I was upset with myself for not making a pie all summer. How I passed over the chance to toss summer berries and stone fruit into a buttery crust, I have no idea.
At least now I can say I’ve made up for lost time by making all kinds of sweet and savory pies and tarts this fall (yes, it is technically still fall, the first day of winter is Tuesday, December 22 ah!). Continue reading
This month’s Recipe ReDux theme is “cook once, eat twice,” or in my case, it is “roast once, eat twice.” Even though spring is in the air, root vegetables still dominate the markets here in New York City. I combined all of the root vegetables I had at home onto one baking sheet and roasted them.
I then tossed the roasted roots into a kale salad for a colorful, hearty and balanced lunch. Thanks for the inspiration, Miranda!
Leftover salad can be used as a topping for a slab galette. I used the Food52 Cornmeal Galette Dough recipe, substituting white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, and a fine arepa cornmeal instead of regular cornmeal because that was what I had on-hand. I added some grated Gruyere cheese on top of the vegetables.
Don’t have the patience to make your own slab galette crust? Just find a
Are we sick of winter squash yet? Too bad, because thick-skinned roots, tubers and squash are here for the long haul.
Apparently I am fond of butternut squash bakes and crumbles, as evidenced by the Figs in My Belly archives. To that I say, never enough! Continue reading
I hope your holiday was delicious and special. My friend Natasha and I co-hosted and cooked most of the food together. Our friends brought extra sides (sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, green bean casserole), desserts (mascarpone tart with berries), and drinks (wine, beers, cider), all of which were amazing!
The menu:
Castelvetrano olives
Kale salad with apples and walnuts
Extra-buttery mashed potatoes
Mashed sweet potatoes
Kale stuffing with dates
Brussels sprouts with bacon
Green bean casserole
Spatchcocked turkey with gravy
Roasted garlic
Cranberry sauce (homemade and jellied)
Dessert:
Upside-down cranberry cake
Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Praline Topping
Peanut Butter Pie
Mascarpone tart with berry sauce
Hand-whipped cream
Clockwise from left: stuffing a la Samin (and Charlie!), with dates instead of prunes and no sausage; spatchcocked and carved turkey from the Serious Eats recipe and video; cranberry sauce (can be made one week before TG) Continue reading
I started Figs in My Belly in June, 2009. At that point in my life, I was living in California, getting a degree in Nutritional Science, staging (interning) in the kitchen at a small handful of restaurants, working at a cooking camp for kids, and making dinners for my housemates at the co-op where I lived. Oh, and I was totally obsessed with Joy the Baker and her blog.
That August, I heard about a rooftop picnic in downtown Los Angeles that Joy was hosting and jumped on the opportunity. I brought my mom along and we spent the afternoon enjoying Joy’s biscuits, fried chicken, coleslaw, and cupcakes while mingling with other Joy the Baker fans.
Cut to more than five years later, and I now live in New York City with a short (four-year-long) pastry cook career currently on pause while I finish up a graduate degree in Nutrition Education and a dietetic internship to become a registered dietitian. And, as you might have guessed, I am still totally obsessed with Joy the Baker and her blog.
Joy is currently on tour for her latest cookbook, Homemade Decadence. I attended her book signing at The Brooklyn Kitchen, and the following weekend, my friend Michelle and I drove up to King Arthur Flour in Vermont, where Joy was teaching a hands-on pie making class. Joy taught two four-hour pie classes on the same day. She is a warrior.
I’ve made my share of pies in the past, but pie still intimidates me, and I wanted to gain some pro tips to boost my pie confidence. Plus, my friend Michelle never made her own pie before, so this was the perfect opportunity to learn. We road tripped for pie! Continue reading
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