Recipes

Jill Orent’s Roasted Chicken Thighs

“Salt, as it brings out the flavor of many foods!” responded Jill Orent, Les Dames d’Escoffier New York president, in response to our Guest Foodie questionnaire question, which asked, “Which ingredient would you never give up?“ We’ll post the rest of Jill’s responses later this year. Buttermilk-Brined Roast Chicken Thighs (Inspired by Samin Nosrat) 4 large or 6 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 2 cups whole milk 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 tablespoons kosher salt Olive oil Freshly ground black pepper Dried herbs: sage, rosemary, thyme In a bowl, combine whole milk, vinegar, and kosher salt to make a buttermilk brine. Submerge the chicken thighs in the brine and refrigerate for [...]

By |2026-03-31T20:10:56-04:00March 26th, 2026|Entrees, Recipes|0 Comments
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May Matta-Aliah’s Lebanese Pilaf Rice Recipe

In response to our Guest Foodie question, "If you could have anyone, past or present, at your dinner table, who would it be and why?" May Matta-Aliah responded, "Since 2020, I have lost my dad, my mom, my maternal aunt and my childhood home. I would give anything to dial back the clock and have one more meal with them all around our round dinner table, eating my mom's cooking and hearing my aunt laughing at one of my dad's jokes. It is moments like that one takes for granted till one day they are just a memory. " May shared her Lebanese pilaf rice recipe with us, noting to [...]

By |2026-01-14T06:46:13-05:00December 14th, 2025|Breads, Sides & Salads, Recipes|0 Comments
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Kuku Paka (Kenyan Chicken in Coconut Sauce) with Rice

During a recent visit with my grandkids, we discovered eat2explore—a subscription-based cooking kit that brings the flavors and traditions of global cuisine into your own kitchen. Created by Rowena Scherer, a culinary school graduate and former Wall Street executive, these kits offer an immersive experience through food, culture and hands-on learning. Each country-themed box includes three authentic, step-by-step recipes, essential spice and sauce mixes, a shopping list for fresh ingredients and even a kid-friendly cooking tool to keep little hands safe. There’s also a fun assortment of extras: a flag pin, a cultural passport to track your culinary travels and a brochure filled with curated music playlists, book suggestions and [...]

By |2025-10-31T08:44:02-04:00November 14th, 2025|Entrees, Recipes|0 Comments
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Bobbie LLoyd’s Banana Pudding Icebox Cake

We recently featured Bobbie Lloyd as our Guest Foodie. She's the CBO—chief baking officer—of Magnolia Bakery who has recently published another fabulous cookbook:  The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts: Classic and Creative Icebox Desserts with a Magnolia Bakery Twist, Share with Friends and Family by Bobbie Lloyd. This Banana Pudding Icebox Cake is one of her favorites from the book. She wrote, "This cake is a deconstructed version of Magnolia Bakery’s famous banana pudding. Each component is recognizable on its own, but assembled as a beautiful, layered cake." Banana Pudding Icebox Cake Makes one 8-inch round cake that serves 6 to 10 Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Banana Pudding (recipe below) [...]

By |2025-08-31T07:31:22-04:00May 25th, 2025|Endings, Recipes|1 Comment
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Roasted Red Pepper, Onion, and Asparagus Scones

Dan Leader, The James Beard Award-winning visionary behind the iconic East coast bakery Bread Alone shares decades of wisdom and techniques for soul-fulfilling baking, with 60+ bread and pastry recipes in his latest book, A Slow Rise: Favorite Recipes from Four Decades of Baking with Heart.  We recently featured Dan as our Guest Foodie. These roasted veggie scones are one example of his detailed recipes!  Dan provides the ingredients in both metric and imperial (American) measurements for both 6 scones and 12. I've adapted his recipe to show the ingredients in Imperial, what we use in the US and measurements for only 6. Roasted Red Pepper, Onion, and Asparagus Scones [...]

By |2025-04-20T13:31:31-04:00April 11th, 2025|Breads, Sides & Salads, Recipes|1 Comment
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Almond Cake / Torta di Mandorle

  One of my favorite cooking tasks is blanching almonds. While I know they are available pre-blanched, I find the process calming. It's a simple technique. Boil the almonds for 60 seconds, then drain and rinse in cold water. Then, gently squeeze each almond to remove its skin. It’s a technique that anyone can master. I love doing this each year when I prepare this flourless Passover almond cake, Torta di Mandorla, which is delicious at any time.   I first published this recipe in March of 1982 in The New Haven Register. Almond Cake / Torta di Mandorle 1 tablespoon sweet butter 3 tablespoons matzo meal 5 eggs separated [...]

By |2025-03-15T12:23:12-04:00March 30th, 2025|Endings, Recipes|0 Comments
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Julie Hartigan’s Grandma’s Pasta Fagioli

My last post re-introduced our Guest Foodie column, providing insight into the points of view of almost top foodies — people who made a living in the field. That's where I wrote on Julie Hartigan, who mentioned trying this Pasta Fagioli recipe: "when you or someone you love needs a comfort food hug in a bowl." I had to try it. In Julie's free La Dolce Vita at Home booklet on her site, she wrote, "My grandma’s “Pasta Fazool” was my favorite comfort food dish as a little girl! (Fun fact: "Fazool" is Italian slang for "fagioli" or bean.) I give a glow-up version of the rustic Italian stew with [...]

By |2024-07-13T09:00:50-04:00July 12th, 2024|Entrees, Recipes, Starters|0 Comments
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Paper Plane Cocktail Recipe

While in Washington, DC, staying with my friend Scot, he offered me a Paper Plane, his new summer easy-to-make cocktail. He recently started experimenting with cocktails when he moved from beer and wine to liquor. Along the way, he discovered this easy-to-make cocktail with equal parts of each ingredient. The Paper Plane is less effervescent than an Aperol Spritz and lighter than a bourbon-forward Old Fashioned.  It is delicious and refreshing. Perfect for warm weather. It consists of equal parts of four ingredients: bourbon, Aperol, fresh lemon juice and Amaro Nonino Quintessentia, an orange bittersweet liqueur infused with herbs. We used an ounce of each. So simple and so tasty. [...]

By |2024-06-30T14:41:45-04:00June 23rd, 2024|Recipes, Starters|1 Comment
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GREAT GIFT: Stirring the Pot, A Fundraiser for Les Dames d’Escoffier NY Scholarship Fund

Les Dames d' Escoffier New York (LDNY), a group of the most influential and accomplished women in the food and wine world, introduced Stirring the Pot with members — called Dames — favorite recipes for everything from simple weekday meals to spectacular party dishes. Consider it as a hostess or holiday gift this season. Profits to benefit Les Dames d’Escoffier New York’s Scholarship Fund. Les Dames d’Escoffier New York is a 501c3 organization. Since 1977, LDNY has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to over 1,000 recipients. If you’d like to donate to the Les Dames d’Escoffier New York scholarships, click here. We are a nonprofit philanthropic group that [...]

By |2023-11-08T07:58:32-05:00December 3rd, 2023|Breads, Sides & Salads, Entrees, Recipes, Starters|1 Comment
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Joy Bauer’s Turkey Reuben

One morning,  I caught my friend Joy Bauer — the health/nutrition expert for NBC's TODAY show and an RD, like me — doing her segment where she swapped ingredients to make a Reuben sandwich "more nutritious and still delicious." That classic sandwich features corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and dressing between grilled, buttered slices of rye. Instead, Joy used lean turkey instead of the marbled fatty corned beef and skipped buttering and grilling the bread. Simple. That reminded me that I still had sauerkraut and Reuban dressing from a generous get-well food delivery that some friends sent from Katz's. The giant food delivery included a Reuben package of rye bread, [...]

By |2023-09-20T11:39:31-04:00September 19th, 2023|Entrees, Recipes|2 Comments
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Crispy Mac & Cheese Bites from Pam Brandon’s Delicious Disney

While dining with Pam Brandon Parks, my old Disney publicist, on a recent trip to Orlando, she rightfully boasted that her "Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World: Recipes & Stories from The Most Magical Place on Earth," one of the many cookbooks she co-authored for Disney, was #2 that day on the New York Times best-seller list right after "Spare!" Her recipe's headnote stated, "Wine Bar George is the only Master Sommelier-led wine bar in Florida, with a wine list that rivals any other in the world. And the food isn't an afterthought, with small bites and family-style dishes to pair with any pour. These Crispy Mac & Cheese Bites are [...]

By |2023-04-22T07:30:40-04:00April 15th, 2023|Recipes, Starters|1 Comment
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Moroccan Chicken

My friend Pat made this additive Moroccan Chicken for our recent book group; after that meeting, she kindly shared the recipe. With the enticing Moroccan aromas and fabulous flavors, I had to make it. Morocco, here I come! What follows is my adapted version of her recipe. It's a perfect one-dish meal, especially on a cold or rainy day, for you, your family or a crowd.   Moroccan Chicken Couscous Adapt the quantities and even types of veggies and dark-meat chicken in this recipe. Use what you have or what's available.  Do use all the seasonings for an enticing Moroccan flavor.   1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil 4 - 6 [...]

By |2023-02-24T17:24:28-05:00February 20th, 2023|Entrees, Recipes|0 Comments
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My Favorite Basque Pintxos: The Gilda

The Gilda — a Basque-style tapa often served on a skewer — is one of the oldest pintxos in San Sebastian. The newly opened Bar Casa Vallés (Reyes Catolicos Kalea, 10, 20006 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain) first served it in the '40s, named after the American film Gilda. It's a little bit spicy, a little salty, just like the Spanish-descended actress Rita Hayworth's character in the movie.  Jon, our local tour guide on a trip with Global Palate Adventures, took us to his social club, where his family and numerous others could entertain by either hiring a chef or preparing their food in the large kitchen. Jon introduced us to this pintxo, instructing [...]

By |2022-10-20T08:59:46-04:00October 20th, 2022|Recipes, Starters, World|0 Comments
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Red Beans & Rice

I like finding something in my pantry and then planning a meal around it. That's precisely how I came to make Red Beans & Rice for dinner one evening recently. I got those dried beans and a Louisiana spice mix at the Southern Food & Beverage museum when attending a Les Dames d'Escoffier New Orleans eating adventure. Since you don't have that spice mix, I listed the individual spices. Adjust the cayenne to make it spicy or mild. I did a quick soak of the beans before proceeding. After picking through the beans and discarding any discolored or shriveled ones, I put them in a saucepan, covered with lots of [...]

By |2022-10-02T15:15:00-04:00September 13th, 2022|Entrees, Recipes|0 Comments
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Sautéed Shrimp and Spinach from ELC (Express Lane Cooking)

Looking for something quick to make with shrimp other than scampi, I recalled my spinach and shrimp recipe created for my now-defunct daily syndicated column, Express Lane Cooking (ELC) with Andrews McMeel Syndication, formerly Universal Press Syndicate.  I'm proud to share it was the world's first daily syndicated food column. It was gaining steam until 9/11, which was its demise like many others. This published on October 25, 2001. In ELC, I divide the ingredients into Necessities (what you need to purchase or have), On Hand (ingredients generally in your pantry) and Not So Necessary (ingredients that you can add if you want to, yet they are not necessary for [...]

By |2022-05-09T11:56:36-04:00May 4th, 2022|Entrees, Recipes|0 Comments
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Anne’s Amazing Almond Toffee Crunch

One weekend while at my friend Anne's home in Mantoloking, she mentioned that we would make Almond Toffee Crunch to then pack in red and white striped boxes as party favors for a cocktail party we were having the following week for our ex.expat group. We made three batches before breaking it into pieces, boxing and tying with red ribbon! Anne had learned how to make the toffee from her friend Kathy when living in Hong Kong. Anne's Amazing Almond Toffee Crunch 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter 1 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons water 1 heaping cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup ground almonds (NB: can make in a food [...]

By |2025-03-17T14:42:53-04:00March 22nd, 2022|Endings, Recipes|0 Comments
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Grand Marnier Cocktails at Daniel’s for Sous Vide Day (Today!)

I  jumped at the chance to attend the preview of International Sous Vide Day earlier this month at The Bar at Restaurant Daniel (60 East 65th Street). After saying hello to Daniel Boulud who was greeting arrivals, I headed straight to the bar where I met Grand Marnier Ambassador Xavier Herit making his perfectly balanced Manhattan Park, a sous vide twist on that classic cocktail. You may just  have to use your imagination as it's a bit difficult to repeat at home without the right equipment. Having had a few, I vouch the flavor was incredible. The event featured Chef Daniel Boulud's sous vide small plates and sous vide cocktails [...]

By |2022-02-01T13:51:52-05:00January 26th, 2022|Recipes, Starters|1 Comment
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Cocktail Hour: Jungle Bird, Chelsea + Jungle Bird Cocktail Recipe

A new friend from my recent Cancun trip was heading to the city from Philly for a modeling gig and suggested we meet while she was in town. We met at the Jungle Bird cocktail lounge. They have a limited menu. It's a place to drink, not to eat. Bring your earplugs if you have them. Yes, it's that noisy. The bar is based on the eponymous tiki drink ($15) said to be invented at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton in 1978. This cross between a Negroni and a daiquiri has only five ingredients. Rum, Campari, pineapple and lime juices and simple syrup.  The flavor elicited memories of many fun times [...]

By |2025-05-29T15:08:05-04:00April 24th, 2021|Big Apple Life, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Rambling, Recipes, Starters|2 Comments
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Summer Bounty Pasta and Brie

My friend Ellen called asking for a recipe I had given her many years ago. "The no-cook one with lots of fresh tomatoes and basil," she reminded me. I had just been thinking of that recipe as I walked through the Union Square Farmers' Market with whiffs of basil and tomatoes. Funny she should call to ask about it. When I made it recently, I realized that I can no longer tolerate uncooked garlic. I could 21 years ago when I tested this idea for my Express Lane Cooking column. If you also can't tolerate raw garlic but love the flavor, add whole crushed cloves to the bowl, removing and [...]

By |2020-08-25T00:07:13-04:00September 9th, 2020|Entrees, Recipes|0 Comments
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Escarole + Escarole and White Bean Soup

When I see a beautiful head of fresh escarole in the market, my mind goes into planning mode. With about 10 cups of coarsely chopped escarole from one head, I often make more than one meal from it.  First Pasta e Escarole then Escarole and White Bean Soup, the latter from my defunct daily syndicated column, Express Lane Cooking (ELC). In ELC, I divide the ingredients into Necessities (what you need to purchase or have), On Hand (ingredients generally in your pantry) and Not So Necessary (ingredients that you can add if you want to, yet they are not necessary for the success of the recipe). Then, after I tell you how to make the soup, [...]

By |2020-07-19T12:48:12-04:00July 15th, 2020|Entrees, Starters|0 Comments
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