CHEWING THE FAT

  Salmon is a true workhorse in the world of seafood.  It is on menus everywhere and seems to come from an endless number of places around the world.  On my most recent visit to the market to pick up the fish to make this…

                    I’ve always been a huge fan of Saveur Magazine and not just because, over the years, they’ve published more of my food pieces than anyone else.  To me, the magazine broke the mold.  The relentless publication of Celebrity chef’s…

A few years ago, I got a call from a guest who was about two hours away from coming to dinner.  He’d called to tell me that he and his new wife had become vegetarian.   Quite frankly, my initial impulse was to continue cooking the…

Every autumn, some primal instinct arises and I feel compelled to ‘put up’ my farm stand finds so that, as they shutter for the season, I’ll have a winter pantry of homemade tomato sauces and chunky tomatoes to put into pasta sauces or, at their…

Inspiration and Photo Courtesy of The New York Times and Sarah Ann Ward Suvir Saran         The moment the thermometer drops below 60 degrees, I cannot wait to put some Indian food on the table.  This makes very little sense since the…

Victor and Marcella Hazan There is a sad anniversary this week.  It’s been a year since the world lost Marcella Hazan, that wonderfully giving Italian food prophet with whom I struck up a friendship over the internet.  Fortunately, when you are as good as Marcella,…

 Top Left: Sweet and Savory Bacon Jam.  Center: Toasted Walnuts and Raisins Right: Fromage Fort           Simplicity itself: Toasted Walnuts and Raisins Fromage Fort with Garlic and Pepper I am always on the look-out for ways to freshen the tried and true.  …

The Pool was tented for the occasion. What makes a dish perfect for a dinner party?  I’d suggest something that keeps the cook out of the kitchen so that he or she can really enjoy their dinner guests’  company as much as possible.  Last weekend,…

         Melissa Clark is one of my all-time favorite recipe makers. I look forward to her weekly columns in the Times one of which is called “A Good Appetite”.   I sometimes think it also be called “Playing with Your Food” because Melissa…

The Bridgehampton Florist’s Personal Table under the tent at the Classic Edible Centerpiece! The Heirloom Tomato Soup from the Centerpiece Even Horses show up for the Grand Prix The Hampton Classic is the season capper to what has been an extraordinary summer out here.  The…

Oven and Camera Ready! Vanilla Ice Cream on the side is highly recommended When you have a blog to write, you tend not to repeat recipes once you have made them.  You’re pretty well under the gun to cook something you’ve never tried before simply…

         I’ve always gotten a kick out of stories of massive Zucchini crops suddenly emerging in August and causing their growers to wonder what on earth to do with all of them.  When I was in Elementary School, I distinctly remember a classmate whose mother’s…

        Last Sunday, we gave a pool party for our god-daughter.  It’s an annual event to celebrate her birthday for the four of us who are called “The Uncles”.  Andrew and I and Terry and Shawn have watched Olivia grow up and we’ve been there…

LOBSTER AND CORN CHOWDER AND PEACH BLUEBERRY CRISP : TWO CELEBRATIONS OF SUMMER. “As the days dwindle to a precious few”….I have to wonder why it is that from August 1st on, everyone out East starts talking about the end of summer!  There are another…