Stories
May 29, 2011
Leah Eskin: A nutty remake
I've never escorted the Nutella-toast crowd to Italy. But we did stop at Eataly, the Manhattan eatery owned by Mario Batali (and friends).
April 10, 2011
Leah Eskin: Time to play the piper
Drop that pen. Hands off the keyboard. Back away from the phone. Don't bother. Do not compose the macaron lament.
Grandma's cookies
Haman, legend has it, was a bad guy who wore a bad hat. He is remembered and reviled on the holiday Purim in story, song and snack. Rare is the leader — good or bad — who has a pastry named for his hat.
Spoonful of comfort
Bread gets along well with the knife. A serrated one for slicing and a blunt one to handle the buttering. Perhaps a slotted one for trimming cheese to suit. Bread has no need for fork, or spoon.
Pastry dough
Rules is rules. And the baker is advised to follow them. Should she care to produce a tender and tasty tart, she will mind the pate sablee rulebook.
Cooking with persimmons
The persimmon caught my eye, just when I was packing up the sweet potatoes and arugula.
Cod fritters
Salt cod is a Christmas specialty, somewhere. So at Christmastime I bought a brick. I stuck it in the back of the fridge, remembering that it's supposed to keep forever.
Winter pot pie
Kitchen and chicken are practically the same thing, at least to the dyslexic and the hungry.
Saltine toffee
The holidays call for the holiday party, and the holiday party calls for toffee. The imported sort, coated with dark chocolate and dusted with praline.
Mashed potatoes
The sages claim: What goes around, comes around. And you find this observation true.
Prime real estate: Gingercake
The housing collapse is discouraging, especially during the festive season, when so many of us are trying to keep the gingerbread house standing.
Velvet cupcakes
The red velvet cupcake is self-explanatory. It's a cupcake. It offers a velvet-soft crumb. And it's red.
Potato tacos
10/10/10 makes an impressive date, round and portentous. Mom and dad were both born on 10/10, different years, same birthday. It seemed a good day to celebrate.
