I adore Pok Pok, the Thai street food restaurant in Portland that has now expanded to NYC. When I saw that its chef Andy Ricker was putting out a cookbook, I was excited, but cautious. I was concerned that it might be excessively “chefy” – that is, full of brilliant ideas, but terribly complicated…
Salted Honey and Olive Oil Granola
I’ve been refining my granola technique for several years now, starting with the revelation that was my first taste of Alta Lodge Granola, which I posted about four years ago. That granola is still incredible, better than (dare I say it?) any other artisan or packaged granola I’ve tasted (though Udi’s will do in a pinch)….
Breakfast Burrito at Annapurna Chai House
When my friend suggested we meet at the Annapurna near UNM at 8 a.m., I was surprised. I didn’t even know the place was open before lunch. Turns out it opens at 7:00 for desperate early-morning chai fixes. Our menu choices were very limited – apparently more options come online at 9:00 – but included…
The Best, Easiest French Fries at Home!
These French fries are so exciting. We came across the instructions in a video (embedded below) for the online food science class we’re taking. Basically, Dan Souza from America’s Test Kitchen proposes a simpler method than going through the trouble of double-frying French fries – the classic method to make fries that are creamily cooked…
Luxurious Four-Ingredient Browned Cauliflower Soup
I am inordinately proud of this soup. It is perfect Unfussy Epicure fare – extremely simple to make and stunningly delicious. It’s just a variation on roasted cauliflower soup, a cold-weather staple that I’ve made with curry, with potatoes, with garlic. But this variation is so easy, so elegant, and makes such an incredible difference…
Juicing: Cucumbers and Chard and Kiwi, Oh My!
Clockwise from top left: Taboulleh Juice, Kiwi-Chard, Golden Rule, Cucumber Mojito, Heart Beet This has been a very difficult autumn. Actually, it was a pretty rough summer too. As you know if you read my mid-July post on congee, I’ve been having trouble swallowing all year. Much longer than that, actually, but this year it’s gotten…
Slow-Braised Green Beans with Tomato
We’ve been done a disservice by the cult of al dente vegetables. While there’s no doubt that many vegetables are at their best very lightly cooked – all types of peas spring to mind – the idea that every veggie is at its best steamed for 30 seconds is as misguided as the thought that…
Pasta with Marcella Hazan’s Simple Tomato-Butter Sauce
This is not going to be my most original post, because it seems like every food blogger has, at some point, posted Marcella Hazan’s recipe for tomato-butter sauce. It’s not hard to see why, even before you taste it: It has three ingredients. You throw them in a pan and let them simmer. If it’s…
Fluffy Lemon-Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes
I have never been a fan of blueberries. I know many people love them, but I almost always find them disappointing. Their color is so vivid, their shiny roundness so tempting, but then you bite into one and… meh. Most blueberries taste to me like they’ve been diluted. What flavor there is, is nice, but…
Grill-Roasted Summer Tomato Soup
Things continue to go really well in my garden, at least as far as tomatoes go. (Squash is a different matter – my plants were ravaged by squash bugs and had to be torn out.) This is the first year I’ve had enough tomatoes to share with my neighbors. And enough to try recipes that…