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There’s nothing like a bright cocktail for spring - but what about one with a bit of a lady-fied twist? We got Ghost Donkey’s Cat Sutherland to give us a bright treat ready for warm weather. With a smoky mezcal base and light ingredients like lemon and yuku, it’s an easy drink with a lot of flavor to make when you want to impress.
Read MoreThere are some books I can’t help but be instantly obsessed with, but my obsession with Indian-ish even predates its publication. I am lucky enough to have recipe tested for Priya Krishna’s new tome and I fell in love with it from first concept. Priya’s book is based off of her mother’s recipes that she made for her family when she moved from India to Texas. The book is called Indian-ish because of the adaptations that were made to create the recipes in the US - and as such it makes it one of the most approachable and fun books for a US audience.
I was lucky enough to live in India for a year so I am already predisposed to having an unhealthy love for any Indian cookbook that crosses my desk. But this one is special because it speaks to a uniquely American experience as well. For those who are intimidated by Indian cooking this is a good place to start - not just because the ingredients are more readily available but also because so many of the recipes are aimed towards the kind of weeknight cooking that Priya grew up with and we all tend to need in our lives.
Read MoreThere are few dishes that please everyone but a Dhokla might be that secret weapon recipe. It’s vegetarian, gluten-free and nut free but also hearty enough and tasty enough to win over any meat eater. You can serve it piping hot as a side dish or as an easy room temperature party appetizer. You can add almost any topping from your pantry to make it even more delightful.
So what’s the deal with this magical dish? Niki Segnit came by to sing its virtues. The author of the beloved and celebrated Flavor Thesaurus has a new book coming this fall, Lateral Cooking, and it expands on her approach to cooking across cultures, science and history. And her view is that if you can cook cornbread, you can cook dhokla. It’s one piece of a book that encourages cooking as less of a regional plan and more of a global sharing of ideas.
Read MoreToday I got to swing by Dr Oz again to chat about one of my all-time favorite subjects - eggs! Anyone who follows me on Instagram knows most of my mornings are reliably egg-filled, so I never want to say a bad word about them. So it was a joy to get to share a bit of information on egg yolk health, substitutes and recipes with Oz.
Read MoreOnce spring shows up even a little bit I try to lean into it as much as possible - picnics outside (even if it’s a touch too cold), as many snap peas and asparagus as I can find, and light jackets that might require an extra few layers underneath.
But some dishes can help bridge that seasonal gap, and who better to help than Jenni Kayne. You may be more familiar with Jenni as a designer but her new book, Pacific Natural, also lets you into her chic California world. The book is divided by seasons and includes recipes but also a wider look at entertaining. Jenni makes everything look gorgeous while still being effortless, and in the book she shares how as a mom and business owner she gets it all done without a lot of fuss.
So Jenni suggested a chili that is perfect for spring or summer - packed with veggies and beans, it is actually vegan but also includes optional toppings that could satisfy anyone who needs a bit of dairy in their life.
Read MoreSometimes I get a cookbook that just sings right from the first page. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Carla Lalli Music’s book had that je ne sais quoi quality - she is, after all, the food director at Bon Appetit.
But her new book, Where Cooking Begins, is a true delight. It starts with methodology rather than recipe and seems to aim to get people to be more spontaneous with their cooking. It is a book that will help people need recipes less. If you want to be a more confident cook you’ll love having Carla along to guide you and if you already are confident then Carla will help you get new ideas and brush up on some classic techniques.
It was a delight to have Carla come to the Potluck kitchen and showcase a recipe that seems to embody the book - super simple and bright but with just enough twist to feel brilliant.
Read MoreIt’s hard to beat butter. Plain, perfect butter can make almost every dish better.
But what if you could improve upon the classic? Josh Green founded Brooklyn Buttery on the notion that butter can be great on its own but also as a conduit for even more flavor. With a high quality butter as the base the addition of flavors like lemon or Sriracha can make for a surprising addition. It’s basically like an instantaneous sauce,
While you can buy the butters of Brooklyn Buttery we decided to have Josh over to give us a little lesson in compound butters - the name for butter combined with other flavors. He talked through the types of ingredients that work; how long you can keep different compound butters; and recipe ideas.
Watch the video and as a bonus we have the two recipes you see in the video, below
Read MoreThis time of year I start to get antsy for spring. February is over and it should be warm.- except it never actually is.
But the good news is that we can enjoy all the incredibly warming recipes of winter for a little longer. Luckily, we have just the recipe, from a book I am particularly excited about: Katie Parla’s Food of the Italian South. If you aren’t familiar with Katie’s work then you just aren’t reading enough about Italy. The Rome-based journalist has written some of the best food and travel guides for the region. Her first book, Tasting Rome, is an engrossing love letter to the food of one of the world’s greatest food cities. And now her upcoming book explores the cuisine of Italy’s Southern regions.
I am so excited for this book (since my love of Italy is basically unsurpassed) and loved having Katie in the kitchen to showcase one of the book’s recipes. She shared her Polpette Casce e Ovo - essentially bread ‘meatballs’. They are doughy delights and perfect for staying inside and eating to your heart’s content.
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