I scanned the leaden grey skies for a ray of sunshine, fruitlessly. Welcome to Toronto in December. The dull ceiling of clouds glowering above my head reflected my mood; it was time to go shopping for a treat. I was looking forward to the arrival of a new crop of blood oranges at my local fruit store. Strictly a winter fruit, my stash had been depleted months ago. I left…
In line at the buffet table at our local kosher Chinese restaurant (OBM, sigh), my eyes fixated on the pan of glazed sweet potatoes. Blanketed in a glossy, dark, sweet, and umami-flavored teriyaki sauce, they beckoned invitingly. For many years I tried to duplicate this dish at home without success. With the publication of this recipe for three-cup vegetables by Ali Slagle in the New York Times, I was intrigued.…
This past Sunday morning, if you happened to see me face down on the ice at our neighborhood outdoor skating rink, rest assured, I was not in the middle of a sun salutation yoga pose. I was not even examining the whorls in the ice for evidence of fossils. The only fossil at the rink that day was lying on the ice. Last week I bought a pair of ice…
When a recipe for slow-roasted salmon first came to my attention, I eyed it with suspicion and shifted it to the bottom of my “future consideration” pile. It was only after I saw this recipe for maple baked salmon by Genevieve Ko, published in the New York Times that I gave the idea of cooking salmon “lower and slower” more serious thought. When it comes to fish, I generally proceed…
I watched as my grandsons’ faces lit up when I brought a platter of hush puppy deli roll pinwheels to the table. Distinguished by the nutritional triumvirate of salt, fat and potatoes, dear to the heart of every teenage boy, this dish disappeared in seconds. It’s been a while since our grandsons have graced our table but it doesn’t mean that this recipe is sitting around gathering dust. Surprise, it…
I reached tentatively into the corners of my bag of candy-coated chocolates. It was empty, all too soon. These button-shaped confections get me every time, with the satisfying crunch of their thin outer sugary shell, followed by the sweet sensation of chocolate melting on my tongue. But it’s the rainbow colors of these treats that make them impossible to ignore. That’s how I found myself with a big box of…
My father was the latke chef in our family. Inhaling those crispy potato pancakes, with their meltingly soft interiors, was one of the highlights of any Chanukah gathering. For my father, grating the potatoes by hand was the only way to make them. A food processor couldn’t replicate the perfect texture he obtained with his little metal box grater. His skinned knuckles were a badge of honor, a sign of…
I’m a late joiner to the “I ❤ eggplant” club. Having grown up with a French mother, I was no stranger to vegetables of all types, including Brussels sprouts and cauliflower hearts, but eggplant was never on the menu. That all changed when I sampled a friend’s baba ghanoush dip. This smoky spread, creamy and light with a mild citrus tang, is the perfect accompaniment when eaten with fresh challah,…
Cinnamon toast, crisp slices of bread still warm from the toaster, spread with melting butter and a heavy dusting of cinnamon and sugar, was a snack that healed all disappointments when I was growing up. Skinned knees, ignominious math test results, and bad haircuts, could all be assuaged (at least somewhat) by a slice or two of this treat. Lately, I’ve found myself craving zwieback. This light crunchy biscuit, only…
After a busy day, I looked at the clock and realized that the dinner hour was upon us; in fact I had exactly twenty minutes to get supper on the table. Thankfully, I usually prepare a double recipe of tuna croquettes, my regular Tuesday night blue-plate special, and freeze half. I raced to the freezer and looked everywhere for my stash of fish patties but came up empty-handed. Clearly I…