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Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

3584579039_af65a6ca14_m.jpgI've succumbed to Twitter though honestly I have no idea what in the world I'll tweet about. Willing to risk getting boring tweets about what flavor mush-du-jour I'm feeding my 8-month-old? You can follow me at @goodappetite.
Big Recipe, Tiny Kitchen

My kitchen is no longer tiny - but I remember the days. This video is the companion to a segment I did on the Leonard Lopate Show on Monday. You can listen to the podcast if you like.
Me, on the radio..

Snapshot 2009-06-08 17-16-32.jpg The Takeaway (Public Radio International's morning news and talk program) had me on to talk about Thanksgiving leftovers - I guess I had something interesting to say about cold mashed potatoes because they've kept asking me back. It's so much fun and, as I'm often up with the baby at 5:00 in the morning anyway, I don't mind going to WNYC's gorgeous new studios to have a little pre-dawn food chat. I've got my own contributor page on The Takeaway's website.
Bklyn Larder Opens

Snapshot 2009-06-08 12-25-27.jpg I have one thing to say: bacon and egg sandwich. No, it's not like any bacon and egg sandwich you've ever had before, with thick cut bacon and hard-cooked eggs. Read more about it here.
Sold my book, whew.

Snapshot 2009-06-08 12-09-28.jpg I couldn't be more thrilled to report that I've sold my book "Adventures of A Good Appetite" to be published by Hyperion. It's based on my New York Times column, but it'll have an even more personal slant (the Times tolerates only so much nostalgia) and lots more new recipes. I'll keep everyone posted on how it's going - look for the book on the shelves in the fall of 2010.
A Billion days of Recipe Testing

photo.jpg Well, it's been a long haul (repeat, loooong), but I've finally turned in the final, final, it-better-be-final-manuscript for the upcoming dessert book by Bill Yosses, White House pastry chef. Bill and I started work on the 600 plus page tome 5 years ago. The book is called "A Billion Beautiful Desserts," and believe me, it truly lives up to its title - the recipes are spectacular and one of a kind, including The Best-Ever Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Cookies, Spiced Floating Islands, and Banana Tart with Lime Caramel. Worth every bit of wait, it will be available from Norton in the fall of 2010.
Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job?

Snapshot 2009-06-08 11-15-34.jpg 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.
Me in W...

Snapshot 2009-06-08 10-29-24.jpg Who'da thunk it? They didn't want my impression of the latest Paris couture shows, but still - I've always been a fan of this iconic mag and it was a thrill to be interviewed for their piece on slender foodies. Can't imagine why they didn't run my picture instead of Gwyneth Paltrow (kidding!). Click to read the excellent story by the talented Jamie Rosen.
The Happiest Day

IMG_0288.jpg October 8, 2008 we welcomed our darling baby girl Dahlia Beatrix into the world. She's beautiful and we're beyond ecstatic.
"A Good Appetite," that's me.

Snapshot 2009-06-05 17-54-46.jpg Yippee! Starting this Wednesday I'll have a thrice-monthly column in The New York Times Dining Section. It's called "A Good Appetite" and will feature a (usually) quick and (always) yummy recipe or two with a meandering explanation of how I came up with it. Check out the first column (I'm starting simple, this one is on polenta and fried eggs).
Why I'm Not Fat

me&robin_2.jpg To find the answer, you can check out the September 4th issue of PEOPLE magazine (Jonbenet Ramsey is on the cover, but that has nothing to do with me), or click here www.theskinnythebook.com. Or, when it comes out, you can buy The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever (Meredith, December, 2006). It's the book I wrote with my brilliant friend Robin Aronson (the other skinny girl in the photo). To be honest, before PEOPLE called to interview me for this piece, I'd never even flipped through the magazine, not even while getting my hair done. Now I may just have to subscribe. Yes, I'm that happy. This picture above, by the way, is not from the PEOPLE photo shoot (Michael Lavine took the photos of me at restaurant Daniel). It's a publicity shot of Robin and me for The Skinny, taken in Des Moines at the publishers. But I'm wearing the same dress as in PEOPLE. Every girl should have a favorite little black dress, and this sample-sale-scored Chaiken number is mine. May the dry cleaner never shrink it.
One Year Later

IMG_2575.jpg March, 2006- After a whole year's worth of trip to Paris to sample North African pastries, the piece finally ran in today's dining section (see my articles section.) One thing that was left out, however, was the box I wrote, giving addresses. I've put it up here for anyone who googles. (And, just to keep things lively, here's a photo of me eating ghribia, a semolina cookie; wish I had one now.) Where to Sample North African Pastries in Paris: La Bague de Kenza - 106 rue St. Maur (11e) 01 43 14 93 15 173, rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoione (11e) 01 43 41 47 02 233, rue de la Convention (15e) 01 42 50 02 97 Patisserie Malika - 80 Bd. de Menilmontant (20e) 06 25 27 68 74 Le Miyanis - 132 Bd. de Menilmontant (20e) 01 47 97 04 99 A tea room and restaurant with very good savory food as well as sweets. La Mosquee - 39 rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire (5e) 01 43 31 38 20 Sip mint tea and nibble pastries in the tiled courtyard on a sunny day.
Say Excuse Me

Chef Interrupted cover image October, 2005- My book, Chef Interrupted, came out this month. There was a party, and a little bit of publicity (the Leonard Lopate show was a highlight and there’s a podcast somewhere in cyberspace should anyone want to listen; here’s a link: (www.wnyc.org.) See below for more info on this, but let’s just say I’m mighty proud.
More Pastries than Even I Could Eat

patisserie oriental.JPG Paris, March 2005. I just completed the most delightful assignment. I went to Paris and ate North African and Middle Eastern pastries ("patisserie Orientale" is what the Parisians call it) for three days. Alice (my "mostest" travel companion, to quote Eloise) generously helped with the cause. In turn I helped her research her article on natural wine bars. Our typical day: take the metro to a distant arrondissement, walk around in circles trying to find the address of the pastry shop, buy everything in sight, find the next place, and so on. Then stop for lunch at a natural wine bar. More pastry shops in the afternoon, then a comprehensive, comparative pastry tasting. Dinner at a wine bar. We did get a little sick of pistachio paste, semolina cake, baklava and mamoul by the end of it. Sadly, the dollar was so poorly valued that we couldn't buy anything but cheese, chocolate, wine and pastry and, ok, I snagged one cute top. You'll be able to read a full report of the pastries in the Times sometime soon...and I'll post the article here in the articles section as well...And check out Alice's website for information on the wine:(www.alicefeiring.com ).
I finished my book (whew)!
2004.12.01
me, cooking I finally handed in my cookbook, Chef Interrupted: Chef's Recipes You Really Can Make at Home, in which I took recipes from all my favorite chefs and interrupted them at the point where they are still home cook friendly, before they become too cheffy. It's what I do when I co-author cookbooks with chefs, only more so. I assure you that none of these recipes calls for baroque techniques or equipment (no clarifying stocks, no blow torches ) or annoyingly hard to find ingredients (save for that one sweetbreads recipe, sorry). And I think that they still taste as exciting as a chef's recipe should. The book will be out next October, published by Clarkson Potter. The picture, by the way, is me at the photo shoot, salting a rack of lamb. The lovely and talented Tina Rupp did the photography.
Me, in Lucky Magazine...
2004.10.01
m_for_lucky.jpg October 2004 - Me, in Lucky Magazine! It's my house -- but, of course, none of the stuff that's supposed to belong to me actually does (the Champagne bucket is truly frightening). It was hauled in by a team of stylists who have since hauled it out. The whole thing is rather goofy, but it's still worth checking out if you happen to have a copy lying around.
My Sister's Wedding, June 29, 2003

Bride and Me.JPG Why do people say the food at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is good? Zagat gives it a 27 for caterers. Everyone raves. But I must report the food is not a bit better than standard wedding fare—mediocre. Overcooked sole with buerre blanc. Roasted chicken breast with cranberry sauce (in June?). Dry as dust cake. However, the day was sunny and not too hot, and, most importantly, my sister was as happy as a bride can be. Of course, being the bride, she didn't eat...
WD-50, June 2003

To celebrate my father's birthday. I cannot relate to people (many of my friends and admired colleagues included) who think Wylie Dufresne's food is weird. He's tremendous. Granted, the food was better this time compared to the last time I dined there (just after it opened) when it was merely very good. So maybe those naysayers just need to go back. I think he's one of the most inventive, talented chefs out there today. We ate squid linguine with melon, sweet paprika mayonnaise and dried Serrano ham, which my sister, who is not the most adventurous eater (and in fact was quite miffed at not being able to get a salad…"is this the only non-Asian restaurant in NYC where you can't get a salad?" she asked) thought it was the best thing she'd ever tasted. I almost agree. But then there was the rest of the meal. Last time I was here, the foie gras terrine with marinated white anchovies was the amuse. This time it was listed as an appetizer. Naturally it sounds somewhat strange, but tastes just right, reminding me of monkfish liver in that it's rich, velvety and fishy in a good way. My brother-in-law (again not the world's most intrepid eater) described it as a little wrapped present. Other highlights included the Flatiron beef with a marrow tart, the pork belly (which the waiter introduced as a dish made famous in the NY Times…hm…), and the flawless sturgeon. Desserts also were of note. Parsnip cake sounds like grim English boarding school fare, but is a decadent, moist and caramelized creation. I barely got a bite of either the banana tart or the citrus panna cotta since my family downed those pretty quickly, but what I tasted made me want to sit at the bar one afternoon and just eat dessert for a few hours…which, if you know me, I've actually been known to do.
Pig Roast, Memorial Day 2003
December 1, 2004
roastpig.JPGMore rain, this time in Tyler Hill, Pennsylvania, where friends have a sprawling house at which we stay most Memorial Day Weekends. This year, we decided to hold a pig roast. The photo says it all…and for the record I ate the tail, ears and snout, but not the eyeballs.

Rainy London
January 5, 2003
rainylondon.jpg Rainy London December 2002 Spent New Years' in London with friends. It rained constantly in an extremely atmospheric way. Food wise, the cupboard, so to speak, was nearly bare. Many of the better restaurants close between Christmas and New Years. But we loved the food halls at Harrods for jellied eel, and Harvey Nicks for their shellacked little game pies, biscuits made with coal dust (pitch black and vaguely gritty on the tongue) and oat cakes flavored fashionably with celery seed. Question for further contemplation: Why can't we get good oatcakes in the US? Might be an article in the making. We did however, get to St. John's for offal on our last night in town. I had dried, salted pigs liver and the best of British comfort food: mashed celery root with coddled eggs on top and deviled kidneys, which Paul detested but gamely tried nonetheless. I thought they were swell.
Food & Wine Party Article
December 10, 2002
Me, in Food & Wine! December 2002 An example of being in the right place at the right time. Food & Wine magazine employed me to write another fast column, which I love doing. The theme? Hors d'oeuvres for a holiday cocktail party. Did it, handed it in. A week later the phone rings. Kate Heddings, my editor, is on the line. Could we turn the Fast column into a well story (meaning a longer spread with photos and etc.)? A story that they had originally scheduled fell through and they were in a bind. The new story would consist of photos of me, pretending to give a holiday cocktail party on a fine Tuesday morning in August. Was I interested? Absolutely. I gathered up some friends, strangers, and acquaintances and told them to dress up in wool and velvet as if it were December. We all showed up bright and early to a fabulous mid-town apartment belonging to a some one the art director knew (and it was much spiffier than my Brooklyn digs). Food stylists (extremely talented ones) made the food pretty. A make-up artist and hairstylist (Kyoko at Ultra 212-677-4380, in case you were curious) make me look pretty. I sucked my gut in and slithered into my favorite tweed skirt, about three pounds too small…And…well…see for yourself on their web site.