the last warm breath of summer

a couple of weeks ago i rolled up my proverbial sleeves, made a tableful of food and had some friends over for lunch.


my friend yao was visiting from chicago, so we planned a little late-summer college reunion in my tiny, overheated apartment. kelly and chris brought my favorite crumbs cupcakes, jr regaled us with a series of head-scratching riddles (have you heard the one about the midget peglegged clown?) and the beatles played on the stereo all afternoon. it was all so lovely it makes me want to weep a little.

but i won't.

we ate the tomato salad jon and i have been devouring all summer (i've never eaten so many tomatoes in my life), a tart, garlicky mix that makes even so-so tomatoes taste divine. the calendar says it's officially autumn, but let's cling to the last warm breath of summer, shall we?


the best tomato salad
serves 3 or 4, or fewer if your name is katie

croutons:
1 baguette, cut into large bite-sized chunks
extra-virgin olive oil
Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 large beefsteak tomatoes
1 standard cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 fat clove garlic, minced
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh basil leaves, torn
1 Tbs. fresh oregano
salt and pepper

For the croutons: Toss the baguette cubes with about 3 Tbs. olive oil, a generous grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano and plenty of salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until browned and crisp around the edges.

Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into thin wedges, about 10 per tomato. Dice the cucumber into bite-sized chunks. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and place in a strainer over a bowl or the sink at least 10 minutes to drain.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil, red onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

When the tomatoes and cucumbers have released a lot of liquid, transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with the dressing. Add the herbs and croutons and toss again to combine.

For an extra salty flavor, stir in a handful of black oil-cured olives or small cubes of Asiago cheese.

pure genius

do you like lime?


i love lime. though some (like my sister) would think me crazy, i'd take some rich, citrus-infused butter cookies over a chocolate chipper any day. especially if they're sandwiched with a simple, sweet lime icing.


the secret to these cookies' delicate flavor is dorie greenspan's method of rubbing lime zest into the sugar until it becomes aromatic and flavorful, perfumed with the essence of citrus. pure genius!


lime sables
adapted from baking: from my home to yours (dorie greenspan)

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar, mixed with the zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour

Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugars and salt and beat until well blended. The mixture should be smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy. Beat in the egg yolks, again beating until the mixture is homogenous.

Mix in the flour mixture just until combined and the dough looks uniformly moist. The dough will not clean the sides of the bowl, nor will it come together in a ball--and it shouldn't. You want to work the dough as little as possible. What you're aiming for is a soft, moist, clumpy (rather than smooth) dough. Pinch it, and it will feel a little like Play-Doh.

Scrape the dough out onto a smooth work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long. Wrap the logs in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (Alternatively, roll out into a 1/4-inch-thick sheet and cut out shapes with cookie cutters after chilling.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove a log of dough from the fridge and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until the cookies are light brown on the bottom, lightly golden around the edges and pale on top. Cool for a minute or two on the sheet before lifting them onto a rack.


To make cookie sandwiches, mix 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar with enough lime juice to make a spreadable icing. Spread on cookies and sandwich together. Makes about 40 cookies, or 20 sandwiches.

ring ring ring

...banana phone!

how are you today, friends? i've just returned from a lovely long weekend on cape cod, and i must say--swimming and sunning are nice (sun rash and tan lines notwithstanding), but i'm glad to be back in brooklyn. yeah, the apartment is steamy-hot, and the stove is too small, and the motorcyclists from nelson's hawg house down the street keep zooming noisily by our window...but it's home.


this banana cake is something like coming home. it's not fancy or particularly beautiful, and maybe it's a little too brown around the edges, but it's cozy and perfect in its own way. and couldn't we all use a little of that now?



classic banana bundt cake
baking: from my home to yours (dorie greenspan)

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
about 4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9- to 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.

Beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don't be disturbed when the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the pan, rap the pan on the counter to de-bubble the batter and smooth the top.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes--if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool to room temperature.



Makes 14 thick, comforting slices. (yes, it's a big cake, but it'll stay moist and flavorful for up to 5 days. and if it gets a little dry, you can toast it!)

summer bouquet

things i once believed were true:

1. telling my junior high crush i liked him wouldn't totally freak him out.
2. if i slunk down low enough in my chair, i wouldn't be called on in 3rd grade math. or ap biology. or all of my college french classes.
3. she's all that was an awesome movie. (that's the one with freddie prinze, jr. yeah.)
4. i couldn't make french fries. cutting up all those potatoes, soaking them for half an hour, then double-frying them? not worth the trouble, when i could just get them delivered from the local diner.

well, it turns out you don't have to soak or double-fry (you do still have to cut them up, unfortunately), and you'll end up with the crispiest, most delicious fries you've ever had. believe it.





the easiest french fries ever
adapted from cook's illustrated, july/august 2009

4 yukon gold potatoes (this is very important)
vegetable oil
kosher salt

cut the potatoes into 1/4" matchsticks and place in a dutch oven. add enough oil to just cover, about 6 cups (cook's recommends peanut oil; i used canola and it was fine). bring to a rolling boil, about 5 minutes. cook 15 minutes more; stir gently with tongs to keep the fries from sticking to each other. cook 15 minutes longer, or until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp, stirring occasionally. remove with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels before serving.

for a delicious, oniony dipping sauce, stir together sour cream, a spoonful of mayonnaise, 2 minced garlic cloves and some chopped chives.



add some iced green tea, a bottle of côtes du rhône and a beautiful summer bouquet, and you've got a perfect evening. happy weekend!

exactly what you want to eat

once, during my crazy college days (not exactly a nutritionally sound time, i admit), i went to kfc with some friends and ate three biscuits. true story. another true story: this occurred not thirty minutes after a visit to the cardiologist. hey, at least i skipped the boneless honey bbq wings.

i have a thing for biscuits: buttery, flaky, hot-out-of-the-oven biscuits. this version has crispy, cheesy edges and a middle that's tender enough to take a nap in, with a salty but not overwhelming oniony flavor. it's exactly what you want to eat for breakfast. or second breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea. you get the idea.



cheddar & chive buttermilk biscuits
an old issue of fine cooking

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
3 oz. sharp cheddar, grated or finely chopped
2/3 cup buttermilk

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until blended. With a pastry blender or two table knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks a little like cornmeal, with some butter chunks the size of peas. Stir in the chives and grated cheese. Add the buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is wet, sticky and shaggy (some dry spots are okay). Turn the dough out onto a cutting board and knead about 12 times until the dough comes together and is smooth. Add a little flour to the board. Pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick square; cut into 9 biscuits. bake on a parchment paper- or foil-lined baking sheet until firm and light golden brown, about 18 to 23 min.

stepford-wife style

last saturday afternoon it was gloomy and cold (did you know tomorrow is the first day of summer? i sure didn't), so i decided to surprise jon when he came home from work, stepford-wife style: with a cheese board and some champagne cocktails.



this strawberry-prosecco concoction is the essence of warm breezes and blue skies. almost enough to make it feel like spring.



the strawberry muddle
adapted from bon appetit, july 2009

(makes 6)

1 1/2 cups chopped hulled strawberries
6 tbsp. agave nectar or simple syrup
6 thin lemon slices
ice cubes
1 750-ml bottle chilled prosecco

divide strawberries among six glasses; add 1 tbsp. agave to each and mash with a spoon. add lemon slice to each and mash to release juice. add several ice cubes to each glass, then fill with prosecco. cheers!

a little mood lift

a few weeks ago jon and i welcomed summer with a beer and some barbecue chicken sandwiches. it appears we were a little hasty pulling out the brooklyn summer ale, as it's been rainy and gross in new york ever since. [case in point: i'm about to drown my sorrows and my sniffly nose in a bowl of instant ramen.] and if the gloomy faces of my fellow commuters are any indication, i think it's time for a little mood lift.



this cake, which i found in the wonderful june issue of gourmet, isn't a fancy dessert. it's kind of flat and squishy and plain, the kind of cake you can whip up in ten minutes with two bowls and a wooden spoon. but when you bite into one of the luscious, juicy raspberries, it's exactly what you were looking for. try it, you'll see.


raspberry buttermilk cake
gourmet, june 2009

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (i used 1/2 cup regular milk with a squeeze of lemon juice)
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 1 small carton)

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. in separate bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar until fluffy, about 2 min., then beat in vanilla and egg. stir in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. mix until just combined. spoon batter into cake pan. scatter berries evenly over the top, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar.

bake 25 to 30 min., or until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.