Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job?

We just handed in the manuscript for The Blue Ribbon Restaurant Cookbook! I had a fabulous time working on it with Eric and Bruce Bromberg, Suzanne Allgair, Elizabeth Frumin and everyone else at the restaurants. The book is a collection of beloved recipes from NYC's famed Blue Ribbon restaurants (and most of our meetings were held in the dining room of the Blue Ribbon Bakery on Bedford Street (see why I love my job?). But what really makes it special is that the Bromberg brothers share many, many of the tips they've gathered over the years (between graduating at the head of their class from Le Cordon Bleu and running the restaurant for the past decade they've got a few tricks hiding up those chefs' coat sleeves). For example, did you know that if you use semi-sweet instead of bittersweet chocolate in your souffle you can use less sugar in the meringue and end up with the lightest, fluffiest dessert possible? Or that you can tell if a piece of meat is cooked to your liking by sticking a metal skewer into it, then holding it on your cheek; if it's warm, it's rare, hot and it's well done... it takes some practice but I find it easier than the press test. Anyway, it will be out next spring so look for it then.