Late October brings an interesting addition to stands heaped with squash and apples at the Greenmarkets in New York: a strange green fruit, seemingly under-ripened, knobby and oddly leathery, with just the faintest unidentifiable smell of sweetness. Few farmers carry this elusive fruit, and finding one is an annual mission of ours. The fruit is quince, or membrillo. And we got lucky last week: We … Continue reading dulce de membrillo (quince paste).
For a Halloween-themed dinner this past Sunday (where we were the only ones who took to the theme, our own admittedly, of wearing black to eat orange…) we were charged with bringing dessert. The only requirement for said dessert was its color – orange – which left us with the obvious choice of making something pumpkin-y. The next obvious choice, pie, seemed a little uninspired. … Continue reading spicy gingersnaps + pumpkin ice cream (sandwiches).
Of all Clara’s adopted Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah is a favorite for its food (although a recent discovery of South Williamsburg-style gefilte fish, which comes frozen – not canned, thankfully – and is baked with savory vegetables and touch of sugar, has pushed that previously confusing food item quite high on the like-list…) But really, how can any other holiday compete with such festive comfort … Continue reading rosh hashanah.
It was a pretty crazy idea, in retrospect, but we were determined to make something show-stopping for a dinner for Clara’s parents (half a joint birthday celebration and half a thank you for their invaluable help on vvitalny‘s installation Hinge Figures). With the taste of Paris lingering in our mind’s mouth, and a copy of the Auberge of the Flowering Hearth on hand (another Alice … Continue reading a chicken liver terrine.
For various and sundry reasons, our fire escape garden has, perhaps permanently, moved indoors. It’s not all that bad, in the end. On one hand, our tiny kitchen is desperately short of floor space but on the other it smells deliciously of mint and basil, and the closeness allows for easy delighting in the budding progress of our jalapeños and habaneros. The smelling-of-mint has us … Continue reading fresh mint & chocolate chip ice cream.
We seem to have missed the memo on law school. But as friend after friend tackles 1L and then suffers indeterminately through barbri courses and the bar, we’re pretty ok with it. One said friend is just weeks from her exam, and as the others before her, sounds a bit panicked. So we decided to send some sweet encouragement in the absence of being close … Continue reading a barbri care package (honey herbed almonds & orange almond biscotti).
* updated 11 July 2011 with plum, peach and apricot versions (see end). Like many New Yorkers, we skipped town for the Fourth and headed north for some time away from the concrete, with lots of country-fresh air and, importantly, strawberry picking. Jane and Paul’s (aptly located on Fruit Street!), in Clara’s hometown was open, thankfully, on a Sunday, and off we were with family … Continue reading a strawberry rhubarb galette.
!dpm does! 