Monthly Archives: December 2022

Triscuit Sandies

Posted on by 6 comments
When a cracker turns into a cookie.
When a cracker turns into a cookie.

A tisket, a tasket.

A Triscuit, a…cookie?

Yes, leave it to the zany minds behind Milk Bar to come up with crazy crunchy, brazenly buttery cookies made out of pulverized Triscuits.

“Triscuit Sandies” are just one of dozens and dozens of fabulously fun recipes in the new cookbook, “All About Cookies: A Milk Bar Baking Book” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

In the intro, Milk Bar owner Christina Tosi writes, “For those of you who think a cookie is just a cookie, and all cookie cookbooks are the same, welcome, my friend, to our crazy, amazing love affair with the most unsung hero of pastry. Bake a few batches with me, and I promise, you’ll never look at cookies the same way again.”

Indeed, these recipes are full of novel ingredients and approaches, such as “Cheeze-Grits” (tiny, crunchy, cheesy cookies made with corn grits, sharp cheddar and Pecorino), “Peach Shortcake Cookies” (loaded with dried peaches and real shortcake crumbles), “Lemon Poppy Ribbons” (glazed cookies filled with microwave-made lemon curd), and “Cookie Cake” (using cookie dough with favorite mix-ins to create an 8-inch cake).

Read more

The Last Harrah at Landmark Manresa

Posted on by Leave a comment
Porcini and dry-aged beef served arrestingly at Manresa.
Porcini and dry-aged beef served arrestingly at Manresa.

It’s said that all good things must come to an end.

So apparently, must all great things, too.

When Chef-Owner David Kinch announced that he would be closing his Michelin three-starred Manresa in Los Gatos at the end of this year, it was a seismic jolt felt ’round the culinary world.

But after a glittering 20-year run, including the last three rocked by the turmoil of a global pandemic, he felt the time had come.

Although he will continue with his more casual concepts of Manresa Bread, the Bywater, and Mentone, come 2023 the South Bay will no longer boast a Michelin three-starred establishment. The property is up for sale. While Kinch says he has a few projects in mind to consider next, it’s a good bet that it will be a long time — if ever — that a restaurant exists in these parts that will draw discerning diners from all over the world in numbers like this one has.

I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy several superlative meals at Manresa over the past two decades. While I’ve mostly dined outdoors since the pandemic hit in 2020, I couldn’t pass up the chance to dine indoors there one final time.

Read more

Ina Garten’s Hasselback Kielbasa

Posted on by Leave a comment
Kielbasa gets extra juicy and crispy the hasselback way.
Kielbasa gets extra juicy and crispy the hasselback way.

Sausages always make for a satisfying no-nonsense, no-brainer meal.

But leave it to Ina Garten to spiff them up while still turning them into an easy one-pan supper.

“Hasselback Kielbasa” is from her latest cookbook, “Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

In her 13th cookbook, everyone’s favorite East Hampton Food Network star serves up a collection of comfort food geared more toward the novice cook or anyone looking for more streamlined recipes.

Cooks who appreciate plenty of color photos will revel in the fact that all of these one-page recipes include at least one.

Try your hand at everything from “Ravioli en Brodo” (made with ready-made cheese ravioli), “Creamy Eggs with Lobster & Crab,” “Oven Roasted Southern ‘Shrimp Boil’,” and “Dark Chocolate Tart.”

Read more
Recent Entries »