter again. Flavorful and refreshing, it does not require any special equipment other than a blender, which you likely have on the counter already for cocktails (and mocktails!). Eat it icy or let it melt as you join me in an August wish: “If…
