When June rolls around, I am often filled with a longing for the summers of my youth, spent swimming at the nearby pool, riding my bike, or reading a book. Today I watch the kids I know, in homes where I work, or those of friends and family, grow healthy and sun kissed and worn out […]
When I was a kid I was always made to dress up for occasions that seemed entirely without cause for any formality, like going shopping downtown or a meal with my grandparents. I resented such efforts vehemently, partially because I didn’t understand how a dressed-up Maggie made any difference to the shoppers at Elder-Beerman’s or […]
Here in San Francisco, we require functioning furnaces throughout the summer months, when fog and gusty winds surround the hills of the city and make for some cool weeks. While our temperatures certainly aren’t freezing, they do mean that despite the abundance of tomatoes, sweet corn, wax beans, and fresh stone fruit of all kinds, […]
Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise: cassoulet is merely another version of what we in America call baked beans. And like baked beans, cassoulet is a humble dish at heart: beans simmered and then baked with odd bits of pork, maybe a piece of mutton, likely some duck. A few sausages never hurt anything. Don’t […]
There are those among us who like brussels sprouts, a fact that has confounded me for some time. I was certain that these hideous vegetables were beyond redemption and put on earth to torture kids who were required to clean their plates. Eventually I began to regard them with a little less disdain. Friends ordered them in restaurants or […]
Birthday cakes should be layer cakes, and for the second time in as many years I found myself with cakes prepped, but the birthday gathering cancelled. Nestled in my freezer were three layers of lemon cake (baked last week; you’d never know they’d been frozen, and this is the secret to wedding cake construction across […]
I’d eaten tarte flambée years ago, at a restaurant in downtown San Francisco that no longer exists (though I believe that space now houses Kokkari). It really made an impression on me, because it was unlike anything I’d ever had before. A thin crispy crust smeared with something creamy, covered with bacon and onions, and […]
I seem to have failed at my blogging goals for December, but I did manage to bake a round or two of Christmas cookies this year. I have a standard cookie that the holiday would not be complete without, though we’ve never settled on a name for them. My husband alone can eat half a […]
There are as many opinions in the world about hamburgers as there are people who eat them. No doubt you’ll disagree with my own favorite, but that is as it should be. We are each as unique as the burgers we eat. My father’s secret recipe involves horseradish and red wine. My friend Gideon’s burgers […]
There are few things more satisfying than a bowl of long-simmered beans, drizzled with a little olive oil and grated parmigiano-reggiano, and served with a few slices of crusty bread for dipping. On a cold night this will take away a deep chill; and for a drained and despondent soul, this will soothe and nourish. […]
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