People have accused me of having a love affair with salt. My retort (which I usually keep inside my head) is that I just like things with flavor. A preference for food with, you know, lots of flavor, has led me to seek out dishes that have the absolute most taste per square millimeter, and […]
Big Girls Test Kitchen
Corn Chowder Is Better Without Any Cream
I hate opening posts with rants and hatred and stuff. But I hate creamy soups. I really do. And that feeling won out over the desire to be lovey dovey, which we’ll get to later with a fantastic new recipe for milk-free corn chowder. Milk, cream, and cheese count among my favorite foods, but they […]
Coconut Budino That’s Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free
You’re looking at two Coconut Budinos, the sweetest little individualized desserts ever to be beloved by everybody. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and require no skill to make. They’re universal, unless you’re a coconut hater. Democratic, if you will. A democratic dessert fits perfectly in with what’s going on today, because I want to share some plans […]
The Secrets of Irish Butter
Supposedly my great-grandmother, who lived to be 104, started each day with a piece of toast spread with both cream cheese and butter, and I think I may have inherited her love for fattening dairy products. Hopefully, that will not compromise any longevity she may have passed down to me. She wasn’t Irish, and neither […]
Creamy Polenta from Bittman
Creamy polenta has always seemed like a rather daunting dish to serve a crowd of guests. It takes longer to cook than one would imagine, and in my experience, it can transform from a soft, pillowy cushion into a rubbery, coarse brick in seconds. Because of this, I’ve always intentionally gone for the brick version […]
Beet Salad with Crispy Leeks and Bacon
Beets are kind of a polarizing vegetable. When I was little, something about them didn’t agree with me. Perhaps it was because the color, in my eyes, made them resemble the fruits of my nightmares, rather than the veg of my dreams. But in the last few years I’ve really come around. And in fall […]
Cauliflower Soup with Sharp Cheddar & Thyme
Since starting BGSK in November 2008, I’ve purchased a surprisingly small number of cookbooks. Yet, I was forced to buy a second, identical, bookshelf to house all of the books I seemed to accumulate. And when it finally came time in May to move out of my apartment, I found that new bookshelf had to […]
Big Girls, Test Kitchen: Penne alla Vodka
OTHER BOOZY FOODS: Oatmeal Stout Cake; Beer-Braised Short Ribs with Soy and Honey; Baked Tofu with White Wine, Mustard, and Dill If my ex-boyfriend North had his way, he would have eaten Penne alla Vodka for every meal. No matter what the venue—New York diner, upscale Italian restaurant, or our college dining hall—he would try […]
Small Kitchen, Gluten-Free: Cobb Salad
OTHER MAIN COURSE SALADS: Spicy Thai Beef Salad with Mizuna; Crispy Duck Salad with Pears, Pecans, and Ginger-Honey Mustard Vinaigrette; Saturday Salad with Walnuts, Dates, Zucchini, and Gouda Salads are sometimes a bit of a food pickle for people trying to stay healthy. If you add bacon, cheese, egg, and chicken to your lettuce to […]
Big Girls, Global Kitchens: Southeast Asian Shrimp Paella
OTHER GLOBAL HYBRIDS: Moroccan Bouillabaisse; Soba Noodles with Kale, Parmesan, and Walnut Sauce; Austrian Breakfast Tacos Throughout our many book appearances and Q&A’s, both online and off, one of the most popular questions people like to ask us is about our process: how do you come up with your recipes? Where do you get your […]