Great Women Chefs Cook for a Cause

Last night at a super-fashionable gala at New York's Pier 60 gathered dozens of the country's best female chefs doing what they do best:  being supportive, generous as all get out, and cooking to their hearts content. The event was a fundraiser for SHARE -- an organization which offers free help to women facing breast and ovarian cancer.  Their mission during these last 35 years has been to give these women an opportunity to experience a "second helping of life" -- hence the 8th annual A Second Helping of Life tasting event. I was there as a celebrity "sous chef" helping out at the table of D'Artagnan -- the company that put foie gras in the mouths of every gourmand. Ariane Daguin's featured dish was a "filet mignon of duck" (the "tender" from under the duck breast), topped with a mousse of foie gras with black truffles, and drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  That was my job -- to drizzle 400 small plates of this delectable offering. It was a fabulous event with more than 20 guest chefs and lots of famous actresses, editors, cookbook authors, and TV personalities as celebrity sous chefs. What a blast it was to hang out with all these women who have made such a difference in the food world and have extended that world into such beneficent charitable work. In addition to sampling some of the most delicious bites I've had under one roof, I sampled the humility of these women who have made it big-time and just want to give back. Many of these women are also members of the organization "Les Dames d'Escoffier" whose efforts have helped women break through the glass ceiling in an industry that once exclusively belonged to men.

I was thrilled to see Gabrielle Hamilton (of Blood, Bones & Butter fame), Alex Guarnaschelli, Anne Burrell, April Bloomfield, Anita Lo, Dorie Greenspan, Sarabeth Levine, and Rosa Ross (from Scrimshaw on Long Island), to name just a few. It was lovely to re-connect with Donna Hanover (Rudy Giuliani's first wife) who became a foodie herself as co-host with David Rosengarten of Food News & Views -- one of the Food Networks first shows (and I was their first guest!).  And what fun it was to sample Rebecca Charles' Lobster Roll (from Pearl Oyster Bar), scarf down Sara Jenkins' Porchetta "slider" (from Porchetta and Porsena), sip an amazing corn soup with smoked ham hocks and corn relish (The Spotted Pig and The Breslin), Alison Awerbuch's remarkable bbq shortrib & late summer tomato shepherd's "pie in a jar" with a brown butter cornbread crumble crust (Alison is the executive chef of Abigail Kirsch catering), Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez's "Shahi Chicken with Basmati Rice," Babbo's Gina DePalma's "Sweet Olive Oil and Rosemary Cakes with Lemon Icing," and eat too many of Nancy Olson's Salted Chocolate and Peanut Butter macaroons (Gramercy Tavern.)

I hope their goal of $400,000 was reached last night. Every bite was worth it. And kudos to Melanie Young who "imagined" this event eight years ago and then made it happen in such a glorious and meaningful way. Toques off to you.

French Meal as National Treasure

Something's in the air. Perhaps a whiff of French cooking. This month's issue of Food & Wine magazine is devoted to the new French Classics and the New York Times' food section featured the cookbook "La Cuisine de la Republique" with recipes from members of the French National Assembly. The book, authored by deputy Francoise Branget from the center-right of Sarkozy's party, was the finishing touch, or celebration really, of her campaign to unite the Left and Right in a national cause:  the promotion of French gastronomy.  And I quote (from the article by Elaine Sciolino), "Food is so much a part of France's identity that the government led a successful campaign last year to win United Nations recognition of the French meal as a national treasure."  Can Italy be far behind? That said, many years ago I wrote an article called "So What's a French Restaurant, Anyway" for the Daily News.  I will try to locate it but I remember how the semaphores of French cuisine were slowly vaporizing like the molecules of a slowly simmering stock. And yet today, there is a trickle of French-i-ness afoot. The prototypical La Mangeoire, under the direction of 4-star cooking maestro Christian Delouvrier has just received a face lift, as has the four-star Le Bernardin, now designed by Bentel & Bentel. The original look by uber-designer Phil George, certainly stood the test of time and helped create the ambiance that became part of the restaurant's gestalt. I understand Mr. George just dined at Le Bernardin and gave a nod of approval to the new surroundings. He also said the food was very, very good, indeed.

Not long ago, we had the pleasure of dining at La Mangeoire and were greeted by a gentler, happier chef who no longer had to live up the exalted expectations of four-star dining.  We were so pleased to eat mussels, great frites, and calves liver and be enchanted by chocolate mousse. Nowadays, I see the "comeback crepe," and on a bus, just today, passed by the ancient Les Sans Culottes from New York's theatre district, now on the East side. I never imagined the simple French concept could sustain itself all these years.

Although the "La Cuisine de la Republique" features some pretty remote recipes from little-known regions and lesser-known food stuffs (hare, pork head, and potatoes on a slice of pig skin), the sentiment that should unite our countries is sound.  "It is our national responsibility to cook and to eat well."  Viva la France.

To that end, I suggest you try my Almost-Confit Chicken from Radically Simple, or this radically simple cake "Gateau Creusois" from the New York Times.  I will be making it this weekend.  Might be nice with a pile of fresh raspberries or thinly sliced plums or peaches from the farmer's market. Not bad with a glass of cassis. Bon chance and bon appetit.

Gateau Creusois (adapted from Jean Auclais' in "La Cusine de la Republique and from the New York Times, 9/14/11)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring pan 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, plus more as needed pinch of salt 1/3 cup finely ground hazelnuts 3 large egg whites 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled oil for greasing pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Oil an 8-inch cake pan and dust with flour.  In a medium bowl, sift together 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar and salt. Add hazelnuts and mix well. Using a mixer, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks; do not overbeat. Pour the sifted mixture evenly over the egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold together once or twice.  Add the butter and continue to fold until just blended.  Scrape into the cake pan and smooth the surface. Bake until light golden, about 18 to 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes, then transfer cake from pan to a rack to finish cooling.  Before serving, sift confectioners sugar on top.  Serves 6

Recipe Day: Basil with Benefits

I was off and running do to volunteer work at Beth Israel Hospital (I will be working in the emergency room and on another unit as a "Pastoral Care" volunteer), and ran right through the Union Square farmer's market when I remembered my promise (a few days ago) to share some wonderful basil recipes with you. The market was abundant with piles of sweet corn and juicy peaches unwittingly waiting for an unexpected partner:  Ocimum basilicum. Below you will find a recipe for "green corn" -- in which boiled sweet corn gets rubbed with a fist full of fresh basil leaves and coarse salt, and a recipe for the quickest dessert imaginable, based on ripe peaches and a basil chiffonade. Both are adapted from Radically Simple and truly are. Not only does basil have a unique flavor profile (which most of us adore), it also has distinctive medicinal properties -- both anti-microbial and anti-fungal.  As Hippocrates once said, "Let food be our medicine, and medicine be our food," we are continually blessed, protected, cleansed, bolstered, buoyed and emboldened with inadvertent health benefits from the food we eat.  Basil's health-promoting factors are due mostly to their flavonoids and volatile oils which protect cell structures and chromosomes from radiation and oxygen-based damage. Basil is remarkably high in Vitamin K which is essential for bone building, heart protection, and in aiding blood clotting. Its vibrant essential oils make it an anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory agent. All that, and its wondrous contribution to pesto!, may make this one of the world's most desirable herbs.

There are over 60 varieties of basil to choose from. But you can just begin with one. I grow it in my window box that hangs off my sunny kitchen window -- a fistful at a time.

"Green Corn" Rub steamy ears of fresh corn with fresh basil and you'll inhale a perfume that screams "Summer!"

6 large ears fresh sweet corn, shucked fistful of large fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in small pieces 1 lime

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the corn, return to a boil, and cook 3 minutes.  Wash the basil and dry very well.  Sprinkle with kosher salt. Transfer the corn to a platter.  Rub each ear with salted basil leaves.  Dot with butter; squeeze lime juice on top.   Serves 6 Peaches with Sweet Basil This is a winning, and unexpected, combination of flavors.  Enjoy.

4 very ripe large peaches 1/2 cup peach schnapps, chilled 2 tablespoons wildflower honey 1/3 cup julienned fresh basil

Wash and dry the peaches.  Cut into thin wedges and place in a bowl.  Stir together the schnapps, honey, half the basil, and 1/4 cup ice water.  Pour over the peaches and stir.  Transfer to 4 wine glasses.  Scatter with the remaining basil.

Lunch in the Country at Bell's Mansion

Last week I had the pleasure of being taken to Bell's Mansion in Stanhope, New Jersey for lunch. Accompanying me were food maven Arthur Schwartz (who knew he was also so knowledgeable about Polish food!), historian Bob Harned, and Brendan Fahy, my old boss at Lord & Taylor, when I was executive chef in charge of their 38 restaurants across the country. At that time in my life, right after my stint as Mayor Koch's chef at Gracie Mansion, I was hired by L&T's Chairman of the Board, Joe Brooks, to re-conceptualize the Bird Cage (do any of you remember those wonderful places?) with the task of making in-store dining more, well, fashionable. Mr. Brooks was fastidious in every way, and elegant as all get out. He anticipated the needs of his customers and satisfied fantasies they didn't even know they had. I remember the sheer joy, and terror, of cooking lunch for Mr. Brooks while he was entertaining Sophia Loren one day in the private dining room atop the Fifth Avenue store. I credit Mr. Brooks and Mr. Fahy as mentors in my life and for giving me the opportunities and education that were life-changing. I can't think of a better place to reminisce with old and new friends than at Bell's Mansion. The new friends are Jack and Maria Kaczynski who own the historic house and restaurant that have made Stanhope, New Jersey a destination. Their "garden-to-table" cuisine is glorious as is the environment and food offerings. "The best pierogies I've ever had," said the food maven, Arthur Schwartz. Homemade kielbasa with caramelized onions, ethereal stuffed cabbage in a wondrous beef broth, and "New American" dishes spice up the menu. Although the 170-year old mansion speaks of "special occasion" dining, as does the beef wellington that graces the menu, the atmosphere is casual enough to make you want to come everyday -- as several of their customers do! Despite the heavy rains this summer, the gardens, including fruit trees and grape arbors, were lovely and provided the prime materie (primary materials or ingredients) for our delicious meal.   During the course of the lunch, I found myself asking time and again, "Did you grow this?," "Are these your tomatoes?," "This parsley is so vivid, is it yours?," "Just look at that lovely purple basil." Not only was the refined stuffed cabbage made by Maria, the cabbage was also grown by Maria, who serves as head gardener of the property. Their executive chef, Thomas Wohlrob, is a local celeb who once owned his own restaurant, but now he is wowing locals with Duck Alexis (duck breast with sun-dried cranberries and shiitakes), rack of lamb, an enlightened eggplant rollatini. The kielbasa that I loved comes with house-cured sauerkraut and there are always pierogies-on-parade. We especially liked those stuffed with wild mushrooms and sauerkraut; those filled with potatoes and cheese, and a "new world" variety filled with cheddar and jalapeno.

The generous bar, originally built for the Palmerton Hotel in Pennsylvania during the 1880's, is all oak and mirrored and welcoming. I can't imagine anything better than a bucket of mussels and a glass of sauvignon blanc, or a large platter of those wild mushroom pierogies and a glass of cab, on some upcoming snowy evening. Before the season changes, however, you might consider Sunday brunch on their terrace, eating like a locavore, under the canopy of trees and flowers.  Save room for their lovely creme brulee, white chocolate mousse with raspberries, or...fresh fruit pierogies!

I am grateful to Jack and Maria for their hospitality and for the abundant offerings from their gardens:  Slender eggplants, sweet corn on the cob, pale yellow peppers, just-picked apples, juicy tomatoes, and tasty hot peppers. Love in a basket.

Bell's Mansion:  11 Main Street, Stanhope, New Jersey.  973-426-9977

A New Look at Basil

In the late 1970's, when curly parsley was not only the essential herb but the ubiquitous garnish, I remember my joy in the herbaceous perfume of fresh basil wafting through my cooking class in Florence, Italy. No one knew much about it then. Pesto had barely hit our shores and it was almost impossible to find in even the best supermarkets. Clearly things have changed and so it was exciting to be invited to be a guest on Martha Stewart's radio show "Everyday Food" the other day, to talk about basil and new things to do with it. Once upon a time, there was a serious issue of how to store it during the winter -- between layers of coarse salt, or suspended in olive oil and frozen, or whirled into pesto to use during the cold winter -- but thankfully, basil is now an essential herb, and ubiquitous garnish, and is available fresh all year long. During the course of the half-hour show, we talked about myriad new ways to use it, grow it, and discussed the different varieties available, from Thai basil, to holy basil, to chocolate, peppermint and pineapple basil. Sandy and I both agreed that it is the more generic "sweet basil" that has captured our hearts. The host of the show, Sandy Gluck, shared an idea for pureeing fresh basil into ricotta and using it as a base for bruschetta. My cheese-making buddy, Laurie Sandow, told me about a wonderful soda she read about using fresh basil, strawberries, balsamic vinegar and agave syrup. And in Radically Simple, there are a dozen hip recipes showing contemporary new ways to use it. And here is sampling of delicious ideas to get you started.

Wrap large shrimp in large basil leaves. Wrap tightly with  small strips of prosciutto. Saute in garlic olive oil.

Make fragrant basil butter: Process 1 stick sweet butter with ½ cup fresh basil leaves and a pinch of curry.

Swirl freshly prepared pesto into thick yogurt. Spread on warm grilled bread.

Grate yellow squash and zucchini on large holes of box grater. Saute in butter with lots of freshly chopped basil.

Cut a ½-inch-x-4 inch channel in thick swordfish steaks. Stuff with a stack of tightly-rolled basil leaves. Poach in olive oil.

Try basil mayonnaise: Process 1 cup homemade or store-bought mayonnaise with 1 cup basil, a clove of garlic and a few, optional, anchovy fillets.

Steep basil leaves in lemon vodka. Freeze.

Gently warm orange blossom honey. Add whole basil leaves. Stir and pour into mason jars.

Basil toasts: Bake ½-inch thick slices of baguette until crisp. Rub with a split garlic clove and fresh basil leaves until fragrant and “green”.

Morning snack: Spread lightly buttered toast with bitter orange marmalade. Sprinkle with a chiffonade of fresh basil.

Cut ripe peaches into thin wedges. Place in wine goblets. Splash with peach schnapps and julienned basil.

Strawberry-basil tea: Puree 1-pint strawberries with 8 basil leaves and sugar. Cover amply with boiling water. Steep 15 minutes. Strain into teacups.

Look for my basil-scrubbed toast, "green" corn, and many other basil recipes in the days to follow. Buy lots at your farmer's market this weekend and breathe deeply.

El Vero Gazpacho (or Gazpacho with Gerry!)

To my way of thinking, gazpacho is always lipstick red (chock full of the ripest tomatoes), jade green (Asian-style), or even bluish-purple (my playful take on a fruit soup made with blueberries and ginger.)  These can all be found in Radically Simple and they are a fabulous prelude to an end-of-summer meal.  But true gazpacho, according to Spanish food-and-wine maven, Gerry Dawes, has a kind of orange-red-coral hue.  Offered with a "lazy Susan" of garnishes -- fresh chopped tomatoes, red and green peppers, cucumbers, onion (or scallions -- not authentic), chopped egg, warm croutons, the base of the soup is rather smooth and made textural with these colorful add-ons.  Today, in Spain, says Gerry, "it has become a trend to add chopped Iberico ham" to the hit parade of toppings.  Over the Labor Day weekend we enjoyed the fruits of Gerry's labor, as he showed us step-by-step how to make gazpacho, then regaled us with an authentic paella laden with shrimp, squid, two kinds of chorizo, rice awash in homemade fish stock, peas, and peppers -- all cooked in a huge paella pan set atop an outdoor grill.  The goal (and trick) is to get the bottom of the rice to form a nice caramelized crust (socarrat), that is both desirable and delicious. Gerry did. You should see him in the kitchen:  the culinary equivalent of a matador. Gerry Dawes was deemed by the late James Michener, to be the rightful heir to scribe the sequel to Michener's Iberia.  Known by many to be one of the leading experts on Spain's gastronomic scene -- both past and present -- he is the recipient of Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomia (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003 and is a familiar figure on Spain's restaurant circuit.  But as food and wine is part of history and culture, Gerry's vast knowledge of Spain, and his beautiful writing style earned him that opportunity by Michener himself.  Gerry, however, is so busy entertaining friends, making gazpacho, and bringing famous chefs to Spain, that the reality of his novel still awaits.  Gerry has lived on-and-off in Spain for 30 years and his travel notebooks alone are worth stealing.  He was the first American journalist to write about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adria for FoodArts (they are now good friends).  According to Michael Batterberry, FoodArt's late beloved publisher and editor, "...That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adria in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish Table."  Whew.  I couldn't have said it better.

So, it was Mr. Spain last weekend, who finally taught me the gospel-of-gazpacho.  No hot spices (the heat come from the garlic), the proper texture, the requisite color, and the most fabulous taste.   I took notes and you will find my approximation below.  His is the Gazpacho a la Sevilliana -- taught to him by his "Spanish mother" Maria Franco, the proprietress of Pension Santa Cruz located in the old Jewish quarter of Seville.  In the old days, it cost $1.00 a night and an extra .15 cents for a hot shower.  Gerry differentiated his Sevillana gazpacho from the more brick-colored, thicker, sauce-like salmorejo gazpachos of Córdoba, which are often served with strips of fried eggplant.

If you are ever planning a trip to Spain, you might want to hire Gerry to write your itinerary and fix-you-up with some of Spain's greatest chefs and restaurants, or follow Gerry Dawes's  Spain:  An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel, on his generous blog.   His photography is also award-winning.  www.gerrydawesspain.com

Gerry's Gazpacho Gerry says the base of gazpacho is primal -- water, vinegar, garlic and bread.

5 very large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges 1-1/2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup vinegar (Gerry used 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar) 4 ounces soft baguette, soaked in a bowl of 2 cups water for 20 minutes 1 cup chopped red peppers 1 cup chopped green peppers 1 cup chopped orange peppers 2 large cloves garlic 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oiil

Process everything in the food processor until smooth, including the water from the soaking bread.  Strain into a large bowl.  Process the remaining solids until very smooth and add to soup.   Chill until very cold.  Add salt to taste.   Garnish with remaining cucumber, chopped, chopped tomatoes, chopped peppers, chopped egg, chopped onion, and warm croutons.  Serves 6 to 8

Tastes of the Week

August 28 through September 4 A resounding Labor Day dinner cooked by Gerry Dawes, celebrated authority of all things Spanish -- mostly food, wine, culture, and chefs -- the most authentic gazpacho ever (read more about it tomorrow), a seafood & chorizo paella cooked on the grill, and a middle course of sauteed mushrooms (six wild varieties) with leeks, wine and poached duck eggs on top.  All with Spanish whites (mostly from the Godello grape) to match.  Keep an eye out for these wines at your wine store.

A lovely dinner at Cathryn's restaurant in Cold Spring, New York.  Loved the black squid ink pasta, the calves liver, Venetian-style, sea bass with leek and black olive pesto, and a fabulous organic burger -- rare, juicy and flavorful as can be.

A great walk on the new part of the High Line on 11th avenue, followed by a wonderful early dinner at Donatella's -- her new restaurant/pizzeria on 8th avenue and 18th street in the city.  A wonderful pizza margherita (for our daughter) , followed by a delicious pizza with sausage and broccoli rabe (for me), and a very credible pasta with sea urchin (for my husband).  Love the ambiance and Donatella's gold pizza oven with her name inlaid on it.

Another out-of-this world lunch on the rooftop of Eataly.  At Birreria, with sunglasses on our heads and wine glasses full of Fontanafredda Langhe Bianco, a friend and I shared two simply delicious dishes: a kale salad with grapefruit, poppy seed frico and anchovy vinaigrette, and pork shoulder braised with beer and apricot. Signature "kraut" and lots of good bread.

Wine grape of the week:  Godello

First course of the week:  Cold soup (authentic gazpacho; and cucumber-cilantro-yogurt).  What they had in common were delicious warm homemade croutons.

Last fling of summer:  Party at Katie Booth's, dinner for four at the Adlers, terrace dinner party at Saralie's (prior blog)

Today's Special: Samba Cafe

Every now and again, you find a place so charming and "out-of-this-world" that you're just grateful you didn't need a passport to get there.  Such a place is Samba Cafe, located on Main Street in Jeffersonville, New York (at the foot of the Catskills.)   Far from the maddening crowd, this tiny gem lives on local business and the kindness of strangers who find it as they drop off their kids to camp, or en route to Bethel Woods (the "real" site of the Woodstock Festival), or through town gossip -- local artists and actors from nearby playhouses, print-makers, organic farmers, antique dealers, you name it.  And the lovely news is that Samba Cafe is also an Inn -- a kind of bed-and-dinner affair that seduces you in simple ways. Samba Cafe began as a hip juice bar and savvy bookshop in 2006 as the love child of Tim Corcoran and his wife Andrea Alves Corcoran. Neither imagined they would one day leave behind the world of investment banking JP Morgan/Chase (Andrea) or the magical world of tv and theatre -- Tim was the artistic Director of the 29th Street Repertory Theatre for 20 years, had a recurring role on Guiding Light for six years, and tended bar at the Rainbow Room during the time that we ran it (1987 through 2000.)   But passion controlled their pocketbook and life in the country slowly upstaged city commitments.  Soon, Andrea -- a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, began cooking lunches and Sunday brunch, and dinner service began in February this year.  I must say because of Tim's vast experience at the Rainbow Room that the service -- however casual -- is superb indeed.  It's fun to have a $28 bottle of Castello de la Dehasa (a sauvignon blanc blend from the Rueda) opened with the flourish of an 1982 Petrus!

But it is the food and the decor that beckon.   Andrea is from Belo Horizonte, the third largest city in Brazil, and her goal was to "create flavors" based on the cuisine of her homeland.  It is from Andrea that we learned about acai and tropical fruits and Moqueca, a Brazilian fish soup made with coconut milk and shrimp.   It is Andrea's feijoada that we crave, served in its metal braising pot with sides of garlicky bright green collards, and a relish of fresh orange, red onion, and cilantro.  It is Andrea's pernil -- a delicious pork shoulder, slowly roasted for five hours at a very low temperature and flavored with garlic, cumin, olive oil, pepper and cumin -- that has us licking our lips.  "How does it stay so moist?"  I ask.   Andrea brines it overnight.   Andrea is also known for pao de queijo -- cheese bread from her native Brazil and for her wonderful homemade empanadas.   Dinner, comprised of a large salad (with lettuces and nasturtiums and herbs grown in their zip code), homemade bread and butter, and a main course can be had for $16.00.   A la carte appetizers include plump, juicy crab cakes, yucca with salsa, and jalapeno corn bread.  And I've discovered that my new favorite wine -- a pinot noir-like Artner Zweigelt from Austria -- is a great partner for feijoada.    All this in a dining room filled with great art hung on bright red walls, exposed lacquered refrigerators, and an assortment of vintage dining room tables, makes this experience worth a comforting detour.

Soon, the Corcorans will be opening a small market featuring Portuguese comestibles -- including their fabulous coffee, molho de pimenta (hot sauce), condiments, addictive crackers, and Brazilian olive oil...and a small theatre right next door.    Maybe dancing lessons will be next.   www.sambacafeandinn.com

Cold SpaghettiOs and Tastes of the Week

The impending hurricane had us scurrying to a local supermarket in Jeffersonville, New York to gather some goods before we headed back to Park Slope. As suggested by camp officials, we brought our daughter home from French Woods one day early. "What to eat?" we asked ourselves, if we're to lose electricity during the storm. "Beans, "I said to my husband. "I'll make some beans."  "You can't," he replied, "nor can you make your morning coffee." (Our oven needs a jolt of electricity to work.)  "Wow, I thought."  Our daughter doesn't eat fish and we can't heat anything up, so what does one eat, I muttered, as we sauntered up and down the aisles.  I really had to laugh as we pulled baked beans off the shelf (cold? could be good!); canned corn, breakfast cereal, peanut butter, applesauce, mandarin oranges, and spaghettiOs.  Yes, we did. Other tastes of the week included:

Fabulous gelato at Grom in the New York's Greenwich Village:  espresso gelato and crema di Grom (with nubbins of corn biscuits and shaved chocolate).  A great marriage of flavors.  Luxurious texture.

Such a delicious feijoada and pernil (roast pork) -- washed down with a couple of glasses of pinot noir-like Zweigelt (from Austria) at Samba Cafe in Jeffersonville, New York.   More about that tomorrow!

Two wonderful salads at our daughter's camp! (French Woods for the Performing Arts.)  Roasted sweet potato and white bean salad (with a touch of vinegar and curry), and one of best couscous salads I've had.  Will try to get the recipe -- will feed 800!

A great seasonal summer tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella, wood-fired olives, and a credible Pizza Margherita at the Park Slope hotspot, Franny's.

Robust, savory, yum cannelloni filled with lamb and some unknown (but knowable) pungent cheese at Tarallucci e Vino on East 18th Street in NY.

Good white-and-yellow corn on the cob from Key Food.  Really.

And...a great, rare burger at Slainte (Irish bar) on the Bowery.  Decent house red.  Cheap.  Good fries.

Speaking of Gelato

I saw an ad in the cab for the TV show Jeopardy yesterday with one of the questions relating to the origin of gelato -- the Italian frozen confection that I tasted for the first time in 1973 on my maiden voyage to Italy.  It said that the first gelato was fashioned from honey and shaved ices, but that idea is so reductive as to be suspect. For your reading pleasure, you may google the history of gelato and ponder the various theories, but what I'm pondering these days is why gelato isn't the way I remember.  We were on a bit of a quest for great gelato on our recent trip to Italy and experienced two extremes.  One of the gelatos we tried was commercial and sported neon colors of fruit flavors that one never encounters in nature, yet it had the sweet, dense, velvety texture I remembered.  The other gelato (the shop with the longest line in Naples) was "artiginale" and tasted so rich and creamy that it crossed the boundaries of gelato into premium rich, custardy ice cream.  I longed for the gelato that I once had in Sicily for breakfast, spooned into a morning brioche, and another that I had when I was a young lass in Florence studying cooking with Guiliano Bugialli.  It had tasted like nothing I ever had -- as memorable as my first sip of Chateau d'Yquem.   I remember the intensity of the fruit flavor, the bracing yet soft chill, the velvety, but slightly elastic mouthfeel.  It was probably the first time I experienced the taste of gianduja, too -- the brilliant marriage of hazelnut and chocolate. Just this week, I treated myself to a romp around the West Village (I just adore Bleeker Street these days -- the whole stretch, actually, from east to west) and found two very credible gelato palaces.  I will mention my favorite only.  Grom, located on the corner of Bleeker and Carmine, exceeded expectations.  Never mind that the adorable boy working behind the counter was from Venice and charming as all get out, and that he topped my cup of gelato with a bit more when I said it looked skimpy (I was hungry!), but he recommended two varieties that tasted like magic together.  One was their very robust espresso gelato and the other their "specialty" -- crema di Grom, made with cream, "corn biscuits" from the Langhe region and bits of shaved Teyuna chocolate from Columbia.  I also sampled their cassata (with bits of candied fruit) and their white fig gelato, which was divine.   Sitting outside at a little cafe table, with the sun shining brightly through my plastic gelato spoon, and Italian spoken all around me, I must say that my trip to Italy had a delightful hiccup.  Sad that Faicco's (the legendary pork store) was closed that day, I had a strange hankering for mortadella and buffalo mozzarella.

I don't know how to make gelato and so instead I offer you another kind of intense, velvety frozen confection from Radically Simple -- with a similiar mouthfeel and memorable flavor.

Chocolate-Chipotle Sorbetto A bit of chipotle smolders behind a chocolate chill.  It's very cool to serve a scoop of this in a glass with some cold milk poured around it.  Taste the mixture before you churn it -- you might want to add a bit more chipotle and salt to augment the smoky flavor.

3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup dark corn syrup 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle powder

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, cocoa powder and 1-1/2 cups water in a large saucepan.  Whisk until smooth and bring to a boil.  Boil 1 minute, whisking.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the chocolate, chipotle powder, 1/4 cup water and a large pinch of salt.  Stir until the chocoalte melts.  Pour the mixture into a blender and process 1 minute, until smooth.  Refrigerate the mixture until very cold.  Stir briskly and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.  Serves 6

Chocolate Eggplant

About one month ago, while perched atop the Amalfi coast nestled in a friend's villa in Ravello, the conversation about chocolate eggplant ensued.  Our hosts, the consummate foodies, told us about a particular trattoria in Amalfi that served chocolate eggplant for dessert. But our friend couldn't remember the name of the place nor did she know that some version of this unique dessert is famous, or typical, in that area -- especially in spring and summer.  Knowing our friend's taste for the discreet, we ambled along the main street of Amalfi (after sampling a cannoli at the well-known pasticceria Pansa), asking everyone where we could find it.  No one seemed to know.  That is, until we got to the Macelleria and inquired.  "Next door!," the affable butcher said. "They have it at the nice trattoria next door but they don't open until 6 p.m." We waited.

While my husband loved his main course of butterflied sardines, that were lightly battered and sauteed (including a gossamer layer of cheese to hold them together), I devoured my dish of grilled provola in lemon leaves (another dish typical of the area) at the lovely Trattoria dei Cartari.  But I longed for the eggplant.  It arrived and certainly stole the attention of the two children sitting next to us.  For awash in a sea of dark molten chocolate strewn with pine nuts, were two thin slices of shapely eggplant, fried twice (as the waiter told us).  The eggplant had a texture that tasted almost like thick moist apricot leather, and I couldn't figure out how it was done.  I must say that it was very, very good!  The slight bitterness of the eggplant played against the flavor of the not-too-sweet chocolate, accented with toasty notes of almonds.  It was worth searching for and yes, it was the place our friend frequented.  The next day, not fully satisfied that I understood the concept, we went to the shop of the most famous pastry chef of the Amalfi coast -- Salvatore di Riso (Sal for short).  There, the chocolate eggplant was interpreted into a fudgey square of layered eggplant, thick chocolate (ganache-like) and candied fruit, flavored with liqueur (probably Concerto, a liqueur popular in that region), and served icy cold.   While festive and interesting, I preferred the simple, warm, almost earthy version we had in Amalfi.  However improbable it was, it was delicious.

I have not prepared the recipe I offer below, but searched for one that most closely approximated the dish we liked.   A recipe for Sal di Riso's "Melanzane al Cioccolato" can be found at www.francinesegan.com.

Chocolate Eggplant (courtesy of the Canadian Food Network)

2 eggplants, thinly sliced lengthwise coarse sea salt flour for dredging olive oil, for deep-frying 16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, in small pieces 1 cup milk 1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped

Prep the eggplant by salting the slices and laying them in a colander for 30 minutes.  Rinse and pat very dry.  Dredge eggplant into the flour and fry in olive oil set at 375 degrees. Do not fry too many pieces at one time (it will lower the cooking temperature.)  Lay on paper towels to absorb oil.  (Note by RG:  you might want to fry it again to best approximate the texture we experienced in Italy.  You may also use lightly toasted pine nuts instead of the almonds.)  Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water until smooth.  Whisk in enough milk to make it creamy but still rather thick.   Pour over the eggplant and sprinkle nuts on top.   Let sit at room temperature or serve slightly warm.  Serves 6 or more.

Summer Pasta with Smoked Salmon & Sweet Corn

Having a spontaneous dinner party this weekend? Here's another 10-minute pasta you can make using super-sweet corn from the farmer's market.  Made with fresh fettuccine that cooks up in minutes, this elegant, hassle-free dish might be just the thing to serve as your first course.  Follow with a side of bluefish resting upon a bed of thinly sliced tomatoes, onions and purple sage.  Just drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and blast it in a very hot oven for 15 minutes.  For dessert? Uber-ripe peaches from the farmer's market bathing in red wine.  And some cookies, of course. Fettuccine with Smoked Salmon, Creme Fraiche & Sweet Corn If you like, you may also add some snippets of fresh basil or cilantro. A must:  Creme fraiche.

8 ounces fresh fettuccine 1 cup sweet yellow corn, freshly cut from the cob 4 ounces best-quality smoked salmon, thinly sliced 8 ounces creme fraiche 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1/4 cup finely minced fresh chives 1 large lemon

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and corn and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until tender.  Meanwhile, cut the salmon into 1/2-wide strips.  Drain the pasta well; shake dry. Immediately return the pasta to the warm pot.  Add the smoked salmon, creme fraiche, cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  Warm gently for 1 minute over low heat, but do not cook.  Stir in chives.  Transfer pasta to bowls.  Using a microplane, grate lemon zest on top and serve immediately.  Add snippets of basil or cilantro, if desired.  Serves 4

10-Minute Summer Pastas

There is no better time of the year to take full advantage of nature's bounty and...good fresh pasta. There are several available on the market today.  However, I do long for Henry Lambert's ground-breaking concept -- launched in New York decades ago -- called "Pasta & Cheese." It was sensational to be able to go to a store featuring taleggio and gorgonzola (both rarities then) and revolutionary to encounter sheets of freshly made pasta that would be cut in front of you to your desired specs -- fettuccine, pappardelle, etc. I believe the first store was on the upper east side and opened right after I learned to make my own pasta in Italy -- the summer of 1978 -- when I began drying my own freshly-made pasta on broomstick handles perched atop two chairs in the kitchen of Gracie Mansion! Life was nothing short of discovery back then. It was a time of innocence, gleaming new pasta machines in home kitchens, and pesto madness. It was the delicious homemade Sicilian pesto that I had the other day at Arthur Schwartz's home, that made me remember my own version of  "pesto rosso" from Radically Simple: Brilliant Flavors with Breathtaking Ease. This pesto is unusual in that it is made with almonds and has fresh tomato in it. It hails from Trapani in Sicily and is known as pesto Trapanese. I hadn't made it in awhile and ran home to do so!  The secret, according to Arthur, was to use really good garlic. And I agree that it made all the difference in the world. He buys his at the Grand Army Plaza farmer's market on Saturday mornings. The Linguine with Pesto Rosso, below, is my take on this famous dish, here made with ingredients gathered from the four corners of my refrigerator. It would be lovely to serve with my salad of Shaved Fennel with Parmigiano & Hot Pepper -- to which I sometimes add tiny segments of fresh oranges.  It will put some sunshine into this gray summer day.

This week I will be offering more 10-ten pasta dishes, perfect for summer entertaining so, stay tuned.

Linguine with Pesto Rosso

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves 1/2 pint ripe grape tomatoes 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup whole almonds (with skins) 1 medium garlic clove 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 2/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano 12 ounces fresh linguine

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Combine the parsley, basil, tomatoes, oil, almonds, garlic and Parmesan in a food processor.  Add 1/3 cup of the pecorino and process until very smooth.  Add salt and pepper.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 3 minutes, or until tender.  Drain well and shake dry. Add the pasta to the pesto and toss thoroughly.  Sprinkle with the remaining pecorino.  Serves 4

Shaved Fennel with Parmigiano & Hot Pepper This is an unusual starter to a hefty meal or a nice side salad for a summer pasta dinner.  The little nubbins of cheese are unexpected.  Add fresh orange segments if you wish.

1 large fennel bulb, about 1-1/2 pounds 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar large pinch red pepper flakes 4-ounce piece Parmigiano-Reggiano 2 big handfuls baby arugula

Trim the feathery fronds from the fennel bulb; chop to get 1/4 cup and set aside.  Cut the fennel in half lengthwise and cut crosswise as thinly as possible.  Place in a bowl.  Add the oil, vinegar, pepper flakes, and salt.  Break the cheese into very small pieces; add to the salad and toss.  Stir in the arugula.  Scatter chopped fronds on top.  Serves 4

Blog News: 1-2-3 Wins "Best of August"

The good news is that The 1-2-3 Collection was chosen by Apple as one of their Best Books of August!  Not only was it one of the top four books but the only cookbook named.  The launch of the book in late July garnered great interest from the media world and from "tons of excited users" who have given it a solid 4.5 star rating.  During the first week of the launch, various books in "The 1-2-3 Collection" occupied up to 4 of the top 10 paid  cookbook slots in the iTunes store.  The "Quick & Easy 1-2-3" books have been popular, especially "Mornings" and "Weeknights."  Currently, the 1-2-3 Collection is available on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, and on sale in the UK, Australia, Germany and France, in addition to the US and Canada. For cooks craving creativity and style, each of the 250 three-ingredient recipes are expressed in 140 words or less.  Each is customized for viewing on the iPad or iPhone in your kitchen and can be purchased at Apple's iTunes store.  The award-winning recipes are curated sets of 10 recipes ($.99), 50 recipes ($3.99) and 250 recipes, including 62 mouthwatering photographs ($9.99).  Readers can choose between whole books or shorter form sets and chapters, to build their own a la carte cookbook and recipe libraries.  It is available at www.itunes.com/rozannegold. 

One enthusiastic user had this to say:  " I'm loving the cookbook(s).  I made the "Sumac-Aged Hanger Steaks" and "Burst Cherry Tomatoes" last week and loved the whole experience, from browsing the book on my iPad, to picking up the bookmarks on my iPhone when I got to the grocery store, to cooking and, of course, eating. These are really beautiful, functional cookbooks."

Arrivederci, Roma

We were awaiting the last of our doppio (double) espressos in our charming room at the Caesar House Residenzia in Rome, conveniently located near Rome’s ancient Forum, Colliseum, and the breathtaking “wedding cake” monument to Vittorio Emanuele, the first King of united Italy. Our two-week journey ended this morning with a quick prima colazione (breakfast) and a trip to the airport.  I returned home with my suitcase.  It arrived in Naples, 12 days after we did! As I jokingly said, the day it was lost, that my luggage would be taking a trip of its own. Indeed Alitalia made that happen. It was sent back to Newark, New Jersey, where it remained for five days, then sent to Paris, lost again, and ended up at the Naples airport the very day we were leaving for Rome.  Looking for that suitcase became a leitmotif of the trip, as we experienced the frustrations that Italy can bring, but it also brought a sense of liberation, a new handbag, linen pants, and some Italian undergarments into my life!

Rome was exhilarating, made more so by spending time with Iris Carulli, a dear friend and “guide extraordinaire” to the majesty of Rome.  My husband and I spent two days walking, reminiscing (we have been to Rome many times yet not in 20 years), and met Iris in the evening for two splendid meals and then hours of walking the city’s grand piazzas.  Iris has lived in Italy now for more than 10 years, and is considered by many to be one of Rome’s best tour guides. You must hire her if you come! Her suggestions were invaluable and her knowledge of art and history made ancient Rome fascinating.  Not to mention, present-day Rome! How we enjoyed the contemporary restaurant l’Antico Arco, near the American Academy of Rome (with a strenuous hike at sunset up the Janiculum Hill), the revered trattoria (and bakery) Antico Forno Roscioli, where Sullivan Street Bakery genius, Jim Lahey, came recently to train (the bread in Rome is very good!), and the crowded Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia, the Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain – all magical at midnight.   Most fun was discovering, completely by accident, a Roman trattoria called Agustarello (in an area called Testaccio) where we had the best pasta alla gricia (with guanciale and pecorino), and amazing braised oxtails (darkened with chocolate and full of the requisite, yet invisible, celery). That was lunch.

We enjoyed our visit to MaXXI, the museum of contemporary art, designed by Zaha Hadid, and our tour of the beautiful synagogue of Rome.  We even found the ancient bakery which makes “Pizza Ebraica,” or Jewish pizza.  Not really pizza at all, but a kind of excessive cookie bar, studded with candied fruit and burnt a bit. No one knows why it is called this, but apparently it has been so for the last 100 years.

Tomorrow morning, I will be eating it slowly, in my own kitchen, accompanied by wonderful memories and a doppio espresso, or two.  Arrivederci, Roma.

Notes from Ravello

It is almost noon in Ravello on Friday afternoon, July 22^nd.  We are overlooking the Gulf of Salerno way up above the cliffs of Ravello -- not far from the former home of Gore Vidal and just steps away from the cooking school of Mamma Agata.  Perched on the balcony off the bedroom of our friend’s home, we gaze upon the tiny coastal beach town of Minori, across terraced hills to the never-ending expanse of a very blue sea. It is calm yet exciting to be here.  It is cool in the evenings, enough for a sweater, and magical enough to reconsider both where and how one lives. I am wearing “borrowed” clothes.  One of our suitcases (mine!) never made it from Rome to Naples.  Perhaps it never even left New York.  It might even be making a trip of its own, independent of me and my needs. It’s an odd feeling not to have your “stuff” but liberating in its own way.  As the days go by with no clue to its whereabouts, I am less optimistic of ever finding it, but maybe there will be good news along the way. Is this the way one feels about a child when they leave home?

Most liberating about this trip, however, is the lack of aforethought. Little planning and little research abandoned for in-the-moment pleasures.  It is the time of the Ravello Music Festival and so we had lunch, catered by Gino Caruso (the former owner of the Hotel Caruso and grand-nephew of the great singer Caruso) in the garden of our friend’s villa – our lunch guests were Wynton Marsalis and most of his orchestra. Pretty cool talking about music with these guys, as we sipped local white wine interrupted with fresh “hard” peaches (the required peach for this drink), gorging on fabulous pizza prepared in the wood-fired oven on the terrace, prepared by our very own pizziaolo, no less, slender fresh anchovies which I twirled around my fork as though they were spaghetti, the ubiquitous caprese salad – fashioned from scarlet local tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, marinated calamaretti, the size of your pinky nail, and limoncello flavored with anise (great).  The wife of Gino Caruso makes a “dry limoncello” which is a simply fabulous idea.  I am eager to try it as the syrupy lemon elixir for which this area is famous can be very sweet!

In the evening, we joined our new friends for what was one of the most exciting concerts I’ve ever been to.  Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra in the amphitheater of the gardens of the Hotel Rufolo.  It was a packed house – under a royal blue sky, overlooking the sea, with the moon rising ‘round midnight, behind a large cloud. Wynton played his heart out, the others followed.   Then, a small reception – with adequate pizzettes and abundant prosecco -- and a long walk from the town square down hundreds of steps to…bed.

Secret Launch Revealed!

Apple, Cookstr and Rozanne Gold Heat Up the Digital Kitchen with Made-for-Mobile Cookbooks.

NEW YORK, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cookstr, the world's #1 collection of cookbook recipes available online, today launches its first original offering of curated recipe content exclusively on Apple's iBookstore. Created as a model for Cookstr's collaboration with book publishers, the company's iBookstore offering includes curated sets of 10 recipes ($0.99), 50 recipes ($3.99) and 250 recipes ($9.99) that invite readers to choose between whole books or shorter form sets and chapters, to build their own a la carte cookbook and recipe libraries.

Cookstr is honored to present award-winning chef and cookbook author Rozanne Gold's The 1-2-3 Collection as its premier offering. The 1-2-3 Collection is now available at www.itunes.com/rozannegold for purchase and download on Apple's iBookstore, available via the free iBooks App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, or at www.itunes.com/ibookstore.

Fifteen years ago, Gold started a revolution around the idea of simplicity in cooking. Today, her dynamic three-ingredient recipes, are breaking new ground in a format designed for in-kitchen use. Each recipe is 140 words or less and can be viewed on a single screen, with mouthwatering images and brand new notes by Gold that flow beautifully on the iPad's stunning display. Gold's The 1-2-3 Collection is also the first digital cookbook to incorporate Cookstr's proprietary search standards and technology, currently used by a growing number of America's leading media, consumer and healthcare brands.

"We believe this platform has the potential to benefit publishers and home cooks alike," said Cookstr CEO Art Chang. "We are using technology to enable publishers to sell a wide variety of books and booklets created from the best recipes in their catalogs and upcoming books. Cookstr believes you can maintain the highest standards for food and nutrition and give the home cook more choices when it comes to quality, curated content. Most importantly, we can continue to reward the cooks and authors who create the recipes, and the publishers behind them who play such a key role in the identification and support of talent."

The 1-2-3 Collection is comprised of 250 recipes ($9.99), which can also be purchased separately by theme:

• Quick & Easy 1-2-3, a 50-recipe collection ($3.99). Individual 10-recipe chapters are also available for purchase ($0.99), including: "Quick & Easy Mornings," "Quick & Easy Appetizers," "Quick & Easy Weeknights," "Quick & Super Easy" (recipes you can cook with one hand), and "Super Quick & Easy" (recipes you can complete in under 5 minutes).
• Be Well, Take Care 1-2-3, a 50-recipe collection ($3.99). Individual 10-recipe chapters are also available for purchase ($0.99), including: "Be Well, Low Sodium," "Be Well, Eat Light," "Be Well, Gluten-Free," "Be Well, Vegan," and "Be Well, Healthy Heart."
• No-Sweat Summer 1-2-3, a 50-recipe collection ($3.99). Individual 10-recipe chapters are also available for purchase ($0.99), including: "Summer Starters," "Summer Soups," "Summer Suppers," "Summer Sides," and "Summer Sweets."
• Menus for Entertaining 1-2-3, a 50-recipe collection ($3.99). Individual 10-recipe chapters are also available for purchase ($0.99), including: "BBQ Menu," "Al Fresco Menu," "Fiesta Menu," "Picnic Menu," and "Labor Day Menu."
• Dishes by Ingredient 1-2-3, a 50-recipe collection ($3.99). Individual 10-recipe chapters are also available for purchase ($0.99), including: "Poultry Dishes," "Meat Dishes," "Fish Dishes," "Veggie Dishes," and "Fruit Dishes."

"The opportunity to create new cooking experiences that embrace technology is exhilarating," said Gold. "My updated repertoire of three-ingredient recipes relies on fresh, unprocessed ingredients and streamlined techniques presented in a brand new form. The result? The revolutionary 1-2-3 Collection that mixes passion with practicality. It is designed to inspire a new generation of home cooks and professional chefs alike to keep it simple."

Visit http://ibooks.cookstr.com or www.itunes.com/rozannegold for more information. A free sample of The 1-2-3 Collection is also available by searching for "Cookstr" or "Rozanne" on the iBookstore.

About Cookstr

Cookstr develops and delivers innovative products and technologies to market leaders in the media, healthcare and food industries, to support enjoyable and healthy consumer lifestyles focused on quality home cooking. Since its inception, Cookstr has introduced technology innovations that have significantly improved the inspiration and decision-making experience around recipes. Cookstr, founded by Will Schwalbe, and launched in 2008 with Katie Workman and Art Chang, has worked closely with the cookbook publishing industry to build a hand-curated database of thousands of cookbook recipes offered directly to consumers via the Cookstr website, www.cookstr.com. Today, Cookstr's offering includes recipe curation solutions for the food media market, nutrition solutions for the health and wellness market and mobile solutions for the food publishing market. In addition, Cookstr has developed technologies that can improve expert content management for use in other markets.

About Rozanne Gold

Rozanne Gold is a chef, international restaurant consultant, author, journalist and four-time winner of the James Beard Award. She was the consulting chef to the legendary Rainbow Room and Windows on the World, and helped create three of New York's three-star restaurants. First chef to New York Mayor Ed Koch at the age of 23, Gold has been known throughout her career for anticipating and inspiring food trends, including "The Minimalist" column in The New York Times, which was based on her cookbook Recipes 1-2-3, and the grazing craze, which was initiated by her cookbook Little Meals. Gold is the author of twelve cookbooks, including the award-winning 1-2-3 series. She was the Entertaining Columnist for Bon Appétit magazine for five years, and has written and produced stories for The New York Times, O Magazine, Gourmet, Real Food and more.

Contact Aliza Pearlson Cookstr press@cookstr.com

Technicolor Ice Pops

I was reminded of how much I loved ice pops as a kid the other day when I saw the cover of the magazine "Where" New York.  On it was a plate of frosty-looking, colorful ice pops, beckoning me on a very hot day in the city.  The image also reminded me of an article I did for Bon Appetit years ago, secreted in a computer folder called Old Docs (documents).  The recipes were devised for the "new" Williams-Sonoma ice pop molds.  But when I was a kid, we made ice pops in 3-ounce Dixie cups.  But I do love the molded forms you can buy (some classic, some torpedo-like) and dare say you can add some booze and serve them to adults at a midsummer night's dinner. There are ten amazing flavors from which to choose and a startling array of hues to match.  Not quite the color palate of the rainbow, but close.  You will want to make a different version every week to last way into Indian summer.  If you add liquor of any kind, the ice pops will take longer to freeze.  Don't add too much -- but a hint of peach schnapps or rum or bourbon will add untold megabites of pleasure.

If you're using ice pop molds, the rule of thumb is that in order to fill 8 molds, you will need 2 cups of mixture.  If using Dixie cups, put 2 ounces of any mixture into each cup; cover with foil; make a small slit in center of foil and insert wooden stick.  Another tip for either procedure is to freeze the mixture 30 to 60 minutes before inserting sticks.

Frosty Lemon-Mint Color:  bright green

2 large lemons 2 tablespoons green crème de menthe 6 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons corn syrup 1-1/2 cups water

Grate the rinds of lemons to get 1 tablespoon zest.  Squeeze lemons to get 6 tablespoons juice. Whisk all ingredients together until sugar dissolves.  Pour mixture into molds.  Freeze 3 to 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.

Summer Sunrise Color:  two-tone orange and coral

2 cups orange-peach-mango juice ¼ cup corn syrup 3 tablespoons grenadine

Put juice and corn syrup in a bowl. Stir until dissolved. Pour half of the mixture into 8 ice pop molds.  Freeze 1 hour.  Insert sticks.  Freeze until mixture is frozen.  Add grenadine to remaining mixture and pour this into molds.  Freeze 3 hours longer.  Makes 8 pops.

Royal Blueberry Color:  Purple-blue

1 pint fresh blueberries 8-ounces blueberry yogurt ¼ cup honey 2 tablespoons sugar ¼ cup water

Wash blueberries and put in food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until very smooth. Pour mixture into ice molds.  Freeze 3 to 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.

Tropicali Color:  light orange with green flecks

12 ounces mango nectar 1 cup cream of coconut 2 large limes

Place nectar and cream of coconut in bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Grate rind of limes to get 1 tablespoon zest.  Squeeze to get 3 tablespoons juice.  Add zest and juice to mixture.

Stir.  Pour into ice pop molds. Freeze 4 hours.  Makes 8 ice pops.

Strawberry Blast Color:  bright red

6 ounces strawberry daiquiri mix 12 ounces pineapple juice 3 tablespoons honey ¼ teaspoon rum extract

Place ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.  Pour mixture into ice pop molds.  Freeze 3 to 4 hours.

Lemon-Buttermilk (“tastes like cheesecake”) Color: white (with yellow flecks)

2 large lemons 3/4 cup superfine sugar 1-2/3 cups buttermilk pinch of salt

Grate rind of lemons to get 2 tablespoons zest.  Squeeze lemons to get 5 tablespoons juice.  Put zest and juice in a bowl.  Add sugar and salt. Stir to dissolve. Add buttermilk and stir until smooth. Pour mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.

Watermelon Lemonade Color: pale red

2 packed cups finely diced ripe watermelon 6-ounces frozen lemonade concentrate 3 tablespoons superfine sugar pinch of salt

Place ingredients in bowl of food processor and process until very smooth. Pour mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze 3 to 4 hours.  Makes 8 ice pops.

Honeydew Kiwi Color:  jade green with little black seeds

2 packed cups finely diced ripe honeydew 2 medium kiwi, peeled and diced 1/2 cup corn syrup 2 tablespoons lime juice

Place ingredients in bowl of food processor and process until very smooth.  Pour mixture into ice pop molds.  Freeze 3 to 4 hours.  Makes 8 ice pops.

Fudgy Ice Pops Color: chocolate-y brown

8 ounces vanilla yogurt ½ cup corn syrup 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted 3 tablespoons cocoa powder ½ cup water

Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor and process until very smooth.  Pour mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze 4 hours.  Makes 8 ice pops.

Cranberry “Tea-sicle” Color: clear dark ruby

2 Red Zinger tea bags 3 tablespoons sugar 6 ounces frozen cranberry concentrate optional: 1-2 tablespoons red wine

Boil 1-1/2 cups water and put in bowl.  Add tea bags and let steep 5 minutes.  Remove tea bags.  Stir in sugar to dissolve.  Add cranberry concentrate and wine.  Stir.  Pour mixture into ice pop molds.  Freeze 4 hours.  Makes 8 ice pops.

Grilled Fruit and Watermelon Burgers

There is no way that "a watermelon burger" wouldn't grab the attention of, well, almost anyone. That is exactly what happened with the story in the New York Times magazine section this past Sunday (July 10, 2011.) Written by Mark Bittman, it pushed the envelope of what to grill that might tantalize anyone who didn't eat grilled meat, or raw meat, for that matter. I would definitely venture to try any of his alternative protein-ate ideas -- sweet potato planks, jicama rafts, and cabbage steaks, too, but wished that the watermelon slices were round instead of triangular, you know, somehow, more "burger-like."

In truth, I've been grilling fruit for the past 31 years, when in 1980, the Daily News did a feature story about a roof-top meal I cooked for then-restaurant critic, Arthur Schwartz. I made four different kinds of grilled ribs (pork, beef, lamb, and veal) and paired each with a grilled fruit, including nectarines, pears, pineapple and plums. It was special alone that I took my hibachi on the roof on my apartment -- not too many people were doing that, then. Later that year, when I was consultant to the quirky Manhattan restaurant Caliban's -- famous for its wine list and literary, motorcycling owner Harry Martens -- I ventured to put a slice of sweet, chewy, charred pineapple under a juicy rare duck breast and will never forget the dismay of a New York Times reporter who deemed the idea "dangerous." To this day, I'm not sure why (in fact, the enzyme bromelain in pineapple actually helps digest food and the acidity in the fruit acts as a welcome mat for the fatty duck.) Anyway, times have changed, and clearly watermelon is the new tomato.

As much as I enjoy grilling the unexpected, one of the summer recipes I love most is one that I created for Bon Appetit more than ten years ago. My "Grilled Vegetables Salsa Verde" has you marinating thick slices of potato (unexpected), asparagus, scallion, big beefy mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers and red onions, in a marinade of salsa verde, extra-virgin olive oil, cumin and cilantro. The vegetables sit in this mixture, absorb the great flavors, then get grilled to perfection. Now, thanks to Mark, I may slip in some jicama, pineapple, and watermelon, too.

Grilled Vegetables “Salsa Verde”

2 cups prepared salsa verde, mild or medium 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 large bunch cilantro 3 large Yukon gold potatoes 4 medium zucchini, about 6 ounces each 4 medium red onions 2 red and 2 yellow large bell peppers 8 fat asparagus or scallions 3 large portabello mushrooms

Put salsa verde, olive oil, cumin and ½ packed cup chopped cilantro in bowl of food processor. Process until thoroughly blended.  Wash and dry vegetables. Scrub potatoes and slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and then crosswise. Cut onions in half through the equator. Cut peppers lengthwise into sixths and remove seeds. Trim ends of asparagus or scallions. Quarter mushrooms. Place all vegetables in a large bowl and cover with marinade. Let marinate a minimum of 2 hours. Light the barbecue. When hot, place vegetables on grill and cook on both sides until tender. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn often. Drizzle some of the remaining marinade over top. Garnish with coarsely chopped cilantro.  Serves 8

Tastes of the Week

From July 4 to July 10th, 2011 At the home of David Rosengarten, the food expert's expert, we were treated, on Saturday night, to a regal dinner based on the foods of Greece.  Extraordinary from end to end -- three kinds of feta from different regions of Greece, crisp-tender baby artichokes, a dozen mezedes, lamb-stuffed peppers and homemade spanakopita, demitasse cups of the artichoke-poaching broth, yogurt marinated chicken on pita with 16-hour dried tomatoes (so amazingly intense and sweet), more yogurt, indigenous honey and almond cake for dessert.  Twelve different wines, including a horizontal tasting of an indigenous wine/grape "Assyrtiko" from the island of Santorini.  David said this wine is at the forefront of a big trend. The wines (from different producers in Greece) are dry, minerally, big, complex.  One tasted like a dry malvasia, said my husband. The guest to my left, Don Bryant from the extraordinary Bryant Vineyards in California, said he liked #3.  (I'll ask David which that was and will let you know.) I decided any man who makes $1000 wine (per bottle) and has a waiting list!, probably has a good palate and I finished my glass of #3.

Retro and deliciously old-fashioned Italian "family food" at Cavallino Nero in Mays Landing, New Jersey.  Great angel hair pasta with freshly steamed clams, garlic and parsley, and good veal francese.  Even more retro was the price of a large glass of Chianti for $6.00 a pop.  Nice cannoli and a very sympatico waiter.

Fabulous strawberry pie from the Garrison Market in Garrison, New York.  Say hi to the pastry chef, Eric, if you go...and you should. It tasted super-saturated with strawberry flavor yet with the bright acidity that comes from rhubarb but alas it had no rhubarb in it! The other pies, peach and apple, looked great as well.  Ask for a piece with your morning coffee, otherwise buy a whole pie.

Great homemade zucchini bread from Aunt Anne in Margate, New Jersey.  "Zip code baking" for sure as the zucchini came from an  organic garden just two block away.  It was moist and spicy-sweet from nutmeg and cinnamon.  Delicious with yogurt and bananas for breakfast.

The BEST knockwurst from the local supermarket in Cold Spring, New York.  Griddled until the outside was crisp and a bit leathery -- slathered with Polish mustard.

Great summer corn vigorously rubbed with a fistful of fresh basil leaves, sweet butter, and coarse salt.

Gigantic fresh raspberries tossed with tiny ice cream-filled profiteroles, dusted with powdered sugar, at the home of friends in Garrison.

A summer peach, gently warmed by the sun on the window sill.

An ice-cold glass of New York City tap water.