Apartment Dining

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I promise some fresh, non-Christmas recipes later this week.

I spent Christmas in Binghamton this year and took a few photos during my visits to the homes of relatives and friends. I forgot to grab my camera during our actual meals, but did manage to take a few photos of desserts and snacks. As a disclaimer, I should mention I cooked/baked/prepared nothing pictured here, but it was all delicious. More shots after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

There are many benefits to cooking with alcohol. Wine adds an extra depth of flavor to certain meat dishes, a splash of brandy brings a special zing to a fruit tart, and when it comes to Christmas cookies, Irish cream is the perfect addition. Case and point: Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies, which I first experienced a few years ago when my aunt made them for the post-Christmas dinner cookie platter. If you consider your holidays incomplete without enjoying a Baileys on the rocks at some point during the party season, then these are for you. Even if you’re not a big Irish cream fan, the slight hint of whisky makes them worth a try.  » Read the rest of this entry «

I spotted some ramekins at the store over the weekend and was inspired. What better way is there to indulge on a budget than with a chocolate soufflé? All of the required ingredients are inexpensive and are probably in your pantry already, plus it’s a fabulous way to end a pre-holiday dinner party. Plunking down individual soufflés topped with raspberries in front of each of your guests will earn you the reputation of a master cook, while all you did was melt some chocolate and beat some egg whites. » Read the rest of this entry «

You can tell it’s mid-December by looking at most streets in Manhattan. They’re crowded with shoppers laden with gifts, tourists blocking foot traffic in front of window displays, and all manner of other manifestations of “Silver Bells” song lyrics. You can also tell it’s mid-December by looking into the kitchens of most apartments across the city and finding people baking dozens upon dozens of cookies. The traditional cookies and bars in my family range from Seven Layer Bars to Bailey’s Irish Cream Cookies to the dreaded Snowball Cookies (pecan cookies rolled in confectioner’s sugar), which I ate ten too many of when I was a child and proceeded to toss in the bathroom soon after. 

I got into the baking spirit last week and as I was deciding on the kind of cookies I would make that afternoon, I was torn between peanut butter, chocolate chip, and oatmeal. The result was just throwing them all together to create Indecision Cookies, the first in a series of recipes for holiday treats I’ll be sharing over the next few weeks. » Read the rest of this entry «

NY Mag has posted a list of specials at New York City restaurants just in time for the penny-pinching holiday season and that pesky little worldwide financial crisis. There really are some great deals at fabulous restaurants, and the three course lunch specials have the makings of a relaxing afternoon for the unemployed masses that still have some severance pay coming in. Take special note of the .20 (yes, twenty cent) breakfast at Cafe Havana. (via kottke)

Risotto seems to be one of the most feared kitchen basics. It involves a lot of stirring, a careful eye on liquid absorption, and around six cups of chicken broth. Although a rice dish with a few embellishments seems like it should be simple, I’ve heard a number of risotto-related horror stories with frightening endings such as:

“…and after all of the broth was absorbed, the rice was still raw!”
“…but then I stirred the rice to find the bottom was COMPLETELY BURNED.”
“…by the time I was done, I had finished the rest of the bottle of wine and just fell asleep.” 

(That last one is a lie, but still, a possible mistake while making this dish.)

I consulted a number of different sites and a few of my cookbooks to put together what would be my first attempt at the dish this afternoon. The result was a Risotto with Thyme Chicken and Mushrooms. You can embellish risotto with just about anything, use vegetable broth for a vegan or vegetarian option, or even sweeten it for dessert. Here’s the recipe. » Read the rest of this entry «

Oh, potatoes. Although many wage war on carbohydrates, I embrace a serving of starch in potato form at least once a week, sometimes more. I can’t think of a form that a potato takes that I don’t enjoy, save for bad fries (the flavorless steak variety that lack seasoning, often served with sub-par burgers at pubs). They’re my quintessential comfort food, barely beating out chocolate cake and the Pork Belly Buns at Momofuku Ssam Bar. 

In my pre-Thanksgiving rush to clear out my kitchen, the perfect pairing for the small white potatoes I had was a pile of shallots, fresh rosemary sprigs, and little else. » Read the rest of this entry «