Queenie Takes Manhattan

Queenie's Treasury: The under-your-cocktail edition.

2012-01-28T11:35:00.000-05:00

I have a (relatively) new coffee table these days, which of course has led me to the conclusion that I need loads of lovely coasters to protect my precious baby. All of this to say: today is coasters day on the Treasury.

First up, these lovely, uber-feminine floral numbers from the eternally awesome Rifle Paper Co. I can't get over the gorgeous colors or swoopy botanicals, and I think they will make it onto my 2012 hostess gift list, even if they don't end up winning a spot on my new table just yet.

Next up, some punchy, oh-so-New York coasters from one of my very favorite tastemakers, Kate Spade. I love the colors (robin's egg blue, bright orange, pink, grey) and the simple gold typography. And, obviously, I love New York. So there's that.

Finally, some summery, nautical coasters that make me (a devoted winter enthusiast) yearn for summer. They're perfect for putting under a gimlet, but might not be quite right for a Manhattan. What say you?

Rockefeller Center, 10 January, 3:15 PM

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Zamboni ahoy!

Going granola.

2012-01-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've become a bit obsessed of late with a certain dish. There's no pork fat involved, not a brussels sprout in sight. No, this is an obsession of a different kind. I have become enamored of Peels' granola. It's a heady mix of oats and seeds, served up with dried fruit and the thickest, most delicious yogurt in existence.

Don't believe me? That's my giant spoon, standing straight up in the yogurt. It's so good that I had to go back twice when I was off from work between Christmas and New Year's.

Get thee to Peels. Get thee this granola. Repeat.

A high point, indeed.

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

On Friday night, my friend Anica and I shared a delicious meal at a brand-new restaurant. Mads Refslund, one of the co-founders of the pretty-much-universally adored (it's been called the best restaurant in the world) Noma in Copenhagen, has brought new Nordic cuisine to NoHo, and we had to be among the first to try it.

The space on Great Jones Street, formerly home to a Cajun joint, has been overhauled with atmospheric lighting (hence the not-so-great photos), a marble bar and Thonet chairs, but the name remains the same: Acme. And that bar isn't just for show - the cocktails we ordered (a Manhattan - of course - for me, and a green pepper and tequila concoction for Anica) were delicious. And then came the food.

The restaurant recommends ordering family-style and sharing everything that's brought to the table, but you could easily go solo, too. The portions are completely reasonable for one. For our starters, we chose the farmer's eggs and the ravioli. The eggs were a wonder, full of different textures and temperatures, from the slightly crunchy cauliflower to the creamy, slightly cooler foam on top. They were served on a bed of chicken wire and hay, which was a bit twee, but pretty adorable.

The ravioli were tasty, but not over-the-top exciting. Filled with pureed greens, topped with Brussels sprouts leaves and tossed in browned butter, they were perfect specimens of comfort food, and a nice departure from the usual squash-and-browned-butter preparation you see on every single menu across the city.

For our main course, we chose to share the pork chop. Now, a pork chop isn't generally the most exciting thing on the menu, but this was awesome. The meat itself was beautifully prepared - moist and flavorful. The arugula leaves offered a welcome bitter, fresh note, and the cranberries sprinkled around the plate offered that key Nordic element: sourness. Parsnips and pears rounded things out with their mild sweetness. Truly delicious.

We also ordered some sides, since we are two very hungry young ladies. The creamy potatoes definitely had some kind of cheese magic going on, and were topped with sweet, meaty bacon and crispy onion rings. I imagine our small serving had approximately three pounds of butter in it. (Okay, not really, but still.) They were awesome.

Our other side was remarkable - carrots roasted to the point of absolute creaminess and topped with paper-thin sheets of lardo. (Yes, that's right - cured pork fat.) The sauce on the plate was a slightly sour affair and was the perfect counterpoint to the richly roasted veggies.

Dessert didn't disappoint. The doughnuts were the more traditionally satisfying option, served piping hot alongside caramel and applesauce. We broke them in two and filled them with the sauces, savoring each wonderful bite.

The beer and butter porridge was really good, and really interesting. A sour piece of beer bread covered the bottom of the dish, topped by a slightly sweet milk porridge. In the center sat a seriously salty scoop of caramel ice cream. A bite with all the elements was oddly delicious and seriously satisfying.

We didn't have time for coffee - we were running to see this - but that just means I need to go back really soon, right?

Acme
9 Great Jones Street
Between Lafayette and Broadway
212.203.2121

Finally!

2012-01-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

It's snowing here in Manhattan today, and boy is it pretty.

Warm beverages I've known and loved (recently).

2012-01-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

Hot chocolate (with melty marshmallow) at Peels.

Cappuccino at La Colombe on Lafayette.
La Colombe cappuccino, take two.

Cappuccino at my new neighborhood Joe.

Joe's adorable to-go cup.

Einspanner (double espresso with whipped cream) at Café Sabarsky.

Queenie's Treasury

2012-01-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

Aaaaaand...we're back! After a bit of a hiatus for the holidays (when real-life shopping and partying took over for the imaginary sort), I'm ready to reboot the Treasury for 2012. And it's going to be a luxe, lavish, happy, colorful kind of year, kids.

First up, this golden flatware from West Elm. I love how the rich, shiny color is set off by the supremely clean lines of the design. I'm thinking that - when it's back in stock, as West Elm has promised it will be - I'll buy a set to mix in with my vintage sterling. I think the combination will be divine.

Next, a perfect cold-weather food project, for those of you who enjoy that sort of thing. My friend Lucy Vanel lives a pretty amazing life in Lyon, and you can read all about it on her exceptionally beautiful blog, Lucy's Kitchen Notebook. (You can also engage her for what promises to be an incredible food tour of the city.) Today she posted her latest project, duck wing confit. Duck wings are traditionally neglected for their meatier breast and leg counterparts, so Lucy was able to snag a whole bunch of them at three euros a pound. Add in a bit of time, a whole bunch of rendered duck fat and some herbs, and you have a winter's worth of tender goodness.

I always find Rita Konig's particular brand of casual polish enchanting. This shot of her living room inspired me to finally pull together a few stray corners of my own tiny apartment. The result has been an ongoing sense of harmony, comfort and oh-so-grown-up-ness. I could get used to this.

A little kick.

2012-01-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

Aside from sautéeing them with a serious amount of garlic, my favorite way to prepare shrimp is to roast them. They get all plump and juicy, and as long as you pay attention and don't overdo things, they come out perfectly ready to eat.

You can just toss them with some oil, salt and pepper and be done with it, but I love adding a bit of mustard and lemon juice to the mix.

Now, to make it worth your while, you have to use a good Dijon, and I don't mean Grey Poupon. Maille is my favorite, and it's available in pretty much every grocery store these days. It's only marginally more expensive than the pardon-me-do-you-have-it variety (in some stores, no more expensive at all), and it packs way more mustard flavor. (It's also better as an emulsifier in sauces and dressings, which is mustard's other big role in classic cooking.)

The mustard adds kick and the lemon adds freshness, and together you have one pretty perfect package. The best part? These babies will be ready in under 15 minutes total, so you can throw them on top of your favorite salad and get to eating in no time flat. (I particularly enjoy them alongside my tomato, avocado and onion salad, or atop my lentils with bacon.)

Mustard Roasted Shrimp

1/2 pound large or jumbo shrimp, cleaned and de-veined
1 tsp. canola or grapeseed oil, divided
1 tsp. good Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp. lemon juice

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss together the shrimp, 1/2 tsp. of the oil, the mustard, the salt and the pepper, until the shrimp are well and evenly coated. Using a pastry brush, brush the rest of the oil all over the bottom of a small roasting pan or oven-proof skillet.

Arrange the shrimp in the prepared pan, laying them in a single layer. Once the oven has come to temperature, place the shrimp in the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes, until the shrimp have turned completely opaque and are just firm to the touch.

Remove the shrimp from the oven and toss with the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Serves two as part of a meal.

Going solo.

2012-01-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

After my trip to Sonoma, I worked from San Francisco for a few days. I had one day where I worked from the office, but without my friend YaeRi. Left to my own devices, I decided I'd give Super Duper's veggie burger a whirl. I got it with everything, plus avocado, and it was wonderful.

Equally delightful - if a bit overwhelming - were the garlic fries, tossed with parsley and a bit of parmesan cheese. Make sure to get the dipping sauces, too. Split these, though, if you're not on a solo expedition like I was - you don't want to be the only one with the garlic fries breath, you know?

Super Duper
721 Market Street (Between 3rd and 4th)
San Francisco
415.538.3437

Run with a view.

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Over the course of our weekend in Sonoma, I went on three morning runs.

They were chilly, but beautiful.

I mean, running in Central Park has its charms, but even the views downtown from the north side of the reservoir have some stiff competition when it comes to these.

Family style.

2012-01-06T18:45:00.000-05:00

Way back when at the beginning of December, I flew out to San Francisco for the very best reason of all - to celebrate a friend. My friend Jason turned 30 recently, and 13 of us gathered in Sonoma to fête him with the proper pomp and circumstance. On our last day, we headed over the hills to Yountville for a visit to one of Jason's very favorite places, Thomas Keller's family-style restaurant: Ad Hoc.

The deal with Ad Hoc is that you show up (you can, and probably should, make a reservation) and eat whatever's on the menu for the day. You can sign up for menu updates on the website, but I kind of like the idea of being surprised. We went for Sunday brunch and completely hit the jackpot: chicken and waffles. Before the true debauchery started, though, we had a delightful citrus salad, with crème fraiche and frisée and candied nuts. It was amazing - the different kinds of citrus (pink and ruby grapefruit, blood oranges) were luscious and juicy, and the nuts added richness while the crème fraiche added body.

And then came the main event: fried chicken with sourdough waffles. Two dishes like this one were brought to the table, and the six of us killed them both. How could we not? It was the best fried chicken I've ever had. (Keep in mind, that's coming from a Yankee, so...) I could tell the meat had been brined, but only in the good way (not in the overly-salty, too-watery way), and the crust was crisp, flavorful, and adhered. Adhering is key, you know, because you want some in every bite. Skin that comes away in one piece with the first bite is no good to me.

The waffles were delicious, too - crisp on the outside, tender on the inside (not unlike the chicken, come to think of it), and speckled with bits of rosemary. Doused with cream gravy and maple syrup, the plates of chicken and waffle were just...so good. So satisfying. So wonderful.

I could only eat three bites of dessert, but not for lack of delicious. It was a spiced chocolate pot de crème with Chantilly cream, with snickerdoodle shortbread served alongside. The cookie and chocolate went marvelously together, and that's coming from a woman who rarely likes anything other than marshmallow, caramel, salt or nuts coming anywhere near her chocolate.

After lunch, we went for a little stroll around Yountville, starting in the garden behind the restaurant. As a born and bred Northeasterner, I don't know that I'll ever get over the magic of citrus trees in full bloom. Or perfect fried chicken.

Ladies who lunch.

2012-01-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

When Louisa visited New York ahead of Thanksgiving, we spent a whole day together doing a whole lot of nothing. Or, more specifically, got ridiculously long massages and then had a ridiculously long lunch at Balthazar, one of New York's best approximations of a Parisian brasserie.

Oysters and Champagne were both enjoyed, as was a fair bit of salty conversation. I do love visiting Austin, but sometimes I wish I could have lunch with Louisa every week.

Merry merry!

2011-12-25T10:08:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm enjoying a cup of coffee in my Christmas cup before heading over to my brother's place to open gifts and have some waffles, bacon and insanely delicious maple syrup.

If you're celebrating today, I hope you and yours have a great one. And, if you're not, you should go see Young Adult. I hear it's truly awesome.

Photo from the early 1980s. My grandparents' living room; my first kitchen.

Adorable and caffeinated.

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Healdsburg is one of my very favorite places in all of Napa and Sonoma. It's small and charming, but chock full of excellent shopping, food and coffee. And they decorate the pine trees in the park in the center of town, too. So freaking adorable!

On this trip, we made a stop at Flying Goat Coffee before making a circuit of the town. I haven't made an exhaustive survey or anything, but I feel comfortable saying it's unlikely you'll find a better cup in the area. I had a bittersweet mocha, and it was delightful. Rich and interesting, and not at all too sweet. My friend Jeff had the Mexican version, with a whole host of ingredients that sounded overcomplicated, but actually turned out to join together and sign in perfect, delicate harmony.

And such pretty machines, too.

Flying Goat Coffee
324 Center Street
Healdsburg, California

Under construction.

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I'll be building a gingerbread house! I'll be joined by my friends Caroline and Ellie, and it's going to be a blast, no doubt. Caroline and I used to do these every Christmas, back when we were growing up a block apart in our picture-perfect (especially at the holidays) little Connecticut town.

I'm thinking about doing a pink-and-white house this year, since I have some lovely, sparkly sanding sugars in those very colors. A final decision will be made once I peruse the candy on offer at Duane Reade and Dean & Deluca, but I've already got a copy of my template ready to go! I still work off of the version Caroline's mom Charlotte made 25-ish years ago, and have finally scanned it in for posterity.

Which, of course, means that if you wish to join us, you can check out the template (plus recipes for the cookie and icing/glue) right over here! Just print the images (size large) out on 8.5 x 11 inch paper, and you'll be good to go.

Take two.

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I ventured out to the Sonoma Valley for a friend's 30th birthday extravaganza. Many a good time was had (with many a detail to come), but one of the highlights was revisiting the amazing taco truck I discovered back in 2009, when I visited Sonoma for my 30th.

While the truck is no longer named Angelina's, the food is just as spectacular - and, trust me, we ordered enough of it to be sure of its consistency. Something like 12 tacos and two burritos - not to mention the tlayuda the staff insisted on making us. It's a sort of giant tostada, and it's a popular food in Oaxaca, where the staff come from. It was pretty freaking good, guys, and I wouldn't recommend leaving the truck without ordering one. Carnitas, tomatoes, avocado and cheese adorned a huge, fried tortilla. Between the six of us, it went so fast that I couldn't even get a shot of the thing.

The tacos were stupendous as well, with the chorizo coming out ahead as a favorite. I ate everyone's radishes, since they didn't see fit to do so themselves.

And, finally, the burritos. You have to go supreme, because you need that crema, trust. And make sure to get the lengua. It's rich, flavorful and just a touch on the chewy side of tender, which is exactly what I like in a piece of meat. (I always go sirloin over tenderloin.) While the carne asada burrito was tasty, the lengua burrito brought us to our knees, to the point where we just repeated the word "lengua" at random throughout the weekend.

Lengua. Lengua. LENGUA.

And the winner is...

2011-12-18T13:26:00.000-05:00

The winner of our Creminelli giveaway is one Tara Bellucci! Tara had the fabulous idea of using the salami on a pizza; I, for one, support this wholeheartedly.

Congrats to Tara, and many thanks to all of you who entered - your salami-riffic ideas were much appreciated! Tara, an email with the giveaway details is headed your way.

Giveaway: Creminelli Fine Meats

2011-12-13T13:10:00.001-05:00

As loyal readers know, I am a huge (huge) fan of pretty much anything the fine folks at Creminelli see fit to produce. Their artisanal meats are just too good to pass up; I find myself drawn to their display at Fairway more than is probably healthy.

And so, when they reached out to me a couple of weeks ago to offer a giveaway to my lovely readers, how could I refuse? I promptly got down to sampling some of their latest wares, the better to ensure you are all informed about the giveaway for which you're volunteering. You know, just in case. For you, readers. I ate the salami for you.

I'm a simple woman, so the Casalingo, simply cured with salt and pepper, has to be my favorite. I imagine it would best be enjoyed with a plate of fresh and pickled vegetables, and maybe some roasted peppers to boot. A big glass of red wine wouldn't hurt, either.

The Tartufo I think I'll use in scrambled eggs, eggs being ever so delightful with a truffle or two. And lots of white pepper. And maybe some creme fraiche.

And, finally, the Barolo. This one is rich and musky, and demands to be served alongside some hard, salty cheese and a hunk of fabulous bread as part of a late, fireside supper. No, really - it does. It told me so.

My friends, there's no two ways about it: this is some damn fine salami. If you're interested in scoring one of Creminelli's Gourmet Artisan Salami assortments for yourself (you'll get the Tartufo, the Wild boar and the Barolo), here's how you can enter this most excellent giveaway:

Leave a comment below telling me how you'll serve your Creminelli salamis this holiday season (and don't forget to leave an email address) (One entry.)
Tweet about the giveaway using the hashtag #queeniecreminelli. (One entry.)

I'll choose a winner at random on Saturday, so be sure to enter by midnight on Friday, December 16th. Good luck, my porkers!

The fine print: Creminelli can only ship this gorgeous meat to physical addresses (no P.O. boxes), and only to the U.S.

Oldie, but goodie.

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Forgive me for rehashing old content, but nothing beats Gourmet's 2008 holiday issue for sheer holiday inspiration. Luxe, lovely and delicious.

I'm only including a couple of photos here, but you can check out this 2009 Queenie post for the full shebang.

What I've been up to.

2011-12-05T13:53:00.001-05:00

Mostly this, which is Thomas Keller's fried chicken from his restaurant Ad Hoc in Yountville. I've been in California for several days, visiting a dear friend and celebrating another's 30th birthday.

I'm in a bit of a fried chicken fog, but I'll be back with far more very, very soon. In the meantime, get your holiday shopping done and leave a comment or two letting me know how your meal planning is coming along. I'm really feeling fancy latkes this year, and can't wait for my annual sticky toffee pudding.

Gift Guide Number Two: Boozy, wintry picnic.

2011-11-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

Does anything say "wintry coziness" better than a boozy, chocolate-filled picnic? The answer, my friends, is no. No, nothing does.

When I was thinking about gift guides for this year, it occurred to me that one of my very favorite things to do in winter is enjoy a chilly-as-you-can-stand outdoor meal, one spiked by bourbon, powered by vintage plaid and fueled by chocolate and cheese. You might want to bring a baguette along as well, but, let's face it - you need to buy that locally.

And don't forget to fill the thermos with the best homemade hot chocolate in the world. You won't regret it.

Without further ado, I present part two of 2011's giftiness, complete with blanket, booze and, well, cheese.

Clockwise from top left: Vintage wool blanket ($50), Churchill flask ($25), Vintage thermos ($12), Vosges caramel marshmallows ($27), Tuthilltown's Baby Bourbon whiskey ($50), Pierre Roger cheese ($30).

Now that's what I call breakfast.

2011-11-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

Prune's butter-crumbed eggs with stewed chickpeas might just be the best breakfast I've had since my birthday migas in Austin. The crunchy coating on the runny egg adds a dash of textural contrast to the largely soft meal, and the preserved lemon on top of the Moroccan-spiced chickpeas is just...magic.

And if you're not veggie, you simply must have a side of the lamb sausage. No ifs, ands or buts allowed. No, sirree.

It's tradition.

2011-11-28T10:36:00.002-05:00

Last year, on the lookout for a way to bring brussels sprouts into the Thanksgiving meal (we've always been more of a green bean family), I stumbled across Zak Pelaccio's (he of Fatty Crab and Fatty 'Cue) recipe for the most obscene sprouts ever conceived. Bascially, you render the fat out of half a pound of bacon, then cook two pounds of sprouts in it - oh, and then you add heavy cream and good maple syrup, just in case you were worried that the recipe wasn't quite festive enough.

I know.

I tested the recipe first on a few willing victims at Thanksgiving, then pulled it out again for Christmas dinner at Nick & Louisa's in Austin. When this year's feast rolled around, I petitioned my Aunt Cathi, the hostess, for a spot on the menu for these little balls of goodness. Permission was granted, and the sprouts rode again.

I've tweaked the original a bit; Pelaccio added chestnuts to his, but since chestnuts aren't my most favorite nut - and are, in fact, a pain in the ass to roast and peel - I've left them out. As you all know, I like a bit of acid and heat with my rich flavors, so I've added a bit of red pepper for kick.

Need I say that they've been requested for the upcoming Christmas feast? I'll say it any case: these will be appearing on my table at least one more time in 2011, and I think you should give them a try as well.

Queenie's Holiday Sprouts
Adapted from Zak Pelaccio

1/2 pound applewood bacon, cut into 1/4 inch batons
2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise
Sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs thyme
1 tsp. dried red pepper
3/4 cup cream
Scant 1/4 cup good maple syrup
Juice of half a lemon

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, render the fat out of the bacon until it is nearly crispy. Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, but leave the fat in the pan.

Add the sprouts to the pan, season with a generous amount of sea salt, and saute until they begin to get brown, about 4 minutes or so. Add the garlic, thyme and red pepper and saute until the garlic turns golden, another 2 to 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the cream. Cook gently until the cream has reduced by half; it will also turn a golden brown, thanks to the goodness on the bottom of the pan. Add the maple syrup and the reserved bacon to the pan, and cook for a few minutes. Squeeze the lemon over the sprouts. Taste for seasoning (add more salt and red pepper as needed) and serve.

Serves 8 as a side dish.

Gift Guide Number One: Brights.

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm kicking off this season's gift guide series with a bang: a collection of the most brightly colored bits and bobs on offer. See, in the dreary doldrums of winter in the Northeast (which follow hot on the heels of the holiday season), everyone needs a little cheering up. For some, this comes in the form of one of those vitamin D sun lamps; for me, it comes in a jazzy iPhone case and bright pink lamps.

People tend to think of bright colors as a girlie thing, but I happen to think that men could use a little neon in their life as well. Maybe help him start small, with a neon pen or two, or introduce a bright yellow Baggu into the grocery shopping rotation.

Up next, books galore!

The gifts, clockwise from top left: Neon enamel pens ($20 each), chevron iPhone case ($39.99), Baggu bag ($8), Dents suede gloves ($31.45), table lamp ($150.70), Swarovski beaded friendship bracelets ($65 each).

Queenie's Treasury, sort of.

2011-11-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hey, cats and kittens! Just wanted to let you know that my gift guides for the 2011 holiday season will be coming your way this week. I've got three installments this time around - brights for those of you craving summer, books for those of you who want nothing more than to curl up with a good one, and the makings of the best boozy, cold-weather picnic ever.

Get ready, because here comes fun! (If, by fun, you mean holiday shopping ideas. Because that's what I mean.)

And, if you simply must have it, Oscar's blinky nose can be found here.

On hand.

2011-11-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think there's nothing in the house for breakfast, and then I remember that I have eggs, scallions, a tomato and half an avocado. What's better than that?

Answer: the Sriracha I squirted all over it after I snapped this photo.

Spicing it up.

2011-11-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've always really wanted to love pumpkin bread. In theory, it should be an easy thing for me to do. I'm a big fan of the pound cake/quick bread genre, and I really love pumpkin-spiked baked goods, particularly scones and pie. It should be an easy sell. But, in my experience, most recipes for pumpkin bread result in overly-sweet, overly-oily, cloying messes of a loaf.

This year, I decided to take charge of the pumpkin loaf. No longer would I be a slave to such sub-par use of one of nature's most delicious ingredients. It was time for a revolution.

As a starting point, I used this recipe from Bon Appétit. I'd tried it before, and been pleased with the texture, but disappointed in the flavor. It was too sweet and not nearly spicy enough. After all, what is the point of baking with pumpkin if you're not going to exercise a moderately heavy hand with the ginger, cloves and cinnamon? What is autumn if not an excuse to clear out the spice cabinet?

And so I got to work. Out went one of the three cups of sugar, and, for good measure, I swapped one of the remaining two for half a cup each of dark and light brown sugar. After all, pumpkin and molasses (the "brown" in brown sugar) play pretty well together. In went extra cinnamon and cloves, freshly grated nutmeg stood in for the powdered stuff, and ginger was added to the mix.

The result is a pumpkin loaf that - I think - successfully bridges the gap between pumpkin bread and gingerbread. It's spicy and just a bit sweet, moist and fragrant. It made my apartment smell heavenly for days, and if you make it in these adorable little mini loaf pans, it just might be the best host or hostess gift the holiday season ever saw. Except for a bottle of bourbon.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Bon Appétit

Butter for greasing the pans
3 cups all purpose flour, plus a bit for flouring the pans
2 tsp. ground cloves
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can of pure, pureed pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour two standard, 9x5x3 inch size (or four mini) loaf pans. If using mini loaf pans, place them on a cookie sheet.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, spices, baking soda and baking powder. Stir the salt in with a fork. In another large bowl, mix together the sugars and oils, then add the eggs, pumpkin and vanilla. If you have any lumps from the brown sugars, use a large whisk to help dissolve them into the mixture.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, mixing well with a spatula or wooden spoon after each. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, then place in the oven and bake until a tester inserted into the cakes comes out clean - about an hour for mini loaves, and 70 minutes for the larger loaves. I'd also recommend rotating the loaves about halfway through baking - spinning them front to back and switching baking racks, if you're using two.

Cool in the pans for about 30 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edges of the loaves. Invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Eat immediately or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to four days.

Makes two standard loaves or four mini loaves.

Making it work.

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

As a half-Jewish girl growing up in the greater New York City area, I ate a lot of Chinese food. Correction: still eat a lot of Chinese food. Some of this is the more authentic dishes to be found mostly in Flushing and Chinatown; most of it is the gleefully Americanized stuff available all over the city, able to summoned with the briefest of phone calls.

Among my lifelong favorites from the latter category are cold sesame noodles. The peanut-y sauce, the chewy noodles, the thinly sliced cucumber and scallions - I love it all. They make an especially great canvas for hot sauce, which only makes them better in my eyes.

But since even I can't justify ordering in Chinese every night, I needed to find a way to satisfy my sesame noodle cravings at a moment's notice. The result? An actually somewhat nutritious version that substitutes julienned squash for the noodles and has a bit of yogurt in the sauce to add heft (and, incidentally, protein). The classic hooks are still there, though - peanut butter, sesame oil, scallions and cucumber all make an appearance. And though it's not often found in Chinese food, I added some fish sauce for funk and awesomeness.

Authentic? No. Tasty? I sure think so. Easy? Empirically so.

Queenie's Sesame "Noodles"

1 large yellow squash or two medium zucchini
2 tbs. Greek yogurt
1 tbs. creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. fish sauce
1/4 tsp. Sriracha, plus extra for garnish
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Using a mandoline or a julienne peeler, peel the squash (except for the seeds at the core) into long strips. Place in a mesh sieve and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt. Toss to distribute the salt evenly, then set aside while you prep the sauce.

Combine all remaining ingredients except the scallions, cucumber and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Whisk together with a fork until you have an even, light brown, creamy sauce with no lumps.

Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to the boil. Add the squash to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Remove with tongs and place back in the sieve to drain a bit.

Place the drained squash into a large bowl. Add the cucumber and 2/3 of the scallions, followed by a couple spoonfuls of the sauce. Using tongs, toss the "noodles" with the sauce and vegetables until well-combined, adding more sauce until it's as saucy as you want it. Using the tongs, transfer to a small bowl for eating. (You'll want to use tongs, because you'll have a bit of watery sauce left over at the bottom of the mixing bowl.)

Garnish with the remaining scallions, sesame seeds and a bit of Sriracha. Eat immediately.

Serves one, generously.

Austin, Texas. Saturday, October 1st.

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Birthday champagne, naturellement.

Austin, Texas. Monday, October 3.

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Go to Justine's. Order the salade de crevettes and the ratatouille. Thank me later.

In which I finally get it.

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

As is clear from many an earlier post, I love barbecue. My visits to Austin have never failed to include some example of the form, and for that, I am grateful. But it was only on my most recent visit that I've finally come to understand the obsession with barbecued brisket.

The brisket at Franklin Barbecue (widely believed to be the best in Texas, and therefore the world - this being Texas and all) helped me see the light. It's unbelievably tender, and the spicy crust is actually spicy and crusty. Unlike so many other briskets, the meat chunks off, as opposed to coming apart in anemic strings. It was, for me, a revelation.

And for those of you who insist your barbecue come with something tasty alongside (I am among your number, to be sure.), I should say: get a double order of the coleslaw. It's creamy and light. The barbecue sauces served alongside (one vinegary, one molasses-y, one coffee-y) are marvelous, as are the all-you-can-take vats of pickles and onions.

A visit to Franklin's is a time commitment, and occasionally a gamble. We waited in line for an hour, and they ran out of food by 1 PM. But it's well worth the effort. You will be rewarded with the best brisket of your life, and with some pretty darn tasty sausage, too.

Upon arrival.

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

I spent my first afternoon in Austin like this.

But before I lounged by the pool, I needed a bit of fuel. Nick, Louisa and I headed to 24 Diner (Home of the chicken and waffles Nick ordered back in March, remember?), where I ordered their veggie burger. It. Was. Awesome. Full of beets for a great texture and topped with arugula, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and an egg.

Highly recommended.

McNally Jackson Books. Saturday, October 16.

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Going Momofuku.

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

My mom was in town last week, so my sister-in-law Miriam and I decided that she needed to experience dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Turns out, this was an excellent call.

The great thing about the Noodle Bar is that they feature a wide array of seasonal, rotating dishes alongside their greatest hits (pork and mushroom buns, pork ramen, spicy cold noodles with sausage). This time of year, that means both Brussels sprouts and tomatoes. Glorious, right?

We started with the tomato and avocado salad, which ended up having cucumbers, too. I was pretty darn excited. The salad was creamy and fresh and just a wonderful bowl full of early autumn.

Next up, shrimp buns. I was a bit nervous about these, with, it turns out, no reason to be. They were amazing. The shrimp were perfect specimens - impossibly plump and sweet - pressed gently into a patty, bound with something delicious and unidentifiable. The patties were made on the griddle, I think, and arrived, piping hot, tucked into their yeasty buns and topped with a spicy mayonnaise and some iceberg lettuce. Slam dunk.

The Brussels sprouts with sausage were delightfully cabbagey - just a bit stinky and beautifully set off by the sausage. Should have been served with a spoon, though, the better to sip up the sprout-y broth. Apples brought a little sweetness to the party, and some puffed grain (they reminded me of Corn Pops, but savory) added crunch.

And, of course, there were noodles. Spicy cold noodles with spinach, sausage and candied cashews. You need the cashews to deal with the spiciness, trust. And chicken ramen, which comes in the very richest chicken broth I have ever tasted in my life. Ever.

Thanks for dinner, Mom - and you're welcome.

Sheepishly yours.

2011-10-08T18:14:00.000-04:00

Hello, my dear, darling, wonderful readers! I know there's been quite a bit of radio silence around these parts of late, and I heartily apologize. It's been a busy summer/early autumn in Queenie land, and I'm just now back from a ten-day trip to one of my favorite places - Austin, Texas.

There's lots to report on (barbecue, a homemade Thai feast), but for now, just enjoy these adorable pictures of dogs.

Back soon with lots more, I promise.

Ringing out the summer.

2011-09-14T08:00:00.002-04:00

My friend Richard is an all-around fabulous person. He lives a glittering life, full of fashion and fundraising and other sparkly things. He also, as it happens, makes a mean corn salad.

When we headed to Abby & Jason's apartment for dinner a few weeks ago (Abby is Richard's sister; Jason is my cousin.), I contributed a peach-blueberry pie, and Richard brought this incredible salad. It was so simple, but so good. He mixed together raw, sweet corn, red onion, feta, avocado and - though he left a bit out of mine, knowing how I feel about it - cilantro.

I couldn't believe how creamy and salty and sweet the whole thing was. It went beautifully with the steak and potatoes Abby and Jason served, and it was just such a perfect dish for the end of summer. You know how it is - we're coming to the end of the bounty of ridiculously delicious summer produce, and you just want as much of it as you can get.

The version I made at home featured basil instead of cilantro (obviously), and mascarpone instead of feta, since that was what I had. I haven't written up a recipe for it yet - though hopefully I'll be able to soon: I have two precious ears of local New York corn waiting in the fridge.

Easy does it.

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, you just need a really simple salad. Last week was just such a time. I was overwhelmed at work, busy and home, and generally a bit wiped out. Cooking anything with a measure of complexity was simply beyond my means, and so I turned to one of the simplest standbys I know.

Sliced tomatoes (heirloom or otherwise; just make sure they're tasty and not bland), sliced red onion, torn basil, good balsamic vinegar (it should be a bit syrupy and rich and a bit sweet, not runny and tangy) and sea salt.

It satisfies the tummy and the soul.

Mixed feelings.

2011-09-05T14:25:00.000-04:00

Nick, Louisa and I enjoyed a lovely breakfast at The Breslin last Friday. The coffee was stupendous, the baked eggs with tomato and chorizo simply glorious, and the service, frankly, lacking. At a restaurant of The Breslin's quality, I shouldn't have to wait ten minutes for sugar for my coffee.

But, man, what good coffee it is. Love you, Stumptown.

A decade.

2011-09-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ten years ago today, I moved to New York City. My first apartment was on a slightly desolate block of the Upper West Side. Today, there's a Whole Foods a block away, and four high rises have gone up within a two-block radius. Times, you could say, have changed.

I've spent my entire adult life here in Manhattan, and I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. My first few weeks were, obviously, colored by the September 11th attacks. I didn't even have my cable hooked up yet and wasn't due to start work for another week, so I spent the day curled up in my hallway listening to the radio. When I left to walk 20 blocks downtown to Caroline's apartment for company, cable and dinner, I passed Brooke Shields on the street.

That's New York, you know? The gritty reality crossed with the glamour of art and, in this case, celebrity - writ large.

My first forays into grown-up cooking were, to say the least, less than exciting. There were many grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (a trick I learned from my slightly older and much wiser roommate), a lot of bottled marinara sauce, and tons of macaroni and cheese. But always a green salad. I've always been addicted to vegetables.

I spent my money at the bars and skimped on my food budget. A fancy night out was dinner at Big Nick's, an all-night pizza and burger joint on Broadway. I came home most nights by way of the local pizza place, slice in hand. I'd leave it in the oven to keep warm, hop in the shower to get rid of the bar smell (those were the days before the smoking ban, when I'd have to hang my coat on the fire escape overnight to air out the cigarette fumes), then eat the cheesy, greasy goodness while watching a movie on my hand-me-down sofa.

Today, I drink booze with flavor (bourbon or gin, not vodka), the dinners are nicer and the nights (mostly) earlier. The produce is fancier and more local, and the apartment a bit more pulled together. But the joy I feel every time I see the New York skyline, the rush I get every morning when I walk out the door, the satisfaction I take in having made it in this most insane and exciting and glorious of cities - that hasn't changed one little bit.

Thank you, New York, for raising me so well. I love you. Which is a good thing, because we seem to be stuck with one another.

Braving it.

2011-08-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you weren't in New York on Sunday, you might not know this, but...man, did it rain. Not pretty, misty rain. Serious, pounding, stay-inside-unless-you-feel-like-getting-soaked rain. It was one of those days that you're pretty sure you'd prefer to spend curled up with a cup of tea and a novel, you know?

But I didn't just curl up with a book - in fact, I had a pretty fantastic afternoon on the town, which started with a lovely brunch at Vandaag. Vandaag, opened its doors about a year ago in the East Village, and is one of my favorite eating spaces in the city. It feels cozy but open - nothing's crowded, but everything is intimate, if that makes any sense.

I've been for dinner, and I've been for cocktails, but this was my first brunch visit. My very favorite thing was the coffee, a pour-over brew of single-origin beans. Delicious - smooth, round and full. The way coffee should always be, but so rarely is.

I ordered the slow-poached eggs, which arrived cooked to oozy-yolk perfection and surrounded by mustard greens, some cherry tomatoes, croutons, a bit of corn, and the best part of all: pickled beets. The beets were sweet and just a bit piquant - and tasted to me as if they'd been tossed with a bit of butter on their way to me. Not a bad idea.

My friend Caroline ordered one of the house specialties: hette bliksem (hot lightning). A cast-iron crock arrived bearing the dish, which was made up of crispy potatoes and bacon tossed with a stroop syrup. (You know the filling in a stroopwafel cookie? That stuff.) Except that this syrup had a spicy kick to it. So it was a big ol' bowl of potatoes and bacon coated with spicy caramel. Crazy delicious and interesting, but perhaps better as a shared side than a main course.

I can't wait to go back and try the pork belly and scrambled eggs, or the other coffees. And since it's a straight shot down the east side, I don't think I'll have to wait too long.

Happily ever after.

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ever since last summer's Meatless Week, I've been much more into eggplant. It's finally come into its own this month, and the Greenmarket is stuffed with all kinds - the big, almost-black glossy kind, the white, actually egg-shaped kind, and the tiny, adorable fairy tale kind.

The latter is my favorite, in part because it's small enough to be single serving-friendly, and in part because I find them to be a bit sweeter than their larger counterparts. And while I'd love to tell you about all the myriad ways I've cooked them up, I have to admit that I've been largely addicted to one particular method, a sort of cross between caponata and ratatouille.

It's so easy, you guys, and it's great as a side or a main, or as a pasta sauce. I mainly use it as a bed for cold, sliced pork chop, though sometimes I just eat it straight from the bowl. When I do that, my favorite thing to do is top the whole with a dollop of mascarpone. It makes everything more festive.

Because the eggplants are so small and sweet, you don't need to salt them - they're not watery, and they're not better. And no matter how you eat my eggplant mish-mash, though, one thing is for sure: this recipe could make an eggplant eater out of just about anyone.

Queenie's Summertime Eggplant Saute

1 small or 1/2 large white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Olive oil
5-6 fairy tale eggplants, about one pound, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large red or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2-3 small tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbs. sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbs. capers, rinsed, drained and dried
1/3 cup mixed chopped herbs (I like basil, parsley and chives)

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot. Add the onions and turn the heat down a bit if they are browning too quickly. Saute for a few minutes until just transluscent, then add the garlic. Saute for a few more minutes until the garlic is tender and fragrant.

Add the eggplant to the pan. Salt and pepper somewhat generously and cook the eggplant, stirring frequently, until it has browned slightly. Add the bell pepper and cook for a few minutes, until the pepper begins to turn tender. Add the tomatoes, sherry vinegar, red pepper flakes, capers and half the fresh herbs and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until the whole thing has broken down a bit and turned into a thick stew.

Taste and adjust for seasoning, then remove the stew from the heat. Stir in the remaining herbs and serve immediately.

This works well when made ahead; just let it come to room temperature, then cover tightly and store in the fridge for up to three days. Re-warm gently on the stove before serving.

Serves four as a side, two as a main.

It runs in the family.

2011-08-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

My cousin Jason makes a mean, mean Manhattan, folks. You heard it here first.

Queenie's Treasury

2011-08-13T12:33:00.004-04:00

Happy weekend, my doves! Sorry that the Treasury's been absent of late; things on this end have been a bit nutty. No more excuses, though - let's get down to business!

First up, from Design Shimmer, a remarkable vacation home on the coast of Spain. I am in lust with the setting, the way the house is built right into the cliff (and boasts it as a wall in certain spots), and the pool. It's just stunning, and I can't think of a better place to spend the last toasty days of summer.

Next, via Live Creating Yourself, an adorable Brooklyn apartment. The soft gray walls are calming and sophisticated, but I'm especially taken with the worn-in leather settee. Between the mysteriously smoke-darkened painting and the cozy tartan blanket, this looks to me like the absolute best place in the world to curl up with a book.

My eGullet friend Lucy lives a most remarkable life in Lyon. Her most recent blog post, however, is about bringing a bit of the States to the French - in this case, a cucumber-gin cocktail she first sampled here in New York. If that Spanish pool is the best place to be right now, this is the best thing to drink, hands-down. Cucumbers are at their height, and nothing's more refreshing than gin. (No, not even water. Don't be silly.)

You simply must.

2011-08-12T08:00:00.002-04:00

If you're not on Pinterest yet, I have two things to say to you about that. First, why the heck not? Second, here's the link.

Seriously. Pinterest is my new favorite thing. It's essentially a communal inspiration board, where people can pin photos from around the web (or snap and upload them from their smartphones) to various pinboards, both personal and shared. The site automatically credits the source you pin from, so it's easy to find the way back to the origin, be it a recipe, magazine shoot or department store website.

As you can see, I've been pinning a wide variety of things lately, all colorful.

I love seeing what my friends share, and while the public feed is more and more a parade of mediocrity, you can find amazing things by following people whose taste you trust. And it's a fabulous tool if you're in the midst of gathering ideas for a home improvement project, or just collecting recipes you want to try out. It's simply marvelous.

So join me, won't you? You can find my pins at this link - hope to see you in the enchanted land of Pinterest tout de suite!

Diving in.

2011-08-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've always been a bit leery of lentils. My family was not a legume-friendly one; aside from my mother's fantabulous baked beans (the woman was born in Boston, after all), I can't recall seeing beans on the table at all during my childhood. (This excludes string beans and haricots verts, both of which appeared with wonderful and delicious frequency.)

But in the last few years, I've become more bean-friendly. Until the last few months, my forays into beantown have been limited to the restaurant-and-friends'-houses sphere, but I've been branching out. You no doubt recall the chickpea stew I made approximately eight zillion times last winter and spring. My most recent adventure has been lentils.

It all started at Ouest (as many things do), where I had a dish served atop a bed of mustardy lentils. They were marvelous - firm, rich, a bit toothy. Nothing like the mushy mess I have to admit I'd been expecting. And I resolved then and there to eat more of them.

I've been hoarding lentil recipes for ages, but until Fairway opened in the neighborhood a few weeks ago, I had no luck finding the green, French variety everyone in the know had told me to use. Fancy Gallic lentils in hand, I finally got down to business. I set about making a warm lentil salad with bacon, sherry vinegar and leeks. Some of my favorite things.

The whole thing took about 30 minutes start to finish, and was well worth the effort. I worked off of this recipe, adding a bit of the spinach to the cooking vegetables and a bit more vinegar than called for. I was liberal with the salt and pepper (as one must be when dealing with legumes) and pondered - but ultimately rejected - the notion of adding a bit of mustard to the pan. (I think you should totally try it.)

I have deemed lentils a success. Good thing I have the better part of a sack of them in the pantry.

Warm Lentil Salad with Bacon and an Egg
Adapted from Gourmet

1/3 cup French green lentils
3 oz. slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch batons
1 leek, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped*
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 tbs. sherry vinegar
1 tbs. finely chopped thyme
1 cup baby spinach
Olive oil
2 large eggs
Kosher salt and finely ground black pepper, to taste

Place the lentils in a saucepan and cover with two inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer the lentils, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Drain in a mesh sieve and set aside.

Meanwhile, place a large skillet (I used my 10-incher) over high heat until pretty darn hot. Add the bacon, then reduce heat to medium-high. Cook bacon until most of the fat is rendered and the batons are brown but still a bit meaty. Remove to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but a fine coating of the bacon fat and turn the heat to medium.

Add the leeks, carrots and celery to the pan and salt and pepper them a bit. Cook them until they're tender but not yet brown. Add the vinegar and boil until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the thyme and baby spinach and cook for a minute or two, then stir the bacon back in. Remove from the heat, salt and pepper to taste, and set aside - covered to keep warm - while you prepare the eggs.

In a small skillet, fry the eggs one at a time over gentle heat, until the whites are set but the yolks are still a bit runny. (If salmonella is an issue in your area, use pasteurized eggs or cook until yolks are firm.) Divide the salad between two plates, then top with the eggs. Add another sprinkle of salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Salad, without eggs, keeps nicely in the fridge for a couple of days. Bring to room temperature or warm gently in a skillet before serving.

Serves two.

*To clean the leek, first chop it, then placed the chopped leek into a bowl filled with cold water. Agitate a bit with your hand and let sit for several minutes. The dirt and grit will fall away. Remove the leeks from the bowl with your hand or a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to dry.

Guest Post: Louisa Edwards, author of Too Hot to Touch

2011-08-09T06:23:00.002-04:00

Good morning, all! Today we have a very special treat - a guest post from my dear friend Louisa, whose fourth novel was released last week. Louisa writes culinary romances, and her latest trilogy is set against the backdrop of a cooking competition. Enjoy, my doves!

***

Thank you so much for having me! Queenie Takes Manhattan is my favorite food blog, bar none--and not just because Ms. Queenie herself has helped me develop and test the recipes I put in my contemporary romances, the latest of which is Too Hot to Touch.

Below is a scene from the book (not one of the dirty scenes, sorry!) in which the heroine, Jules, executive chef of Lunden's Tavern comes to the end of a busy Friday dinner service. She's been distracted all night by the recent return of the prodigal son, Max Lunden, who also happens to be her first crush, from when they were kids.

But they're all grown up now, about to enter the biggest culinary competition in the nation - if Jules can keep her cool and manage to work with Max...

Seasoning the roasted sprouts with salt and pepper, Jules savored the nutty, rich scent rising from the pan as they warmed through. While they got hot, she checked her vinaigrette—a little low—and swiftly added a generous glug of balsamic vinegar and a steady stream of olive oil, whisking like crazy.

A sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs from her stash of bowls at the corner of her station, and her stock of vinaigrette was replenished.Scraping the sprouts and crispy pancetta into a bowl, Jules drizzled them with the vinaigrette and shook the bowl to make them jump. Since she’d done new vinaigrette for this order, she grabbed a clean tasting spoon and popped one of the sprouts into her mouth.

The sharp sweetness of the balsamic vinegar burst across her tongue, and as she crunched into the sprout, she took a second to marvel at the way the little vegetable retained its deep caramel flavor and pleasingly burnt edges. A warm sauce would’ve turned them into the limp, soggy sprouts of her youth, uninspired and unappetizing. This bright vinaigrette elevated them to another level.

A quick dash of salt, a few more turns of the pepper grinder, and the sprouts were done.

“Sprouts up,” she called, shoving the bowl onto the rack, where Emilio, one of the runners, was waiting to carry it up to the front of the kitchen.

Jules spun around and checked her rib-eye again, the noise of the kitchen a soothing background music to her thoughts.

The kitchen was a living, breathing organism during the rush of dinner service, especially when it was busy like this. Every chef, runner, and dishwasher was a major, life-sustaining organ, all working together to power the beast through the frenetic couple of hours between 7:30 and 9:30, when everyone in Manhattan seemed to get hungry for steak at exactly the same time.

Jules barely noticed the sweat sticking her shirt to her back and stinging the shallow knife scrape on her knuckles. She was only peripherally aware of Nina bringing tickets up to the pass and handing them to Gus, who called out the orders in the sharp, no-nonsense bark he’d perfected long before Jules ever thought of becoming a chef. She danced with Winslow and Beck as they maneuvered their way around the narrow, heated confines of the kitchen, and she only surfaced long enough to slap Danny a high five when Gus called out, “Last ticket cleared! Danny, they want two crème brûlées, and we’re done.”The fog of war was slow to clear from Jules's head; she missed it the instant it was gone.

Jules found a lot of comfort in the buzz of adrenaline and strain of muscles it took to get through dinner service. Once it was over, all that was left was her life—and she’d rather think about meat temperatures and oil to vinegar ratios any day of the week...

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt! And if you want to find out what happens next, I'll be giving away a signed copy of Too Hot to Touch to one randomly chosen commenter...and the book is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and select indie bookstores.

Freshening up.

2011-08-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

Come summertime, I'm always interested in ways to eat well while using the stove and/or oven as little as humanly possible. This, of course, leads to thinking about how best to impart flavor without heat, which leads to thoughts of fish sauce, lime juice and chiles.

The Thai beef salad I made for dinner on Sunday is the perfect example. In exchange for about five minutes in stove time, I feasted on a dish that brought together many of my most favorite things. Riffing on a Patricia Wells recipe, I subbed in rare hangar steak for the roast beef and left out the cilantro. (The devil's herb, people!) The cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and bird chiles all stayed, though, and the combination made for a delectably refreshing, satisfying meal.

If you don't have some of these ingredients already, it's worth investing. (I say "investing," but fish sauce is about $2 a bottle, max.) Both the soy sauce and fish sauce will come in handy, even when you're not cooking along Asian lines. For example, a tiny bit of fish sauce can really perk up a vinaigrette, and soy sauce adds complexity to marinades and pestos from here to kingdom come.

Thai Beef Salad
Adapted from Patricia Wells

1/2 pound hangar steak
1/4 cup salted peanuts
1 1/2 tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tbs. fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 kirby cucumber, washed, dried (not peeled), sliced in half lengthwise and then across on the diagonal
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bird's eye chile, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced into long, thin strips
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
1 cup fresh basil, leaves torn

Prepare the steak:

Heat a skillet over high heat. Meanwhile, lightly salt and pepper the steak on one side. (Cut the steak into two pieces if necessary to fit it into the skillet in one layer.) Once the skillet is very hot (a drop of water should dance across its surface), place the steak in the skillet, seasoned side down.

Lightly season the other side and cook for 1-2 minutes. Turn the steak and cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes, until the steak is nicely browned but still rare most of the way through. Remove to a plate and allow to cool to room temperature.

Prepare the peanuts:

In a small skillet set over medium heat, gently toast the peanuts until they are fragrant. Remove from the heat and chop roughly.

Prepare the salad:

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Taste for seasoning.

Thinly slice the steak crosswise, then lay the pieces flat on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Pour half the dressing over, cover the plate with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for two hours, occasionally turning the pieces of steak.

Once the steak is ready, toss it with the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and chili. Add the remaining dressing and toss gently. Arrange the salad on a plate and top with the herbs and peanuts.

Serves two.

Queenie's Treasury

2011-07-23T14:04:00.000-04:00

Hello, readers! As you've no doubt heard (or felt), it's really freaking hot across most of the US today. I'm spending as much of my time today as possible inside where it's air conditioned, which provides the perfect opportunity to draft a Treasury post. Enjoy, no matter what the weather where you are!

First up, some fabulous posters. A few weeks ago, I was shopping for a Mountain Goats concert poster for my brother's birthday gift. I found what I was looking for and more at Poster Cabaret, an Austin-based poster shop that carries a wide variety of stock. I'm especially fond of these posters by Valhalla Studios. I'm seriously pondering a Camera Obscura poster purchase. That lemony color suits their summery music perfectly.

Next up, a fabulous Sneak Peek from Design*Sponge, this time of an apartment belonging to two of You+ME*'s event planning clients. Their wedding (which was featured in the most recent issue of Rue) was gorgeous, so it's no surprise that their apartment is, too. I love their built-ins, their dining area, and this perfect art wall. Just lovely.

I find the Australian food and photography blog What Katie Ate endlessly inspiring. Her cooking is the kind I like - unpretentious yet unabashedly delicious and exorbitant, and her photos are stunning. It fills a bit of the hole left behind by Gourmet's absence. Just a little.

Melting.

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry, kids, but it's too damn hot to do anything other than say: it's too damn hot. Go drink some rosé, sit in front of a fan, and wait for it to pass. I'll be back when it's not too damn hot.

Lobstah!

2011-07-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

On Saturday night, my sister in law threw my brother his annual birthday clambake (we follow Ina's recipe), and it was a raging success. As a former vegetarian, Miriam enlists me to slaughter the lobsters, which I do with something less than a steely reserve (squealing and exclamations of, "He's still a-twitching" are to be expected), but an acceptable level of aplomb. (I hope.)

Dessert, traditionally, is one of my chocolate cakes - this year, the group expanded from 6 to 16, and so I made two cakes. I'm pleased to say that only half of one cake remained at the end of the evening, including the container of extra frosting I brought along for touch-ups.

Miriam outdid herself decor-wise this year, harnessing her inner Martha Stewart with red-and-white checkered tablecloths, lobster-stamped place card, and the ever-festive lobster bibs.

Success indeed, I think!

Inspiration strikes.

2011-07-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

I love peanut butter sundaes. (The shot above is vanilla custard and peanut butter sauce from Shake Shack last weekend. Yum.)

I mean, hot fudge sundaes are wonderful, of course, but peanut butter has my heart. And I know that some people simply swoon over butterscotch. All of this (plus the gloriously sunny, hot weather we're having in NYC right now) has me thinking about hosting a sundae party. Some fabulous local ice cream (perhaps with a few homemade flavors, too), homemade sauces, loads of toppings (including booze), and piles of candy-colored bowls.

Seems like the easiest summer party ever, right? Now I just have to find the time - by which I mean a time when people are actually free and in town, never an easy feat during a New York summer.

What kinds of gatherings do you have planned for the rest of the summer? Make me jealous with your backyard barbecues and shipboard cocktail soirees, why doncha?

This is now a peach appreciation blog.

2011-07-16T15:18:00.000-04:00

I don't think there's anything more to say, do you?

Best ever.

2011-07-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Best scrambled eggs of my life. Creamy, but not runny, and topped with duck sausage and chervil. BEST. EVER. Eaten this weekend at James in Prospect Heights, along with several cups of coffee, a few of Miya's fries, and a tangy green salad.

Yum.

Berries & beans.

2011-07-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, I visited my little local Greenmarket outpost, where I grabbed a lovely mixed bouquet and...not much else. Yes, I bought a pint of lackluster tomatoes and snagged some decent Kirbies, but mostly I was disappointed in the selection of veggies. The only thing I bought that went beyond average? Green beans! I mixed them into a beet and green bean salad with dill, one of my summer favorites.

I didn't need any berries, but they were awful pretty. Blueberries...

...and tart, tangy goosberries!

So, instead of being a neighborhood loyalist, I'm heading back to Union Square this Saturday. I need peaches, you guys. And tomatoes and ur-cucumbers and corn and...you get the idea.

We'll need this later.

2011-07-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

There are two things you can count on in a New York summer: it'll be damn hot, and there will be summer squash. Truckloads of it. At first, you'll be thrilled. Eventually, your creativity will be tested, and, inevitably, you'll just get sick of the stuff and start lusting after fall vegetables.

Luckily, I'm still in the first phase of that cycle. Summer squash and zucchini are out in full effect, and I'm psyched.

A couple of weeks ago, Louisa told me about a salad she'd made from a Patricia Wells recipe: zucchini with avocado, lemon thyme and pistachios. So when I found myself with a plethora of ripe avocados and a couple of teeny summer squash in the fridge, I decided to put a spin on the idea.

I ribbonned the squash using a vegetable peeler and marinated it in Wells' recommended combination of lemon juice and good olive oil (and salt, of course). After I'd let it bathe for an hour or so, I topped the ribbons with avocado slices, sea salt and a generous sprinkling of regular old thyme.

It was so good, you guys. In addition to being incredibly pretty (which, along with how easy it is, makes it a perfect dinner party starter), it was so tasty. The squash ribbons retained a slight crunch and were delightfully bright and sweet. The avocado was, of course, creamy and rich, and the thyme's woodsy perfume goes so well with squash. It's almost always my go-to when it comes to zucchini.

And now you have another way to use up the mountains of squash heading your way. Brace yourselves.

Summer Squash with Avocado and Thyme
Adapted from Patricia Wells

2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. olive oil
Sea salt
2 small summer squash or zucchini
1 avocado
Leaves from 2 generous sprigs thyme

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Using a vegetable peeler or a mandoline, slice the squash lengthwise into ribbons. Arrange them in one or two layers on a platter, then pour the lemon dressing over them. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes to an hour.

When the squash is ready, divide the ribbons in half and arrange on two plates. Peel, pit and thinly slice the avocado, then arrange it on top of the squash. Top with a smattering of sea salt and the thyme, and serve immediately.

Serves two.

Queenie's Treasury

2011-07-09T08:53:00.000-04:00

Happy weekend, everyone! I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited for two sunny days of non-working time. Today I'm planning a bit of cleaning, some laundry, a Greenmarket trip and some serious summertime "cooking" (Read: arranging of fruit and vegetables for eating.). Tomorrow it's brunch with Miya and possibly some reading time in the park. And maybe some ice cream. Okay, definitely some ice cream.

In the meantime, let's check out this week's Treasury!

Anyone who's spent any time with me in the last year knows how obsessed I am with stripes. As a matter of fact, I'm wearing stripes right now. And so I absolutely love these stripey canvas totes from Rib & Hull, especially the red one. So sporty, so summery, and so freaking adorable.

Next, a brilliant storage idea from Wit & Whistle, via The Style Files. All you do is paint the lid of your Mason jars with chalkboard paint, and, voila, you can label and re-label them to your heart's delight. I'm going to fetch a sample as soon as possible. No more confusing the espresso beans with the coffee beans for me! (Like I'd ever have something as singularly healthy as acai berry in my kitchen.)

Last but not least, I am currently lusting after this Austrian home. The modern renovation of the antique space is just jaw-dropping. I'm especially fond of the bathroom (I love textiles in a bathroom.) and the kitchen, with its graphic contrast of black and white.

A bit of Bristol.

2011-07-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Bristol, Rhode Island is a town full of ancient clapboard houses (lovingly preserved), grass beaches (with oh-so-rocky shorelines) and lots and lots of boats.

My aunt and uncle bought this historic house last year, and it is absolutely adorable. The rooms are small (the better to heat in a New England winter), and the house rambles around in that way peculiar to homes built before 1900. Even better, it's a block from the water and comes complete with sea breeze and harbor views.

I woke up early every morning and ventured out to the front porch to enjoy the cool temperatures, strong coffee and doorstep-delivered newspaper.

My Aunt Cathi's hydrangeas thrive on the bright sun and cool fog.

On three of my four mornings, I took a walk around town, looping back around to the house by way of High Street, where I spotted my very favorite house of all.

I spotted this oxidized copper gate on Walley Street. It sported elephants and swans, but these dudes were my favorites.

The Lobster Pot is a happening place, you know?

For putting boats in the water.

The church book sale. They had a complete set of V.C. Andrews. No comment.

Fireworks!

This float struck me as very David Lynch. It came toward the beginning of the three-hour Fourth of July parade; I eventually decamped to the beach. The perfect balance, in my opinion.

Consider.

2011-07-07T08:00:00.002-04:00

When my Aunt Cathi is around, one always eats well, and this weekend in Bristol was no exception. There were local yogurt with berries and her own homemade granola, homemade buttermilk waffles with fruit and whipped cream, steak with roasted asparagus...you name it.

And, on the Fourth of July, there were lobsters.

If you're a die-hard vegetarian, I highly recommend you skip the rest of this post.

I killed those lobsters, you guys. I killed them dead. Typically, I steam lobsters, along with clams, mussels and potatoes, in a couple bottles of wine. If you're going to do that, the best and most humane thing to do is to kill the lobsters with a knife between the eyes before you put them in the pot.

But if you're going to boil them, as we did ours this weekend, then you can just drop them in the boiling water. I've also heard tell that the best way to do boiled lobster is to start them in a cold pot and heat the water up around them, but I haven't seen any evidence that it's more humane.

It's interesting, you know, that the killing and eating of lobsters is so fraught for so many. After all, animals with far more complex brains die for our (non-vegetarian) meals every day. And I kill mussels and clams myself on a regular basis. Why should a lobster be different?

Well, it moves, doesn't it? It's a decent size, and it has distinguishable limbs, and it's altogether alive. But while I don't relish the idea of slaughtering my own meat on a regular basis, I can't help but think that being willing to take care of business where a lobster is concerned is an omnivore's duty. After all, if I plan to eat it, I should probably be forced to look it in the eye at some point.

If you feel like pondering the issue further, I highly recommend Consider the Lobster by the late David Foster Wallace. It's pretty excellent. (And a pretty good argument for why Gourmet was unique among food magazines.)

If you don't, here's a recipe for lobster.

Aunt Cathi's Lobster Boil

Giant stock pot half-filled with water
5 lobsters, about 1 1/2 pounds each
1 lemon
1/2 stick salted butter*

Set the stock pot on the stove, cover, and bring to a boil. Gently place the lobster in the boiling water and replace the cover. Cook for 11 minutes, or until the lobsters are bright red and the antennae pull off easily.

Meanwhile, slice the lemon into five wedges and melt the butter over low heat.

When the lobsters are done cooking, remove from the water with tongs, allowing each to drain a bit over the pot before placing on a plate or platter.

Serve the lobsters one to a person, with ample napkins, lobster crackers and tiny forks to go alongside. Portion the butter out into five ramekins and place a lemon wedge alongside. Go to town.

Serves five.

*This is pretty much the only time I'll tell you to use salted butter.

Cool down.

2011-07-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Reader, we recently discussed my love of Micheladas. I'm here today to sing the praises of another beer-based cocktail, the Shandy. In the UK, they make these with carbonated lemonade. This weekend, though, inspired by a bottle of IPA standing next to a jug of fresh lemonade, I decided to go low-fi.

The IPA was a bit bitter, which I figured would make a nice foil to the sweetened lemonade. I filled two glasses halfway with the lemonade, then popped open the beer and topped the glasses off. The technique is similar to what you'd do to make a Bellini or Mimosa - and just as easy.

The result? A refreshing, awfully pretty drink perfectly suited to afternoon drinking, especially for those of us who aren't terribly good day drinkers. (I tend to dive headfirst into a nap by 5 PM if booze enters my system before 4.) Not that you shouldn't have it with dinner. Or after dinner. Or whenever you like.

It's summer; live a little!

Independence Day.

2011-07-04T09:55:00.000-04:00

Not the movie, the holiday! (Though I do love that movie, in all its brash, ridiculous American-ness. Plus, aliens!)

I'm spending the Fourth in Bristol, Rhode Island, the self-proclaimed most patriotic town in America. My cousins and I are sitting on the front porch at this very moment, listening to the Boss sing Born In The USA and waiting for Bristol's celebrated (and four-hour) parade to kick off.

I've taken a few walks around town during my stay, and have snapped photos of some of my favorite decorations. Bristol is nothing if not up on its bunting.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday. Enjoy the sun, the surf, the turf, whatnot, and try not to think about the fact that tomorrow is a workday.

Happy Fourth!

Planning.

2011-06-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

I don't know if it's sneaked up on you like it's sneaked up on me, but - did you realize that this weekend is Independence Day? (At least for those of us in the USA!) Holy man. It seems like only moments ago I was lamenting the short days and frigid temperatures of a New York winter, and now we're coming up on summer's defining holiday. (Again, for those of us in the States - France, Bastille Day will be here soon!)

I'm going to be spending the Fourth up in Rhode Island with my aunt, uncle and a couple of my cousins, so I plan to be more of a helper in the kitchen, as opposed to a planner. For those of you who are on the hook for some good eats this weekend, may I humbly suggest the following?

First up, drinks. (C'mon, you know my priorities.) First of all, I highly recommend rosé, especially those from the South of France. (It may not be le Quartoze Juillet quite yet, but there's no reason not to toast our allies in the War for Independence.) I'm especially fond of Paul Jaboulet's Parallèle 45 Rosé - as eminently affordable as it is quaffable.

If cocktails are more your fancy, how about a gin gimlet? Or perhaps you're in the market for something non-alcoholic, in which case I'd recommend some iced coffee or a spritzer made with rhubarb simple syrup, seltzer and lime juice.

Now, for the eats. I'm just going to list some suggestions here; loyal readers will no doubt recognize many of my warm-weather favorites. Drumroll, please...

Tomato & Avocado Salad

Homemade Gravlax

Foodmomiac's Macaroni Salad

Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce

Blueberry Galette

Queenie's Treasury

2011-06-25T12:24:00.001-04:00

Happy weekend, my darlings! My best friend Louisa is flying in from Austin this afternoon, and I'm looking forward to a couple of days of girl time. We're having dinner tonight at Lyon, a new French bistro in the West Village, and I'm seriously excited to head downtown and catch a little Pride Weekend action. In the meantime, here are some Treasury delights for your enjoyment!
First up, this amazing cuff by Naomi Klein. I love how it's simultaneously luxurious and earthy. I can't help but think how well it would go with basically everything I own, especially my bathing suit and cover-up. After all, it's almost the Fourth.

Speaking of jewelry, I'm always looking for ways to store mine in ways that are accessible, but also pretty. I find if I can't see what I have, I don't wear it. But I haven't found a way to keep it out in the open without things being cluttered. Then I saw what Live Creating Yourself blogger Alaina does: organizes her jewelry in antique teacups. It's gorgeous and organized and just lovely.

Finally, Matchbook Magazine's blog highlighted these fantastic, summery New Yorker covers a couple of weeks ago, and I just love them. I have a few antique Vogue covers hanging in my living room, and I love having that bit of publishing history around.

Teacup photo by Maia Harms for Live Creating Yourself.

Proud.

2011-06-24T23:41:00.000-04:00

I am full to the brim with pride for my adopted home state right now. (My original home state of Connecticut was ahead of us, but we still have Broadway, so now we're winning the awesome contest again.)

Marriage equality is a watershed issue in the fight for LGBT rights, and I'm overjoyed to see New York take this step.

I'll be celebrating this Sunday at the Pride parade, and with a trip to my beloved Marie's Crisis. (I'll be getting there early, to make sure I get a prize spot near the piano.)

And, if you're now in the market for a wedding designer, might I recommend You+ME*?

Shameless, I know. But they are stupendous.

Photo by the Amateur Gourmet, taken outside of the Stonewall Inn earlier tonight.

Chill out.

2011-06-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

Summer is here, people! New York is fully immersed in the season, right down to the thunderstorms, torrential flash floods and fluctuating mugginess. There's good stuff, too, like free outdoor movies, striped shirts and even sunny days!

High up on my list of good stuff, as you already know, sits that caffeinated seasonal wonder: iced coffee. I've figured out my perfect formula for iced coffee at home (your mileage may, no doubt, vary), so I thought I'd share a recipe of sorts with you. It's mostly proportionate, since everyone has differently-sized coffee makers. I do recommend going with French press or pour-over coffee (like that made with a Chemex), since it will be both richer and less bitter.

And don't forget the coffee ice cubes! I typically make an extra pot of the same-strength coffee and freeze it in a designated tray, then pop the cubes out individually when it comes time to drink and enjoy. And if you like your coffee sweet, you'll want to scroll on down to the simple syrup recipe. Granulated sinks to the bottom, but syrup mixes right in.

Queenie's Homemade Iced Coffee

Your favorite coffee beans, ground
Water
Half and half, if you wish
Simple syrup (recipe follows)

This isn't really so much a recipe as a method. Make a pot of coffee with about 25% more coffee beans than you normally would. (For example, to make a full pot in my little French press, I use four scoops. To make my iced coffee and iced coffee cubes, I use five.)

Pour the coffee into a mason jar and allow to cool on the counter. Once it's a reasonable temperature (not too steamy), close up the jar and place it in the fridge to chill.

Pour into a glass (leave room for ice) and doctor as you wish with half and half and simple syrup. Add ice (or coffee ice cubes) and enjoy the caffeinated refreshment.

Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar (either granulated or Turbinado)
1 cup water

In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar and water with a wooden spoon. Turn on the heat to medium-low and gently cook the sugar into the water, stirring occasionally until it is completely dissolved. Allow to cool and pour into a container. Store in the fridge for up to two months.

Crunchy and creamy.

2011-06-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

I don't buy watermelon terribly often. If I buy it already cut, it's insipid and soggy. If I manage to find a baby melon, it's a miracle. And a full-sized one is just...huge. It's six or seven pounds of deliciousness, but six or seven pounds of anything is a lot for one person.

But last week? Last week I gave in to temptation. It was hot as Hades (okay, only 99 degrees, but still), and all I could think about was watermelon. Cool, refreshing, lightly sweet watermelon. I ordered one from FreshDirect, knowing full well it would be ridiculously massive.

It was.

The first night, I cut off a slab and chopped it up to keep in the fridge, just like my mom used to do when we were little. I chopped off maybe a third, and it took me five days to eat. FIVE DAYS. So much watermelon.

So this weekend, I started thinking about other things I could do with the bounty. I've always had a thing for taking melon to a savory place (I think this fits in well with my love of cucumbers), and, especially, to a spicy place. I'll take pretty much anything to a spicy place, come to think of it. (Unintentional innuendo, for the record.)

I mixed up a light dressing, half olive oil and half sherry vinegar, and added several glugs of Sriracha for heat. I chopped up some red onion and basil, cubed some watermelon, and added a sliced avocado for good measure. I mixed the whole lot a few times with a giant spoon and some salt. The watermlon released a healthy amount of juice, which mixed beautifully with the dressing, taking the edge off of the vinegar's tartness and leaving a depth and complexity I hadn't expected.

Between the distinctively different crunches of the onion and watermelon and the creaminess of the avocado, I was pretty much in heaven. And it was dang pretty, too.

Spicy Watermelon & Avocado Salad

2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
1 tsp. Sriracha (adjust to your liking)
2 cups watermelon, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup lightly packed basil leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and Sriracha. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the salt) to a medium bowl and gently mix together. Taste for seasoning and add salt and Sriracha as needed.

Serve immediately.

Serves two as a side.

Dinner with friends.

2011-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

On Saturday night, my friends Caroline and Brian had a bunch of us over for dinner. Dark & Stormies, oysters, barbecue and dominoes.

And there were brownies, too, made by my friend Sam and gone so quickly that I couldn't even snap a pic. She used the Thomas Keller recipe, and they were fab-u-lous.

Dominoes: addictive. I need some. Preferably day-glo.

Queenie's Treasury

2011-06-11T13:25:00.000-04:00

Happy weekend, my lovelies! It's been a busy week in these parts - work and movies and work and...well, that's pretty much it. But a lot of both. It's a bit gloomy here in New York today, so here's a bit of cheery Treasury goodness to help brighten things up.

Lonny blogged about Samantha French's paintings this week, and I am completely obsessed. I especially love her depictions of swimmers. She captures the fractured quality of light streaming through water, and the effect is one of cool, calm, wistful summeriness. (Not really a word, but you know what I mean, don't you? See?) She has an Etsy print store, too!

Herriott Grace creates unique, beautiful goods from all different kinds of wood, and are probably most well-known for their stunning cake pedestals. While those creations can run to more than $300, their kitchen towels are just as lovely, and in much closer financial reach. I think my kitchen might like a little treat, and these seem like the perfect thing to layer under a cooling summer fruit pie.

Last, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to direct your attention to this fabulous Serious Eats piece about stocking your bar - with bourbon. (What else do you need, really, except for maybe a bottle of gin?) I am loving all these recommendations, especially the ones for tasty, complex bourbons that don't break the bank. (And, of course, for the ones that do, but are totally worth it.)

Coffee & donuts.

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

I am normally staunchly opposed to stuff in my ice cream. Ben & Jerry's has never been my favorite, in large part because they tend to add a whole slew of stuff to their flavors. For most, this is a prime attraction. All I see, though, are pint-sized minefields of over-frozen pretzels and chunks of chocolate, all chilled for far too long and at far too high a temperature to actually taste like anything. Bleh.

But. But, but, but. At Shake Shack, the special flavors that have, well, stuff in them are different. For starters, the custard is soft-serve, and so the added bits and pieces are in no danger of freezing to the point of tooth-cracking stiffness. And since everything is made fresh, the add-ins have just enough time to integrate, but not enough time to assimilate. In short, you can chew on and taste everything, as opposed to eating around chunks of chocolate hard enough to shatter your enamel.

I like.

And I especially like this month's special flavor for Saturdays: Coffee & Donuts. The coffee custard is rich, creamy and just a little bit salty, in the way that all of the most delicious sweet things are. The donuts are a light cake, and have a slightly maple flavor to them. They're soaked in the custard, but are a bit spongy instead of just soggy - kind of like (you guessed it) a donut that you've dunked in really good coffee.

Go forth and enjoy, free from the fear of the deeply frozen pretzel.

Queenie's Treasury

2011-06-04T20:37:00.000-04:00

It's the first Treasury in a while, kids. I apologize for being so neglectful, but hopefully what I'm about to share will make up for my absence. Here goes!

First of all, I'm loving this house tour from the always-resourceful Copycat Chic. Reichel (and her readers) find cheaper versions of high-end pieces for the home, and their finds are seriously impressive. An especially great resource for anyone looking for a just-right piece. But anyway, back to the house in question, which belongs to a blogger named Luisa, who is apparently a freaking genius at paying the very least amount of money for some seriously cool stuff. I am dying for her little brass nesting tables in particular, and the bookshelves are gorgeously styled, and the bedroom - oh, the bedroom! Brava!

Design*Sponge always finds great stuff, and these food paintings by Joël Penkman are no exception. I can't decide on a favorite, though the warm weather gives the popsicles a bit of an advantage, you know?

Speaking of popsicles, Smitten Kitchen posted some delicious-looking fudge specimens this week. I think it might be time for there to be a popsicle mold investment around these parts. Yes, indeedy.

Home again, home again.

2011-06-01T08:00:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my reunion, it's been a couple of crazy days around these parts, kids.

Aside from marveling at how everyone looks exactly the same as they did at graduation ten years ago, we spent most of the weekend eating Dining Services' cooking and drinking, well, anything and everything. (And that's all I have to say about that.)

As a result, I was craving some simple, basic, homemade food on Monday. I kicked off the morning with a simple scramble (eggs, red pepper and scallions) and followed that up with a lunch of delightfully spicy shrimp cooked in a quick, easy tomato and basil sauce. (The basil is courtesy of my windowsill garden, which is thriving marvelously this season.)

It took about fifteen minutes, start to finish, and it was the perfect thing to eat on the couch, from a bowl, before enjoying a big glass of iced coffee (Stumptown, of course) and a few episodes of Twin Peaks.

And as much as I hankered for a simpler, collegiate life this weekend, it sure was nice to be home, alone, in my very own grown-up apartment.

Spicy Shrimp with Tomatoes and Basil

2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. medium or large shrimp, shelled, deveined, rinsed and dried
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 tbs. dry vermouth
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
5-6 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt

In a medium skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the shrimp in one layer (cook them in separate batches if necessary) and leave them be for a couple of minutes, until their bottoms start to turn pink. Using silicone tongs, turn the shrimp over and cook until they are just barely cooked through (pink and opaque throughout). Remove to a plate and set aside.

If you need to, add a bit more oil to the pan, followed by the garlic. Saute for a minute, until fragrant but not starting to brown, then add the tomatoes and basil. Continue to cook for a few minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down just a bit. Add the vermouth and scrape up any little shrimpy bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the pepper flakes and cook for a few minutes, until most of the vermouth has evaporated.

Return the shrimp and any juices to the pan, and cook for a minute or two, until the shrimp are warmed through and evenly mixed with the tomatoes. Taste for seasoning (you'll definitely want salt) and serve immediately.

Serves 2 as a main course.

Springtime in a vase.

2011-05-31T09:30:00.000-04:00

Peonies are my favorite spring flower. So lush, so remarkably happy-making. What's your favorite flower?

Nostalgia.

2011-05-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I visited my alma mater, Bryn Mawr College, for my ten-year reunion. It was, in a word, amazing. I'd never exactly forgotten how much I loved my time at Bryn Mawr, or how inspiring it was to be surrounded, every single day, by such brilliant, driven and remarkable women, but I'd forgotten the sense of wonder that experience gave me. No more, friends. Never again will I take those four years for granted.

And it doesn't hurt that the campus is unbelievably lush and full of breathtaking neo-Gothic architecture. I mean, this place was designed by Calbert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmstead (they of Central Park in Manhattan) - how could it not be stunning?

I visited most of my old dorms, even peeking into my senior year room, which was a ridiculously palatial single with thirteen-foot ceilings, a fireplace and a wall of windows (windowseat, too, natch).

I also paid a too-brief visit to Haverford College, just a mile down the road. Bryn Mawr and Haverford have an unusually close, cooperative relationship (same class schedules, same meal plan, ability to live, take any class or major at either college, and so on), and I majored in religion there.

I had cocktails with my thesis advisor and two of my fellow majors, and managed to snap a photo of Haverford's undeniably picturesque Skating House.

I really can't wait ten more years before I go back again. Even five might be a challenge.

Fingers crossed.

2011-05-30T19:27:00.002-04:00

I have to make a few more visits to cement things, but I think I've found a new local: Flex Mussels on E. 82nd Street. The mussels and oysters were delicious, as was the rosé. And, most importantly, they have a bustling bar up front. Stay tuned.

Tweaking a classic.

2011-05-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

My name is Meg, and I'm addicted to Italian food.

If you are even a casual reader of my blog, you probably already knew that. I mean, I'm an omnivore. I love Vietnamese, Chinese (especially bad, Americanized Chinese - I am half-Jewish, after all), French (obviously), Japanese, Cuban, Mexican (especially taqueria-style eats), Spanish, molecular...you name it, I probably really enjoy it.

But when it comes to what I'm likely to cook at home, Italian frequently seems to win the day. I think it's likely the result of its emphasis on fresh ingredients (especially vegetables) and my ability to look at pretty much anything and go, "That would be great with some olive oil and garlic." Whatever the reason, Italian - or, at least, Italian-inspired - is often on the menu chez Queenie.

So when I wound up with a package of hot pork sausage a week or so ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it: make some sausage and peppers. I turned to my current Italian-American gurus, the Frankies. Yes, I know. You've heard me mention them before. Tough noogies.

The Frankies make their classic sausage and peppers with sweet sausage, and serve it on polenta. I only had hot sausage, but I added some basil from my windowsill garden to sweeten things up. And, since I'm trying to cut back on the processed carbs (which is not easy when you love pasta as much as I do, guys), I ate mine all plain-like. It was still dang good.

Sausage with Onions and Roasted Peppers
Adapted from The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual

2 bell peppers (at least one red; the other red, yellow or orange)
1 small yellow onion
2 tsp. canola oil
Kosher salt
1 pound hot pork sausage, casings removed
14 oz. canned San Marzano tomatoes
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch slices

Roast the peppers:
Using a gas stove, turn two burners on high and lay a pepper on each (Using tongs, please!). Roast the peppers, using the tongs to turn them, until the skins are evenly and completely black and blistered. It should take between 5 and 10 minutes.

(If you don't have gas burners, brush the peppers with a bit of canola oil and roast them under the broiler, following pretty much the same procedure. This method may take a bit longer.)

Once the peppers are roasted, place them in a medium mixing bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. They'll steam a bit before they cool, which will make them easy to peel. Once they're cool, peel away the blackened bits and core and seed them. Slice them lengthwise in 1/4 inch wide slices, and set aside.

Prepare the sausage & onions:
Cut the onion in half lengthwise (through the root), then cut the halves into 1/4 inch wide slices with the grain, meaning lengthwise from the root to the tip.

Heat the canola oil in a wide saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and just a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and takes on a golden color. If things are browning too quickly, add a splash of water to the pan (but make sure it cooks off before you move on to the next step).

Use a slotted spoon to add the onion to the peppers. Without turning the heat down, add the sausage to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break it into small clumps and saute for 10-12 minutes, until it's brown but not dry.

Add the canned tomatoes, crushing them one by one as you add them to the pan. Add half the basil. Scrape the bottom of the pan to rescue any delicious browned bits. Simmer the lot for 15-30 minutes, or longer if you have the time. Add the peppers, onions and remaining basil, and cook for a few minutes more.

Serves 2-3.

An unexpected treat.

2011-05-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

As a tried and true caffeine fiend, I can typically be trusted to show up pretty much anywhere with a coffee cup in hand. My current favorite is Stumptown, the Portland, Oregon based roasters and brewers who've recently opened up (limited) shop here in New York.

I'm far too busy (read: lazy) to make my way to the Stumptown shop at the Ace Hotel on a regular basis, so imagine my delight when I discovered that Balthazar Bakery, which brews Stumptown, also stocks a couple of different bean blends.

I stop in to Balthazar for a fix a couple of times a month (They're near my stylist Holly's salon, and my new 'do requires bang trims approaching the fanatical.), but I'd never noticed the wall o' beans before. I quickly snapped up a pound of the Balthazar blend, roasted on May 18th. It's round and rich and strong, but not bitter. Pretty perfect, right?

My apartment, it must be said, smells divinely of coffee at the moment. Bliss.

PSA: Strawberries are here!

2011-05-18T13:20:00.000-04:00

Strawberries made their first appearance at the Greenmarket this morning, kids! Time to start planning your pies, crostatas, shortcakes and compotes.

This scone.

2011-05-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

This, my friends, is a strawberry-rhubarb scone from the lovely and amazing Two Little Red Hens bakery.

While my neighborhood (Yorkville, part of Manhattan's Upper East Side) is still woefully lacking a great coffee place (Joe, won't you please open over here?), it does have some seriously good baked goods. For bread, you can hit Orwasher's. And for the sweet stuff, you can go fancy and high-falutin' at Lady M, or down-home and amazing with the Hens.

This scone is a perfect example of how they take rustic to the next level. Yes, it's a slightly misshapen, large, American-style scone. But it's made with the best ingredients, it's seasonal, and it's incredibly tender and delicious. Its top is lightly crusted with crunchy sugar, it's stuffed with rhubarb and berries, and its innards are all creamy and lush. It is marvelous.

Next time, we'll talk about the buttery glaze on their cinnamon rolls. Drool.

Here we go, a-marketing.

2011-05-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

The greenmarket is approaching full bloom, folks! This weekend I snagged French breakfast radishes, ramps, eggs, peonies, lilies of the valley, asparagus, spinach, cucumbers, red bell peppers and tomatoes. (Those last three are greenhouse-grown, but still local. What can I say? I'm desperate for a preview of summer.)

Fiddleheads were on offer, too. Gorgeous, no?

And lilacs. So many lilacs. The market was fairly carpeted with lilacs. I resisted in favor of my always-and-forever peonies, but I couldn't help pausing to take in a long, deep sniff. (My market shopping bags are courtesy of Baggu, and I love them beyond measure.)

Rainbows ahoy.

2011-05-15T12:15:00.003-04:00

Success! The books are organized by color. Just wanted to let you guys see the finished result. The back of the unit is nearly full, and also organized by color, but by boring colors. (Dull green, lots of cream, a bit of black.)

Queenie's Treasury

2011-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday, my doves! It's been a busy weekend chez Queenie, full of marketing, apartment refreshing and laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. Before I get back to my glamorous life, let's talk Treasury.
First up, an amazing cookware store: Pot & Pantry. Based out of San Francisco, this incredible shop stocks vintage and new cookware from all over the world, including Dansk, Mauviel and Le Creuset. I'm a bit obsessed with the lovely shapes and pop-y colors. I know that I'll be making a pilgrimage to their brick-and-mortar store the next time I'm in town.

Despite my love of color, I often find myself drawn to interiors done up in luxe neutrals. There's just something so calming and sumptuous about them, isn't there? This one belongs to Keri Russell - yes, Felicity herself! Anne Sage (she of Rue Magazine and the City Sage) found and shared it the other day, and I am smitten. Especially with that Ochre chandelier.

Finally, a little more real estate porn for you. Check out this amazing house on Maui. It's just...wow. There are no words. I am generally pretty into being an urbanite. I like hustle, I like bustle, I like people. But this? I could see myself kicking back here a few times a year. (Via the Wall Street Journal.)

Refresh.

2011-05-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

I spent most of my day today rearranging the apartment, including reorganizing my (nearly 1,000) books by color. It was a long day, and I'm horrifyingly sore, but it was worth it. Results to come soon!

Inspiration strikes.

2011-05-12T10:23:00.000-04:00

Kids, I am so excited! I've figured out a way to rearrange my furniture just a tad that will allow me to finally - FINALLY - have a bar cart-ish setup in the living room. It won't be a cart (more of a tray on top of a table), but still: gorgeous glassware, vintage ice bucket and pretty accessories? You shall be mine.

When I figure something like this out, I'm always tempted to go nuts and buy all the bits and pieces immediately. I'm going to try to pace myself this time, but it hasn't stopped me from gathering inspiration from all of my favorite spots around the web.

I haven't figured out all the details, but I know I want a lacquered tray, a small arrangement of in-season flowers at all times, and some seriously awesome rocks glasses and champagne coupes. I also think I need a whimsical bottle opener and possibly some custom, monogrammed napkins.

Once I figure this all out, I will report back. Trust. In the meantime, you can follow my inspiration board over here at Pinterest. (And if you're not on Pinterest yet, what the heck are you waiting for?)

Images via Lonny (#1, #2 and #4) and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle (#3).

West Village meets Austria.

2011-05-10T19:07:00.000-04:00

I have a bit of a soft spot for Austrian food. I've never met a schnitzel I didn't at least enjoy, and I can't think of a better way to take my espresso than with a dollop of whipped cream (sweetened a bit and named schlag by those crazy Austrians) right on top.

And so it's a bit shocking, really, that I hadn't been to Wallsé until this past Saturday. In my defense, I have visited its uptown sister establishment (Café Sabarsky) many a time. After all, it is but a short walk from my home base, where Wallsé involves a bus ride and a subway trip. Turns out, though, that it's worth the trek. (As my friends Nicole, Amelia and Anna swore it would be - credit where it's due, kids.)

Caroline and I sat outside for most of our lunch; we had to dash inside before dessert to avoid a passing rain shower. Before that, though, we sat on Washington Street enjoying the people watching and generally feeling good about being New Yorkers. The West Village has a way of doing that to a person.

We kicked off with cocktails; I ordered the Ginger Highball, mostly for the rye, while Caroline went for the Blood Orange Cosmo. Both were tasty, if a bit sweeter than my usual fare. We were incredibly boring when it came to our food - we both ordered the exact same thing. Wiener schnitzel.

After all, what's not to love about a cutlet covered in delightful breading, perfectly fried and served with a potato-cucumber salad and lingonberry preserves? As it turns out, absolutely nothing. I mean, there's not a lot more to say. The breading was well-seasoned, which meant the whole thing felt good, as opposed to simply naughty. The salad was creamy but tangy, which meant it felt like real food as opposed to something a neglectful cook might throw together five minutes ahead of a potluck. And lingonberries are awesome. In short, this dish is a great blend of some of my favorite things: crunchy breading, warm food with cold, creamy food with crunchy, sweet food with salty.

Caroline insisted on trying the sachertorte, which was lovely, and far less dry than most of the sachertortes I've encountered have been. I, meanwhile, indulged in an einspanner, which is a fancy way of saying "double espresso topped with sweetened whipped cream." I know, right?

Queenie's Treasury

2011-05-09T11:05:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday, all! So sorry that this week's Treasury is a bit late. My Saturday got away from me, and I spent most of Sunday, well, paying for Saturday. Ouch. But here we are, on a gorgeous Monday morning, and it's time for some pretty things.
First up, a gorgeous piece of art I found via the amazing blog sfgirlbybay. Lauren Bahr's Cradle is full of energy, but still a bit calming, thanks to the blend of soft colors. The pops of brights make me smile. I love, love, love it, and an 8x10 print is only $20. Hmmm....

Next up, Food52's shop has, once again, hit it out of the park. I am simply in cookware lust with these colorful serving pieces from Horne. I certainly don't need more tools right now, but that ceases to matter when I gaze at the lovely enameled handles. Sigh.

Finally, this house. Is. Amazing. It's a house built in and around the remains of a 19th century Scottish farmhouse, and it is simply stunning. I want to go there and retreat from the world for a while. Just wonderful.

Honestly.

2011-05-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hard as it may be to believe (snort), even I have kitchen mishaps. Sometimes they're disastrous, and sometimes they're minor. The one I had on the Saturday before Easter could be classified as the former. I actually found myself standing in my kitchen, throat on fire from a cold, cursing the author of a recipe. Loudly, colorfully and at great length.

What happened, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. I was making a ramp tart to go alongside my brother's Easter leg of lamb, and the crust betrayed me. I made it, let it rest for a full two hours, rolled it out between two pieces of plastic wrap, and placed it gently in the tart pan. And then, when it came out of the oven, it was cracked all along the bottom.

Idiot that I occasionally am, I figured this was all par for the course, and went ahead and poured in the custardy filling. Of course, this was a tart pan with a removable bottom, so the filling proceeded to spill all over the stove and counter as it leaked through those little cracks and out of the pan. OF COURSE.

After screaming, stomping and generally muttering as I cleaned up the mess, I decided to make a second crust. I couldn't face rolling the dough out again, so I decided my guests would have to deal with a pressed-in tart crust (and to use a pie plate for extra safety), something I've done before and plan to do again. It is so. Much. Easier.

And, frankly, the tart was still flaky and delicious, so I feel no guilt about it and have no qualms encouraging you all to do the same, lest you end up as I did, shaking your fist at the kitchen gods.

Oh, and, the tart? It's marvelous. Creamy and decadent, but small enough in stature to go down nice and easy. The stinky ramps call for a mild goat cheese, but if you don't have ramps where you are, sub in some chopped leeks and an aged cheese - that'll be pretty dang good, too.

Ramp Tart with Goat Cheese
Adapted from Bon Appétit

For the ramp filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 bunches ramps (about 1/2 pound), cleaned, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 tbs. water
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

For the crust:
4 tbs. ice water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tbs. chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

For the custard:
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp. salt
4 oz. mild goat cheese

Make the ramp filling:
In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the ramps and stir to coat in the butter. Stir in the water and salt, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the ramps are very tender, about 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside. (If you're doing this the day before, allow to cool, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before adding to the tart.)

Make the crust:
Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to combine, then add the butter. Pulse a few times until a coarse meal develops. With the motor running, add two tablespoons of the ice water. Check to see how the dough is doing; if it's still a bit dry and not coming together, add the rest of the water.

Take the dough out and place it in a 9-inch glass or metal pie plate. Gently press the dough out and down with your hands or a flat-bottomed measuring cup, until it is evenly distributed and goes up (but not over) the edges of the pan. Place in the fridge for at least an hour. If you plan to leave the crust in overnight, cover tightly with plastic wrap first.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the crust from the fridge and line with tinfoil, covering the entire crust (including up the edges). Fill with pie weights or dry, uncooked beans and bake until set and dry, about 30 minutes. Remove the pie weights and tinfoil and bake until golden, about 10 more minutes, depending on your oven's personality.

Make the custard and finish the tart:
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, cream, eggs and salt. Beat until light and well-combined. Dot half the cheese around the bottom of the warm tart shell. Arrange the ramp filling on top, then place the rest of the cheese on top of the ramps. Gently pour in the egg mixture.

Return the tart to the oven and bake until the center is set and puffy and the tart is golden in spots. You may need to cover the edges of the crust - one of these is super-handy, or you can make a make-shift one from tinfoil.

Serves 8 as a side, or 4 as a main course.

Queenie's Treasury

2011-04-30T20:45:00.001-04:00

Happy weekend, readers! Today was an absolutely stunning day here in the city; I spent it hanging out with my mom. We walked the High Line, visited Mary's Fish Camp, strolled through the West Village and wound up at the Van Cleef & Arpels exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt. And, you know what? I feel a little less guilty for being wiped out after reading all of that. Thank goodness this week's Treasury kicks off with some serious coffee.

Coffee in Paris is a lot like coffee in New York: it is often good, sometimes very good, but rarely amazing. It seems, however, that Paris is following in New York's footsteps: a haute coffee scene is burgeoning there, and that sounds pretty exciting. HiP Paris has a story about the latest barista competition held in the City of Light, featuring enough caffeine to power those lights from here through Bastille Day.

Next up, I'm a little obsessed with this Dutch farmhouse renovation from The Style Files. While I'd likely add a bit more color with art and such, I absolutely love the grey and white palette and the natural finishes. And that slinky white pendant light is to die for.

I'm a bit of a magpie these days, what with summer on the way and loads of adorable clothes on offer. This sea green necklace from Oliphant would go smashingly with the white t-shirts I bought by the armful last week, don't you think?

Improving myself.

2011-04-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Louisa, my cousin Jason and I took a pickling class at Murray's Cheese a couple of weeks ago, and it was awesome! The class was led by the lovely and patient Bob McClure (Of McClure's Pickles, of course!), who put up with all of our inane questions, most of which went something like, "If I do XYZ, will I poison myself by way of pickled goodness?"

A lot of the technique focused on canning, as opposed to pickling itself, but since canning has always scared the bejesus out of me (see above question), I found that pretty helpful. I'm willing to mess about with flavoring and ingredients, but I like to know how to do it without risking botulism, you know?

(One cardinal rule: always follow the brine proportions in the recipe. They're there for a reason. Muck about with spices and herbs as much as you like, but keep the ratio of salt to water to vinegar, mmmkay?)

We made cauliflower pickles (garnished liberally with bell peppers and cucumbers), but I haven't tasted mine yet. (Or Louisa's, which she left here for my snacking enjoyment.) I promise a full update - and recipe - when I do.

Shake Shack, 4 PM, 9 April 2011

2011-04-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

Pancakes and bacon custard. My take? Too salty, not maple-y enough. I feel like a traditionalist-slash-provincial, but there you have it.

Super creamy, though.

Asparagus: check!

2011-04-25T09:00:00.003-04:00

The rhythm of spring is, for me, measured by the gradual arrival of my old friends. First come the tulips and daffodils, then the ramps, and then the asparagus. Asparagus, in all its grassy glory, is the first substantive vegetable to make its appearance in the Northeast. The early harvest is typically the best - both boldly flavored and delicately textured.

I got my hands on my first pound of asparagus on Saturday morning and promptly returned home to make myself an asparagus-centric lunch to remember. Eggs and pork are classic partners for asparagus, and so I decided to saute my spears in bacon fat and top the lot with a fried egg. Chives are delightfully peppery and are simply everywhere right now, so I added a healthy handful of those for good measure. (I love pork and pepper - love!)

Now, if you're veggie, I'd skip the bacon and go for butter here - a little animal fat goes a long way, even if it's just dairy. (I say "just," but let's face it: butter is amazing.) And if you want to use this as a side, skip the egg. Or not. Your call.

Asparagus with Bacon and Shallots

2 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch batons
1 large shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut crosswise on the bias into two-inch pieces
2 tbs. chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbs. chives, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the bacon and reduce the heat to medium-high. Saute until most of the fat is rendered, but the bacon is still a little chewy. Using a slotted spoon, set aside the bacon.

Add the shallot and saute for a few minutes until a little soft. Add the asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and continue to saute, until the asparagus turns bright green. Add the stock to deglaze the pan stir until it is mostly evaporated. Add one tablespoon of the chives and cook for a minute more.

Transfer to a bowl, top with the rest of the chives (and a fried egg, if that's how you roll), season to taste, and chow down.

Serves one as a main course, two as a side.

What a woman's gotta do.

2011-04-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

My refrigerator was full of Easter feast goodness, and my kitchen was super warm from the oven going all day long (cream puffs and ramp tart), so the eggs had to live on the windowsill for a bit.

I think they liked it there.

Queenie's Treasury: Caffeinated Edition

2011-04-23T13:54:00.000-04:00

It's a very rainy Saturday here in New York, but I've already been below 14th Street - twice! I visited the Greenmarket (ramps, asparagus AND lilacs on offer - spring is truly here) and stopped in to say hello to Miss Holly and have my bangs trimmed. Now I'm reveling in the aftermath of a delectable asparagus-egg-and-bacon lunch (recipe to come) and pondering all of the Easter-related cooking to come this afternoon. In the meantime, let's take a look at this week's all-coffee Treasury!

First up, a super-helpful guide to New York's coffee scene, courtesy of Eater. Ever wanted to know the difference between Cafe Grumpy and Joe, or what the heck the deal is with Abraco? No longer shall you have any excuse to visit Starbucks.

In further coffee news, Merrill of Food52 has published her definitive guide to homemade iced coffee, just in time for the warm weather that (I'm told) is currently sweeping much of the nation. (Jerks.) As opposed to the oft-advocated cold brew, Merrill suggests a cooled, strong French press coffee and espresso ice cubes. Approved on both counts!

Obsession.

2011-04-22T13:56:00.002-04:00

Did you guys know that I'm totally obsessed with cauliflower puree right now? Seriously - it's that good. I wrote a recipe for my current version for my twice-a-month column at You + ME* Equals. Check it out!

Doughnut Plant, 16 April, 8:30 AM

2011-04-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Seasonal goodness.

2011-04-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, I paid a late night visit to Momofuku Noodle Bar with my friends Nick and Louisa. We enjoyed our bowls of ramen to the utmost, but it was the first and last courses that caught my fancy.

Momofuku's potato and ramp dish is worth a special trip. The creamy potatoes play beautifully off of the funky wild leeks, and the whole thing is a plateful of spring. You can't have this dish three weeks from now, you know? So get your butts over there.

And dessert? A cup of salted chocolate ice cream. Marvelous, icy, exciting. I don't always love saltier ice creams in the way I love salty desserts in general, but this one worked like a charm. I must have it again soon, as should you.

Bar Boulud, 9 April, 7:00 PM

2011-04-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

They're heee-eeere!

2011-04-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

What? Ramps!

That said, I'm feeling a bit guilty about indulging this season. Apparently the ramp-rich lands upstate and in New Jersey are being positively denuded of their crop, which of course threatens our long-term enjoyment of the delectable wild leeks. And, let's face it, it can't be good ecologically.

Are you planning to eat a lot of ramps this season? Why or why not?

Dress to impress.

2011-04-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

You may remember some of my past odes to cream puffs. And I don't mean profiteroles - I mean cream puffs. Profiteroles, you see, don't do it for me. The ice cream makes the choux pastry shells go hard and cold, and then cold and soggy. Just...no.

But cream puffs? Filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, cheese, whatever - those, I love. I've had some delicious ones in Pennsylvania and in California, but I'd never attempted them at home. Until now. Turns out, they're the kind of dessert that will impress your guests way out of proportion to the amount of effort you need to put in.

Basically, you make a choux pastry, then bake it into little puffs. Does that sound fancy? Well, trust me: it ain't. You boil some water with some butter, mix in some flour and eggs and...well, that's it! Drop those suckers onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for twenty minutes or so, and you have seriously French, seriously tasty little shells that you can fill to your heart's content.

To keep things simple, I filled mine with a mixture of whipped cream and mascarpone cheese. The cheese adds heft and complexity, but is way easier to deal with than pastry cream (one requires opening a package; the other is, well, pastry cream). You can do whatever you like, though - even fill them with ice cream, if you so choose. (Different strokes for different folks, right?)

I topped mine with hot fudge for a festive touch; you can also dust them with confectioner's sugar for a perfectly decadent breakfast or afternoon tea. Pastry puffs: the chameleons of the dessert world, am I right?

Cream Puffs with Chocolate Sauce
Choux pastry recipe adapted from Mastering The Art of French Cooking

For the pastry puffs
1 cup water
6 tbs. unsalted butter
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. granulated sugar
5 eggs, one beaten with 1/2 tsp. water

For the filling
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbs. granulated sugar

For the chocolate sauce
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbs. turbinado sugar

Make the pastry puffs:
Move the oven racks to the bottom and top thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the water, butter and sugar in a 1 1/2 or 2 quart sauce pan and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and immediately add all the flour. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon to blend. Replace the pot over medium high heat for a minute or two, beating with the spoon all the while, until the dough begins to come away from the sides and the bottom of the pan is coated with a film of flour.

Remove from the heat and make a well in the middle of the dough. Add one egg at a time, beating thoroughly with the spoon until well-mixed. Continue with the remaining eggs, one by one. Once all the eggs have been added, mix for another minute more, until smooth.

Line two cookie sheets or jelly roll pans with parchment paper. Drop 2-inch diameter rounds of dough onto the pans, leaving about two inches between them. Wet your fingers and shape the rounds into even shapes, if need be. Brush with the tops with just a bit of the egg and water mixture.

Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed, firm and golden brown, switching the pans positions' halfway through. Remove from the oven, steel yourself, then cut a slit in the side of each puff with a sharp knife. Replace on the pans and place back in the (now turned-off) oven for ten more minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Make the filling:
In a medium bowl, beat the cream and half the sugar until it forms stiff peaks. In a separate, larger bowl, beat the mascarpone and half the sugar until it is lighter and somehwat fluffy. Fold the cream into the mascarpone and mix gently until evenly blended.

Make the chocolate sauce:
In a double boiler set over low heat, melt the chocolate, cream and sugar together. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. When the sauce is evenly melted and smooth, remove from the heat.

To assemble the cream puffs:
Slice a puff 2/3 of the way around - it should look like a Muppet with a mouth that opens and closes. Fill with as much of the filling as you can. Place two or three filled puffs on a plate, then top with the warm chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.

Serves four.

Queenie's Treasury

2011-04-11T19:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday evening, all! I'm so sorry that this week's Treasury is late. I had quite a whirlwind weekend, between Nick and Louisa arriving in town, making dinner for Jeremy and Miriam on Friday night, and seeing theater on Saturday (Company) and Sunday (Jerusalem). I'm ready and raring to go with the Treasury, though, so let's get to it!

First up, take a look at these mouthwatering doughnuts from LA's Donut Man. Fresh doughnuts stuffed with, fat, juicy, sweet in-season strawberries. My mouth is watering at the thought, let alone the image. Thank goodness Louisa and I already have plans to visit Doughnut Plant this weekend. (Via Serious Eats.)

A couple of weeks back, I spotted this incredible Stockholm apartment on the blog Bodie & Fou. I'm in love with its all-white kitchen, its giant windows, and its wall of bookshelves. I think I'll move in tomorrow.

Finally, courtesy of the always inspirational SwissMiss, an amazing wood mug. I agree with Tina - I'd love to know what it feels like to drink out of this. I think it would be a perfect gift for a tea or coffee enthusiast.

Pool time is the best time.

2011-04-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

So, the weather in Austin was pretty insane. While the mornings would start off foggy and misty, the clouds generally parted by lunchtime to reveal a sunny sky and 85-degree temperatures.

Pretty much the most perfect pool weather on earth, and we'd be fools not to take advantage of it.

And we are no fools.

Getting around.

2011-04-07T09:01:00.002-04:00

Hey, folks! It's my day for posting over at You + ME* Equals, where I've shared one of my very favorite recipes: romaine hearts with lemon, creme fraiche and fried capers. So clickety on over to read about why salad is comfort food, and why you should make this one today.