Hey, Little Sister… » food blogs

Wanted: Sunny Summer Savories

paige — Thu, 26 May 2011 03:52:30 +0000

YES, I KNOW: technically, it is not summer. But we’ve got forecasts in the 80s, and darn it, it’s (about to be! Whoo hoo!) Memorial Day weekend. Let the picnicking and ‘cue-ing begin! In need of inspiration? Look no further than our own archives of amazing summer recipes. Some vintage, some our own concoctions, there’s plenty to tempt palates from simple to soignée…

Let’s start with the basics, shall we? We love a good potato salad, and while we can’t make it from our own garden haul, not just yet, that’s no reason not to enjoy this all-American staple. Take a peek at our Ladies’ Auxiliary vintage recipe round-up, and you’ll find something just perfect for your picnic table.

I love fried chicken, but try to do like my disciplined friend Mimi: indulge in it, and indulge good, just once a year. If this isn’t your moment for deep fried decadence, my high school reunion special roast chicken is good hot, warm or cold, and makes a healthier, impossibly easy stand-in.

To continue the healthy theme, check out my Asian-inflected food blog roundup. Among other perfect-for-the-heat suggestions is a divine cold noodle salad from uber-blogger Heidi Swanson. (Want more of the wonders of the digital recipe box? Many more favorite food blogs await you.

But wait! What about dessert? Well, you’ve read my apple pie saga, right? Though not seasonally appropriate, apple pie’s always divine…but then again, in my family, it can cause some serious strife. Maybe best to stick with the season, and let the only fool be rhubarb. Mmmm.

Ok, sisters: your turns. What picnics are you packing, what sides are you serving for this upcoming, eagerly awaited long weekend?

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My Dinner with Shauna

paige — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:40:47 +0000

Shauna, Danny and Lu, photographed by Todd Porter and Diane Cu of White on Rice Couple

WE ALL SAY it so often it’s become a cliché: this online world of ours, it really is its own community, maybe even a family, a sisterhood. We admired the Gluten Free Girl from afar; then we profiled her here; and now, we are thrilled to say, we have become IRL (that’s “in real life”) friends, too. Read on for all the delicious details of our very own dinner with Shauna (and Dan and Lu, too.)

Shauna emailed a few months back to say she, Dan and Lu would be heading east for their new book, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: could she swing north from NYC and visit me and Margaret at our crazy homes in the sticks? Uh–YES, please! Plans were made, transportation arranged, and last Friday, the Aherns arrived for dinner. That’s right, dear readers, I had to cook for one of the most popular food bloggers, oh, on the planet (just ask the London Times, or Gourmet, or Bon Appetit.)

Of course I was quick to order the book, and wasn’t disappointed: it’s a lovely memoir-cookbook combination, with recipes that range from simple comfort fare (their favorite meatloaf) to more “cheffy” stuff, like Poussin with Red Quinoa and Rhubarb (which I am dying to try.) I’ve just started cooking through the book, and I highly recommend the Roasted Chicken Roulade with Goat Cheese and Arugula. But I didn’t want to cook dishes from the book for our dinner with them. What if I flubbed them? Were they sick of those recipes? (Probably not. But what if I flubbed them?)

What to make when you’re cooking for a crew, and slightly nervous to boot? Something well within your comfort zone. And, if you can draft a friend to help out and keep you company, even better. My dear friend Alana, of Eating from the Ground Up, agreed to join me, and I planned my favorite comfort food–specifically, a rustic Mexican feast. Guacamole, salsa made with tomatillos from my garden, herby green rice, black beans, and sumptuous carnitas: pork butt spiced, braised and roasted until it is falling-apart tender, succulent and crisp, all at the same time. Alana suggested homemade corn tortillas, and brought along two fantastic red salsas, one fresh, the other roasted. Dessert? Dense chocolate walnut cookies (gluten free, of course) and local ice cream.

We all forgot to get our cameras! Luckily, Dan had his phone.

The food was delicious, I am happy to say. But the company was even better, as we all laughed and talked together: internet lives, rural lives, cooking lives…things we all share. And in the spirit of sharing, here’s the how-to for the carnitas that fed our crowd (and, to my great joy, prompted praise from our guests.) I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did. Come to think of it, if you’re making ‘em, invite us to dinner, too!

Carnitas for a Crowd
adapted from David Liebowitz
Serves at least 12–with leftovers

10 lbs pork butt (Ask the butcher to leave the bone in, but cut the meat into large chunks. And I do mean large! Mine were 5 inches across and 2-3 inches thick.)
1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 Tablespoon Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt* (This works very well, but feel free to use an additional tablespoon of the coarse sea salt, instead.)
2 Tablespoons canola or neutral vegetable oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons chile powder
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder (you will probably have to buy a whole dried ancho chile, and grind it yourself in a coffee grinder or spice mill)
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly-sliced

1. Rub the pieces of pork shoulder all over with both salts. Refrigerate for 1- to 3-days. (You can skip this step if you want. Just be sure to salt the pork before searing the meat in the next step.)

2. Heat the oil in a roasting pan set on the stovetop. Cook the pieces of pork shoulder in a single layer over medium high heat until very well-browned on all sides. (Let one side brown until it releases from the pan, then turn to the next side, and so on.) If your pan is too small to cook them in a single layer, do them in two batches.

3. Once all the pork is browned, remove from the pan and blot away any excess fat with a paper towel, then pour in the cider vinegar and about half a cup of water, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged utensil to release all the tasty brown bits.

4. Heat the oven to 350F degrees.

5. Add the pork back to the pan and add enough water so the pork pieces are 2/3rd’s submerged in liquid. Add the cinnamon stick and sprinkle in the chile powders, bay leaves, cumin and garlic, trying your best to spread them evenly around the pan.

7. Braise in the oven uncovered for 3½ hours, turning the pork a few times during cooking, until the pork is falling apart. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the pork pieces out of the liquid. Cover both the meat and liquid, and cool to room temperature.

8. Remove the meat from the bones and chop coarsely (1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks are best.) Pour the liquid remaining in the pan into a heatproof container, and refrigerate until the fat solidifies on the top. (You can cheat and put it in the freezer, as long as you wait until the liquid comes to room temperature first.)Refrigerate the meat too if you are not planning to serve it immediately.

9. When you are ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350. Return the meat to the pan, and pour the defatted juices over. Cover loosely with foil, and place in the oven to reheat for about 20 minutes (more is fine as long as you check the meat to make sure it’s not drying out–you should have plenty of liquid, so this is unlikely to be a problem, and you want some crisp bits on top: the dual texture of the meat is one of the joys of the dish.

*I was given the Bourbon Barrel Sea Salt by the producer, Bourbon Barrel Foods.

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The Whatchamacallit: An End to Pie Anxiety

paige — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:01:30 +0000

RETURNING READERS MAY remember last summer as the time of pie anxiety. After a cataclysmic conflict over crust, my mother and I foolishly faced off in a local pie contest and, well, let’s just say that neither of us felt like much of a winner by the end. Ever since, I seem to have been avoiding pie entirely, at least in my own kitchen.

My husband, fully aware of both the pie drama and the ensuing Year Of No Pie, was grateful when I came up with my latest favorite dessert. Not quite pie, not quite crumble, it remains nameless, and delicious. It is easy to make, foolproof, crowd pleasing. What more do you need in the waning days of summer?

I still have berries to pick (blackberries are just ripening in my secret patch down by the barn) so I’ve been combining them with peaches. It’s a perfect mix of bright sour flavors with succulent sweetness, but you could use any stone fruit, alone or in combination, with or without berries. (If you still have rhubarb, that’s good, too!) I prefer my desserts on the less-sugary side, but if you warm to a sweeter taste, increase the sugar to suit your fruit, and your liking.

Summer Fruit Whatchamacallit
Serves 8

6 cups mixed stone fruit and/or berries, stone fruit peeled if desired (I never bother) and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch wide slices, according to preference
1/3 cup granulated sugar
grated zest of one orange
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 T cornstarch
1 c unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 c all purpose flour
1/8 t fine sea salt
3/8 c sugar
1/8 c light brown sugar
1/2 c blanched, slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Toss fruit with sugar, orange zest and corn starch. If using vanilla bean, cut it in half lengthwise and carefully scrape out the tiny black seeds into the bowl of fruit. (If using vanilla extract, add it to the fruit along with the orange zest and corn starch.) Toss the mixture gently to combine. Cover and macerate at room temperature for up to an hour.

Combine butter, flour, salt and sugars in a bowl. Work the mixture with a pastry blender or your fingers until you have a clumpy dough. (This is not sophisticated stuff. It will not be pretty, not uniform, not pea-sized pieces, but great walnut-scale lumps.) Add the almonds, and work them in with your fingers until they are distributed evenly throughout.

Turn the fruit out into a 10 inch pie plate or tart pan (I like to use one with pretty fluted sides, but not with a removable bottom. This mixture, even with the corn starch to thicken the juices, could leak during baking.) Top with spoonfuls of the dough, covering the top thoroughly. (It’s ok if the fruit peeks through a bit, but mostly, you want it covered.)

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Serve hot, warm or cold. This is wonderful on its own, but decadent with vanilla ice cream, or a mixture of half creme fraiche and half whipped cream, stirred together and ever-so-slightly sweetened.

HOW YOU CAN JOIN IN SUMMER FEST:
So now it’s your turn: Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? Starting today, for the next five Wednesdays, you can contribute in various ways, big or small.

Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. The possibilities:

Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and some pretty great dialog starts simmering.

Or think bigger: Publish entire posts of your own, if you wish, and grab the juicy Summer Fest 2010 tomato badge (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites).

THE 2010 SCHEDULE:

• Wednesday, July 28: That’s today. CUKES ‘N ZUKES, baby.
• Wednesday, August 4: CORN. Not corny. Sweet…
• Wednesday, August 11: HERBS, GREENS & GREEN BEANS. That’s a whole lot of chlorophyll to play with.
• Wednesday, August 18: STONE FRUIT. I said “stone”, not “stoned”.
• Wednesday, August 25: TOMATOES. Assuming, unlike last summer, we are blight-free. Fingers and toes all crossed.

And in case I forget what week it is, won’t somebody remind me on Twitter? Thanks. We’ll be talking it up there, too.

That’s how a Summer Fest works.

Who’s coming to this party?
Glad you asked. An incredible line up of bloggers-extraordinaire:

Stone Fruit Slump

Savory Stone Fruit recipes

Riesling Poached Pluots

What is stone fruit, anyhow? Plus: Clafoutis batter revisited

Ginger and Vanilla Poached Peaches

Paula’s Perfect Peach Cobbler

Peachy Party Foods

Peaches & Cream Cupcakes

Puttin’ Up Peach Pickles, Compote and More

How to Poach a Peach

Chocolate Amaretti Baked Apricots

dossier & recipes featuring peaches

Blueberry Peach Smoothies

Making Peach Jam

grilled peach parfait and coconut peach gazpacho

gluten-free peach-blueberry buckle

nectarine preserve with summer savory and white pepper

Cherry Apricot Pie with Ginger-Almond Crunch

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Whoo Hoo! It’s Time for Summer Fest 2010!

paige — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:01:30 +0000

IS IT POSSIBLE to plant the right amount of zucchini? I planted 3 plants. THREE. I skipped any other summer squash altogether. I congratulated myself on my behavior: sober, sensible, even restrained. I had learned, I thought, from my elders, from my own past experiences…

I have eight million zucchinis, give or take, all over the kitchen. Some, the ones I forgot to pick and left on the plant for, you know, an extra day, are as big as my arm. (My arms are not small.) What the hell is a waste-phobic cook and would-be gardener to do? I am trying not to be crabby; after all, this is an experience of bounty, not deprivation (even if it is, occasionally, one of aggravation.) My cache of ladies’ auxiliary cookbooks wasn’t much help: unlike Mae Reed Porter of Kansas City, MO, I do not feel the need to resort to name-calling; I do not find cooked zucchini “flabby” (at least not the way I cook it, ahem) though I do on occasion, grow weary of the same-old, same-old rotation of sautéed, grilled, sautéed some more. Also unlike Mrs. Porter, I am not sure my personal solution lies in curry-flavored mayo.

Mayo be damned. Surplus like this means it’s time to can, baby, can. Pickle, preserve, jam (??), too. Hell–make a chutney.

But a girl (and her family) have to eat while busy doing all that alchemy.

This is a delicious, flexible vegetarian (sorry, neither vegan nor gluten free) recipe that is a great way to use up a bunch of squash, fast.

It uses a technique that I rely on for cooking summer squash and zucchini: julienning, salting, rinsing and draining. I prefer both the flavor and texture of squash prepared this way; I eat it often as a pasta substitute: sautéed quickly in a tiny bit of olive oil, then tossed with a bit of any kind of pesto. Heaven.

But for something more substantial, this savory bread pudding is perfect: a little decadent, thanks to the cheesy-dairyness, comforting thanks to the custard. And the recipe is adaptable, forgiving. The amounts below work, but you can meddle with it: use more or less squash and bread, for example.

You can even make a squash and rice gratin (Ta da! Gluten free!) Just make sure you have enough liquid to soak into the bread (or rice) and that the liquid is eggy enough (not too milky) to bind and set instead of just turning soggy. (In other words–if you up your quantities a lot, you may need to add another egg or two–use your judgment.)

Summer Squash Bread Pudding
Serves 8

8 cups zucchini or other summer squash, grated on the large holes of a box grater or food processor, or (my preference) julienned (on a mandoline) (about 4 medium squash)
2 T kosher salt
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 baguette, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup milk or cream
4 oz ricotta or farmer’s cheese (I like to use wonderful local-to-me farmer’s cheese from the Amazing Real Live Food Co.)
1 cup grated gruyere, cheddar or other firm cheese (I like to use the local-to-me Alpine cheese from Hawthorne Valley Farm)
freshly ground black pepper
dried or fresh herbs (optional)

Put half the julienned squash in a colander in the sink, and sprinkle with half the salt. Put the rest of the squash in the colander, and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Leave to drain in the sink for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile–preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Combine eggs, milk or cream and cheeses in a large bowl. Add a grind or two of freshly ground pepper, and, if you like, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme or a tablespoon of fresh herbs of your choice (basil is lovely.) Stir gently to combine, fold in the bread cubes, and leave to soak all together.

Return to the squash. Rinse it thoroughly under running water and then squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Squeeze some more. You won’t get it dry, but you want it as firm and un-soaking-wet as possible. Sometimes I give it a whirl in a salad spinner for good measure. Squeeze one last time with paper or clean cloth towels to get the last of the possible-to-remove moisture out.

Stir the squash into the egg mixture, gently, and turn all into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown on top. Serve hot, warm or cold for dinner, lunch or brunch.

But wait, you say! I thought this week’s Fest was cukes and zukes? Indeed, you’re right. My current cuke-y faves: Arthur Schwarz’s fermented dill pickles, courtesy of David Lebovitz, and a crowd-pleaser, never-fail recipe for amazing Vietnamese-influenced summer rolls. Dive in!

Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. The possibilities:

Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

Or think bigger: Publish entire posts of your own, if you wish, and grab the juicy Summer Fest 2010 tomato badge (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites).

THE 2010 SCHEDULE:

And in case I forget what week it is, won’t somebody remind me on Twitter? Thanks. We’ll be talking it up there, too.

That’s how a Summer Fest works.

Who’s coming to this party?

Glad you asked. An incredible line up of bloggers-extraordinaire:

Cooking Channel TV delves into zucchini’s versatility.

The Food2 blog looks at zucchini appetizers.

Food Network Dish is all about Paula Deen’s zucchini bread.

Food Network’s HealthyEats talks cuke salad and lighter cuke/zuke ideas.

Diane and Todd/ of White on Rice Couple are all over stuffed cucumbers with prosciutto and feta.

Cate at Sweetnicks is obsessed with cucumber wraps.

Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste says it’s nonstop cucumber and sesame salad.

Gilded Fork is all about zukes and cukes, and Chef Mark Tafoya features cucumber mint soup.

Caroline at The Wright Recipes has cucumber salad galore ready, with lemon and poppy seeds. Oh, and marinated summer squash salad, too.

In San Diego, Caron is making cucumber and radish confetti soup.

Tigress in a Jam is all about putting things up, or as she says: 50 Ways With Cucurbits.

Alana will feature cucumber mint sorbet on Eating From the Ground Up.

Expecting great, late-breaking news from Nicole at PinchMySalt and Tara at Tea and Cookies and Shauna at Gluten Free Girl and Alice Q Foodie.

More coming soon as everybody files their Week 1 posts! Now get cooking!

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Bastille Day a L’Americaine

paige — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:56:27 +0000

JULY IS A SUPER MONTH when it comes to festivities: Picnics galore, BBQ on the Fourth, and then it’s time to channel your inner Parisienne come the 14th, Bastille Day.

Since I haven’t a clue when I’ll get back to Paris to celebrate properly, I’ll make do with my fave Francophilic food blogs, and a perfect Salade Niçoise. Though I learned recently that this version, popularized in America by Julia Child, takes quite a few liberties with the authentic French tradition, I can’t be bothered to mess with perfection…especially since I’ve even grown my own green beans, tomatoes and potatoes this year. (Can you believe how much our TSP sister Margaret has rubbed off on me?)

How about you? Will you be popping champagne and swinging sparklers around on the end of a baguette tonight? Celebrate with your sisters, and be sure to tell us all about it!

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Spring Cleaning: My Favorite Healthy Food Blogs

paige — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:54:24 +0000

APRIL DOES SOMETIMES feel like the cruelest month, because for me, every year, this is when I revamp my diet and exercise routines. Something about warm air and sunshine makes me tune back in to my too-often-neglected body and my health, and as a result, I’ve been scouting around the net for blogs and websites that help me clean up and pare down my eating. Here’s a baker’s dozen of sites that are my current faves for inspiring me to cook and eat in a way that is healthy for me, and the planet.

Some of these you’ll recognize from prior favorite food blog lists, but others are new to me, and TSP.

Cheap Healthy Good

The name says it all. And besides staying true to its mission, the site offers great roundups of recipes from elsewhere on the net, tailored toward a particular goal. I like this list of “healthy one-dish meals with good leftover potential.” And not just because it features lots of gratuitous pictures of George Clooney.

Albion Cooks

Catherine describes her cooking as “Vegetarian, delicious, healthy” but it’s also beautifully photographed and geared towards cooking with what’s in season. I’m dying to try her brussels sprout and blue cheese pizza, which combines two of my favorite things in the world.

Dr. Gourmet

This is, hands down, the best dieting website I’ve found. Created by New Orleans physician Timothy S. Harlan M.D., it has medically sound information and advice, and every single recipe tells you if it’s suitable for various nutritional needs (low sodium, gluten-free, etc.) Best of all, unlike so many other diet sites, Dr. Gourmet’s recipes focus on using unprocessed, real foods. The chicken vindaloo is calling my name.

Mighty Foods

This site’s mission is to “redefine the way you think about whole, natural foods” and with inventive recipes like Midnight Hummus (made with lentils) and Brown Rice Syrup Brownies, I think it’s got a good shot. I also love that like Cheap Healthy Good, it offers up well organized lists of other recipe sources around the web. Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks (more on her later) is one of the contributors, so you know you’re in good hands.

The Ethicurean

This one’s not a cooking site, per se. But if you care about what you eat, where it comes from, and its impact on the planet, this site is for you. It gives a great round-up of food, farm and environmental news in one pithy package. Good to read while you’re eating your (healthy!) lunch.

Mark Bittman’s Bitten

Mark Bittman seems to divide foodies straight down the line: some love him while others scoff. I’m a lover, so I was distraught when, just this week, The New York Times decided to fold Bittman’s Bitten blog into what they describe as the new “superblog” Diner’s Journal. My jury’s out on that decision, but all of Bittman’s posts are available here. His chickpea snack has my name all over it.

Grist

If you don’t know this smart, slightly irreverent environmental news site, you should, and not just because their food content is excellent. Great writing from strong voices make this entertaining as well as a useful resource. Recipes are featured occasionally, but this one is all about educated eating.

Fat of the Land

Langdon Cook (with whom, as it happens, I went to high school–go figure) is an author, and, perhaps more important, a forager…meaning: he finds his food. OK, not all of it, but if you want to read about hunting and cooking chanterelles, fishing for salmon, or digging razor clams, he’s your guy. And his recipes (and writing) rock. Since I pine for Mexican food here in my tiny nearly-New England town, his recipe for fish tacos may be a lifesaver.

Eating From the Ground Up

I met Alana IRL (you know: In Real Life) because the Rock (that’s my daughter) befriended her little girl, Rosie. They quickly became peas in a princess-y pod, and Alana and I were thrown together as only two mamas on a playdate can be. But it turned out that I love Alana as much (dare I say more?) than Rock loves Rosie. She’s a superior cook, an adventurer, hilarious, kind, and so dedicated to locavore eating that she kind of takes my breath away. She’s responsible for my discovering the wonders of homemade granola, but her blog is a treasure trove of healthy, family-friendly recipes. I can vouch for her nearly-no-sugar birthday cake: awesome. But don’t take my word; bake it yourself.

101 Cookbooks

If you’ve followed my previous food-blog picks, you already know how much I love Heidi Swanson and her gorgeous site, 101 Cookbooks. She’s the queen of taking healthy whole foods and turning them into inventive, delicious fare that appeals to a wide range of eaters. As winter winds down, and I await the real spring veggies, I think I’m going to try this Warm Red Cabbage salad for a super healthy and satisfying farewell to cold-weather foods.

Gluten Free Girl and the Chef

My love for Shauna Ahern and her delicious blog is not new news. My ardor for her kale chips, heaven on a plate for a chip-deprived dieters, might be. Check ‘em out, and be sure to read our profile of sister Shauna, too.

Gluten Free Goddess

I found Karina Allrich, aka the Gluten Free Goddess, thanks to Twitter, and I love her writing, her photography, and most of all, her recipes. Karina is gluten-, egg- and dairy-free, so great for people challenged by those allergies. I just like how her food tastes; this mayo-free coleslaw just may become my summer BBQ staple…

Post Punk Kitchen

I was never really punk, so I don’t think I qualify as post-punk either. But no matter: the rebellious vegans of PPK welcome all cooks willing to forgo animal products. Veggie friends of mine swear by their cookbooks, and I’m pretty sure their mango-ginger tofu would convert anyone to the joys of the humble soybean.

Enjoy, and share your favorite online resources for healthy eating.

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With These Food Blogs, I’ll Always Have Paris

paige — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:53:31 +0000

MY FAVORITE CITY IN THE WORLD IS PARIS. I went there for the first time when I was 13, and fell in love. I’ve visited there intermittently over the years, and every single time, I leave more charmed. I haven’t had much chance for travel much of anywhere lately, so my Francophilia has mostly been fulfilled, you guessed it, by blogs. Mostly, you’ll be shocked to learn, food blogs. Would you like to join my armchair voyages? Read on.

You can almost taste the butter, smell the Gitanes, and hear the symphony of urban sounds a la français if you dig into these wonderful blogs. Well-written and passionate all, they evoke the absolute best of Paris, yes, its je ne sais quoi.

Did I mention, bon appétit?

David Lebovitz
The subtitle of this blog by former Chez Panisse pastry chef and author (of among other delicious titles, The Perfect Scoop) is “living the sweet life in Paris”. That pretty much sums it up. Why should you even try to resist? Divine recipes, great perspective on the city.

Chocolate & Zucchini
Even if her name wasn’t Clotilde Dusolier, you’d be charmed by this sunny Parisienne. She blogs in English about the food she loves to eat, which tends to be healthy, fresh, and, as the name suggests, open to the occasional delicious sweet. I’ve twice given her cookbook, Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen, as a gift, and it gets rave reviews.

Joe Ray
Joe Ray is the English-language partner in crime to notorious French restaurant critic François Simon, who some say was the basis for the Anton Ego character in the animated film Ratatouille. Joe, a wonderful writer, photographer and dedicated food adventurer, writes the English-language section of Simon’s site, Simon-Says, as well as contributing to The Boston Globe. His work is a great resource for planning your own Paris adventure.

Parisien Salon
A team of writers cover everything from music to fashion to food to vocabulary in this lovely site, making it both an instant immersion into la vie Parisienne, and a really useful planning guide. It’s gorgeous, to boot, which never hurts, especially when your subject is the world’s capital of style.

Street Peeper/Paris
Want to know what they’re really wearing in Paris? Look no farther than this site, which shows you exactly what’s au courant on the streets of la belle ville. Delicious. And slightly intimidating.

Alexander Lobrano
Lobrano was European Correspondent for the late, lamented Gourmet (yes, yes, I know, you all already know how I feel about that) and I loved his writing there, but his Diner’s Journal blog (a counterpoint to his terrific book, Hungry for Paris ) is equally delightful. And he remains a great correspondent, meaning, leave a comment with a question, and you’re very likely to get an answer. Love that.

Paris Breakfasts
Carol Gillott is an American artist who, it appears, spends as much time in Paris as she possibly can. (Who can blame her?) Her illustrations of the city are wonderful, and I love her unique perspective on her faves, be they food, fashion, shopping, you name it. She gives you Paris through her own rosy view, and it’s heaven.

Eat Boutique
This delightful food site isn’t precisely Parisian, but since its founder, Maggie Batista, recently moved to Paris for a few months, she’s been posting about her experiences settling in to her new home. Seeing Paris through fresh, awed eyes is a wonderful experience, made even better by a terrific, funny, passionate writer, who also happens to take gorgeous photographs.

Meg Zimbeck
Journalist Zimbeck loves great food, and bless her, she’s not afraid to share her secrets. (If you’re lucky, you might nab a spot on one of her guided food tours.) She’s also irreverent and hilarious. Where else will you see a side of Paris that includes (braided) horses’ asses and breakdancing American tourists?

John Talbott
If you go hunting around Chowhound for restaurant recommendations in Paris, sooner or later you may find yourself corresponding with John Talbott. American by birth, French by choice, Talbott has been writing reviews of his Paris meals for 20 years. His blog gives you not only his opinions, but also a weekly round up of other French critics’ two centimes.

Dorie Greenspan
Author Dorie Greenspan has collaborated on cookbooks with foodies ranging from Julia Child to upstart macaron king Pierre Hermé. She’s lucky to divide her time between the U.S. and Paris. I love her recipes (they WORK!) and I’m partial to her “At Home In Paris” blog category. A girl can dream, can’t she?

What do you think? Almost as good as a real trip to Paris? Where are you going on your spring vacation, lovely sisters?

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The Best Food Blogs for Escaping the Dreaded February Blues

paige — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:39:35 +0000

BRRR. BLECCH. IT’S FEBRUARY. In college, this meant something called “Feb Club,” an organized party every single night of the year’s bleakest, longest-feeling month. In real life, this means a search for escape–virtual, if not real. For me, escape from the winter blues comes through cooking and reading. Thanks to the net, I’ve found an incredible web of foodie blogging sisters (and brothers) whose recipes and reminiscences spirit me away to places much brighter and warmer. Are you in need of inspiration and escape, too? To come away with me, check out these bloggers, whose words and pictures are an escape as good as any exotic vacation, and a lot easier to come by.

1. Todd and Diane, the White on Rice Couple

I fell in love with Todd and Diane during our Summer Fest cross-blog extravaganza last year, and the romance isn’t over. With beautiful photography and accessible, adventurous recipes, they offer food for every sense. Be sure to check out their recipe for Sriracha hot sauce. One of their most popular posts ever, this recipe is guaranteed to warm things up in your kitchen.

2. Meedo and Zainab of Arabic Bites

These two Saudi sisters share their favorite recipes from their own family, and beyond. In scrupulous detail, they offer their takes on everything from stuffed grape leaves to hummus and fatoush, but I am dying to try the pistachio rice pudding and the zucchini pancakes.

3. Monica of A Life of Spice

Monica Bhide is an accomplished author and cook, and her blog is perfect for those want more of the delectable Indian cuisine she shared in her latest book, Modern Spice. A recent recipe I’m dying to try is shrimp and coriander soup–this time of year, I crave all soup, but especially clear broth full of flavor, which this promises to be. (Scroll down in the post to find the recipe.)

4. Cristina Potter of Mexico Cooks!

Cristina was born in the U.S. but has spent nearly 30 years living in Mexico, and her blog is as much an exhaustive travel guide as it is a repository of super-authentic, well-explained recipes. For a good introduction to all that’s on offer here, check out her recent post recapping her best of 2009. I can’t wait to make her capirotada, a bread pudding unique to the Lenten season in Mexico. (Scroll down in the post for the recipe.)

5. Mark of Sticky Rice

I don’t know much about Mark, an Australian living, eating and writing in Hanoi, but what I do know is that this blog is like an instant ticket to Southeast Asia. Mark covers the world of Vietnamese food from humble street vendors to fancy hotel restaurants, and does so with enthusiasm, humor and scrupulous attention to detail about ingredients, flavors and surroundings. Be sure to check out his “Sweeeeet!” category for a mouth-watering look at Vietnamese desserts.

6. Fuchsia Dunlop

Fuchsia (oh, how I love that name) Dunlop is not a food blogger, but an author and scholar of Chinese cooking. Her blog is a collection of musings on the state of cuisine in China (a recent post was on the Chinese government’s attempts to standardize recipes for Mao’s favorite dishes). The site falls into the “virtual voyage” category I so love this time of year. Her recipes for her Chinese-influenced take on Christmas fare (e.g., Chinese mince pie dumplings) are not to be missed.

7. Robyn and David of EatingAsia

Kuala Lumpur-based Robyn Eckhardt and David Hagerman have one of the most beautifully photographed blogs I’ve ever seen, but EatingAsia has way more than a pretty face. Robyn and David travel throughout Asia, digging into local cuisine everywhere they go. They offer a sumptuous slice of life most of us aren’t likely to experience. One recipe I am longing for is their Devil curry–a spicy-sour concoction that seems ideal for February.

8. Fran of BetumiBlog

Fran Osseo-Asare’s “labor of love” blog, which features recipes from and information about cuisines throughout sub-Saharan Africa, might be my favorite food-blog discovery ever. Fran’s approach is affectionate and scholarly, and her recipes are both exotic and appealing. She’s got step-by-step instruction for a range of savory and sweet dishes, but these togbei from Ghana (the name means, get ready, “goats’ balls”) keep calling my name…

9. Pati of Pati’s Mexican Table

What’s in the water in Washington, DC? I lived there many years ago, and though there was awesome Vietnamese food, I never found much other ethnic cuisine that lived up to its potential. The food climate must have changed, because like Monica Bhide (see Number 3 above) Pati Jinich lives and cooks in the capitol. Her blog is exuberant, and her recipes shine. As an ex-Californian who now lives in something of a Mexican-food wasteland, I rely upon books and blogs to inspire me, and Pati’s is sure-fire. I’m dying to try her pollo pibil.

10. Danielle of Habeas Brulée

It’s not that Danielle Sucher cooks any exotic cuisine in particular, but that everything she cooks has an imaginative and gutsy flair. I first found Habeas when a craving for Moroccan cuisine sent me off on a Google odyssey, and Danielle has a few Moroccan recipes to choose from. But she also has gorgeous salads, inspired sweets (try her Balsamic Fudge Drop cookies) and a deep catalog of recipes categorized as “Hot/Spicy,” just to warm things up.

11. Stephanie of Momofuku For 2

Stephanie Le loves David Chang’s New York City Momofuku restaurants so much, that when she received his cookbook for Christmas, she decided to cook her way through the entire book and blog the process. She’s the first to admit that this is no longer an original idea, but her site still feels fresh, and Chang’s inventive Asian cuisine is relentlessly appealing (as is Steph’s enthusiasm for her project). You need the book to cook along with Steph (she does not republish Chang’s recipes) but even without it, Momofuku For 2 will suck you in.

12. Martin of Khymos

Martin Lersch is a Norwegian scientist who’s passionate about food and cooking–specifically, molecular gastronomy. Martin offers a whole different kind of culinary adventure (check out his downloadable recipe book Texture–A Hydrocolloid Recipe Collection. Hydrocolloid? Oh, that’s “a substance that forms a gel in contact with water.” According to Martin.) While I am unlikely to ever cook any of the gels or foams in Martin’s cookbook, I love the adventure of reading his take on the science that (really, truly) always underlies good cooking. He’s funny and charming and unabashed in his food-geek pride. In all seriousness, don’t miss his monthly “They Go Really Well Together” (TGRWT) experiments in food pairings. Banana parsley marshmallows, anyone?

13. Indira of Mahanandi

I love Indian food. I mean, LOVE. Indira Singari’s recipes make it seem doable at home, but better, they make you feel like you’ve got her at your shoulder, coaching and coaxing you through the new or unfamiliar. In one of her most popular posts, a divine recipe for palak paneer, Indira explains in vivid detail how the woman who taught her to make this recipe explained that she needed to see it, in order to understand how to do it. Indira manages to make you see, and in the process, shares her encyclopedic knowledge of recipes (many from her own family) and ingredients. A passage to India if ever there was one.

If these suggestions leave you longing for more, read my original favorite food blogs post, or this follow-up offering more of my best food blog picks!

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Don’t Blame the Blogs

paige — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:15:09 +0000

image from the new thankyougourmet.com

YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW I FEEL about the end of Gourmet. But let me be clear: Unlike many mainstream media outlets that covered this story, I don’t blame food bloggers. I love food blogs, and what I glean from their shiny digital pages is totally different than what I sought in Gourmet‘s glossy ones. So with my favorite food mag now history, I find myself seeking comfort from fellow foodies and passionate cooks. If you, too, need some emotional sustenance during these dark days, be sure to check out these sites, which are full of the vibrant joy of cooking well for yourself and others.

Shauna of Gluten Free Girl

One of our early profiles, one of my favorite online foodies, Shauna is a bundle of love and joy and can make you feel instantly better, about everything, at the click of a key. Read this, and see if you don’t believe me.

Marilyn of Simmer Till Done

Marilyn was one of my first new digital sisters after the launch of TSP, and I treasure her writing, her recipes, her sense of humor, and our frizzy-haired kinship. She let me write for her once. She even wrote for us once. And she makes scones. I LOVE scones.

Julie of A Mingling of Tastes

Julie’s having a special celebration of Gourmet this week, a great addition to her regular line up of simple, accessible recipes like grilled pizza and shepherd’s pie. And she’s from my hometown, Chicago, which makes her extra special.

Aran of Cannelle et Vanille

Hands-down, one of the most gorgeous food blogs around. Seasonal, special and always inventive, Aran’s recipes are unique and beautiful. And she makes marzipan ice cream–what could be better?

Matt of MattBites

One of the SummerFest crew, Matt is funny as can be, loves cocktails as much as carnitas, and is a master when it comes to styling and photographing his culinary triumphs.

Julie of Dinner with Julie

Julie, another thanks-to-TSP digital sister, describes her site as “a sort of reality cookbook” which it is, if your reality includes things like Pumpkin Stout Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting. (Thanks to Julie, that will soon be part of my reality, too.)

Dorie of In the Kitchen and On the Road with Dorie

Yes, Dorie Greenspan. Yes, she writes for that other food magazine, but we won’t hold that against her, since she’s a goddess of baking, and a wonderful storyteller.

Luisa of The Wednesday Chef

I’ve never met Luisa, never corresponded with her, make no claim to sisterhood at all–but hers was the first food blog I ever read, and I love her. Read her, and you will, too.

Elana of Elana’s Pantry

Another profilee, another home of gluten-free goodness, with a healthy dash of environmental consciousness thrown in for all our good measure. Don’t know about you, I can’t wait to drown some sorrow in these Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Heidi of 101 Cookbooks

Now that Gourmet’s Cookbook Club is kaput, I’ll be extra reliant on Heidi’s savvy book picks, not to mention her elegant vegetarian recipes. I’ve been dying to make this Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash.

Gwen of Pen and Fork

I found Chef Gwen thanks to Twitter, and love her accounts of her dining experiences (don’t miss her luscious photographs of the legendary roast chicken at San Francisco’s Zuni Café) and her simple, original recipes, often with a southwestern flavor.

and…Renee of thankyougourmet.com

Finally, a special shout-out to the lovely writer Renee Schettler, who was inspired to create a site where we can say “thank you” to Gourmet for all it’s given readers over the years. Renee was kind enough to include my remembrances of Gourmet, and I hope you’ll visit the site and add yours to the list. (The image above is from her beautifully designed thankyougourmet.com. Be sure to check it out.)

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Doing the Gratitude Dance

paige — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:00:55 +0000

This post is part of TSP’s network-wide “Sisters I’ve Met Along the Way” celebration, marking 9 months of blogging together, and toasting the women (and men) we’ve met.

Click here to view the embedded video.

WHEN WE STARTED The Sister Project, I was excited, but not exactly dancing. I worried about my role: I have no sisters. True, I parent a sister, and my mother lives with me (a strange sort, maybe, but a sort of sisterhood nonetheless), and I am lucky to have collected friends who feel to me like sisters, but was it enough? Did I have anything to say on this shapeshifting, all-important subject of the sisterly bond? As it turned out, it didn’t really matter, because I kept finding women who were able to say it for me. And their lessons, post by post, comment by comment, profile by profile, have taught me more about that crazy question of ours of “What means sisterhood?” than I could ever have imagined, and left me dancing (sometimes figuratively, sometimes for real) with joy. Have you met these remarkable women? Read on.

The first artist Margaret and I interviewed together was the incredible Elsa Mora. I’d stumbled across her work online, and couldn’t shake the feeling that her work (especially her beautiful papercuts of girls and animals and mysterious creatures) had something to say about our subject. Little did either Margaret or I know the incredible story, one Elsa hadn’t discussed much publicly before, that would emerge in our interview. From that serendipitous and beautiful start, I was hooked.

The artists and cooks and crafters kept coming. Swedish artist and illustrator Camilla Engman, a woman with an international reputation and legions of fans, said yes when we, on a wing and a prayer, asked her to be subject of one of our galleries.

Shauna James Ahern, a blogger and writer I’d long admired from afar, also agreed to be part of our little experiment. So, so many inspiring women felt the pull of sisterhood even with a bunch of strangers (us!) and agreed to join in.

We profiled sisters Sarah and Katy McColl, cooks and writers and media mavens both, and Katy gave me an incredible opportunity to expand my reach as a writer. The unique artistry of Amanda Blake, Bonnie McLauglin and Julianna Bright just blew my mind.

And our community isn’t just confined to the subjects we write about. Commenters have become part of our constellation of treasured siblings, like amazing Marilyn, a chef and blogger from Lawrence, Kansas. She found us, we fell in love with her blog, too, and before you could say “sisters in the kitchen,” Marilyn and I were swapping stories and recipes and tips for dealing with our crazy curly hair.

I’ve now been honored to contribute to her blog, and she’s allowed us to post some of her own poignant and beautifully told sister reminiscences. Ditto readers-turned-friends like April, Deb and Julie, terrific bloggers whose sites are now a part of my daily must-read list.

Early on, when Margaret and Marion and Anastasia and I were first meeting in Margaret’s cozy office to figure out just what this thing of ours might become, we talked about the fun of vintage recipes, and especially those cookbooks created by church groups and Junior Leagues to raise funds and salute the culinary creativity of “ordinary” women.

Our investigations into middle-of-the-road fare from tuna casserole to meatloaf have been some of my best-read and most-commented-upon posts. I can’t wait to do more of them (and yes, I’m taking suggestions).

And, of course, my real-life sister friends have joined the party, too, graciously allowing me to write about our exploits in the kitchen, during hard times and best of all, when we gather together too infrequently to laugh and cook and soak up each other, and occasionally, yes, dance.

Thanks to Margaret, and Marion, and Anastasia, and the incredible and diverse community of women I’ve found at TSP, I more than ever understand that sisterhood is not confined to a biological state. Like so many other opportunities for love, it is a choice that we make over and again to connect, share, laugh and learn. Raise your glass, or join me in doing a little gratitude dance: I can’t thank every one of you enough for reading, for chiming in and for giving me the chance to explore sisterhood across every boundary imaginable. Here’s to more adventures ahead.

(And by the way–there will not be video of me doing the gratitude dance. At least, not any time soon. Though I do wish I’d thought of it first.)

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