Make this Easy Summer Fruit Shortcake for Father’s Day

By Sandy Hu

Steve is the best breakfast maker. Flaky sky-high biscuits, tender muffins, Belgian waffles, popovers, Dutch babies – he’s a master of them all. Since there’s no way to top his skill, for Father’s Day, I tend to resort to the same celebratory breakfast: simple scones with a make-ahead dough that can be shaped and frozen, so all I have to do is pop them in the oven on his big day.

As Dave and I were planning a Father’s Day menu, I thought about changing it up this year and giving those scones a new identity, as shortcakes with summer fruit and whipped cream. I’ve made and shaped my dough this weekend and the discs are in the freezer. On Sunday, we just need to bake them off, split the scone/shortcakes and fill them with fruit and whipped cream. We’ll just bake enough for the four of us so we won’t be tempted to eat more dessert than we should, and we’ll have the remainder in reserve for another time when we come home with a bounty of fruit from the farmers’ market.

Click to read more ...

Weekday Company? Try this Easy Moroccan Chicken

By Sandy Hu

Recently, I came across this tattered recipe for Moroccan Chicken in a recipe folder. The recipe was from my friend Carol who was also my neighbor, living a few floors below us in the same high-rise on West 14th Street in New York City. It was one of the first things I learned to make when I started cooking.

This was long before the days when we were exposed to real Moroccan food, so today, we’d just say it’s loosely “inspired” by Moroccan cuisine. Nonetheless, it’s a great meal for company on a busy weeknight, since the chicken is marinated the night before and only needs to be floured, browned and popped into the oven to bake unattended while you set the table and tidy the house. Serve it with instant couscous, another quick-to-fix dish.

Click to read more ...

In the Mood for Chowdah

By Lori Powell

I seem to be in a fish mood as of late. And sometimes, what is available to me as “fresh” is not looking all that great… or that fresh.

Not all fish keeps well frozen but some companies do get it right. One is Cozy Harbor of Maine’s frozen lobster meat, It’s the perfect dinnertime solution for making fish cakes, lobster salad or yes, lobster chowdah.

Also, since all of the work is done for you (cooking, shelling and cleaning), you have more time to actually enjoy this delicious concoction.

Click to read more ...

A Chef’s Makeover of Chef’s Salad

By Katie Barreira

Culinary historians have mused over the origins of chef’s salad, some tracing the dinner salad back to diet-conscious California, others to the kitchen of New York City’s Ritz-Carleton. But as noted in a 1999 issue of Gourmet, “Nobody has ever stepped forward to claim the title of the chef in 'chef's salad.'” No great surprise here, for truly, what self-respecting chef would put their name to the slapdash mélange of deli meat, cheese and chopped salad? Thus the sad irony of a dish, which was named for a chef but that no chef will own.

Click to read more ...

Riffing on a Wrap

By Sandy Hu

Some years ago, Steve’s friend Shadi introduced us to the shawarma, an Arab wrap sandwich of grilled meat. It’s one of our go-to takeout meals. We always order lamb and we get it with eggplant and potatoes.

Steve liked the idea of grilled lamb and veggies in a wrap so much, he decided to riff on the concept to see if he could come up with something fun to barbecue this year. His experimentation was such a huge hit with our family, I thought I’d share his recipe with you.

The instructions may look long, but they’re really simple. 1) Grill some meat. Steve grilled a bone-in leg of lamb; no reason it couldn’t be boneless or another cut of meat. 2) Grill some vegetables. 3) Make a sauce. Steve just stirred a bit of canned harissa into yogurt. 4) Wrap everything up in a lavash, a soft, thin flatbread. 5) Grill the wraps.

Click to read more ...