Month

10/25/12 • COMFORT FOOD, CUBAN-STYLE Adapted from the April, 2012 Saveur Many years ago, early on in my relationship with Alfredo, he took me to eat at an inexpensive Cuban restaurant on 8th Avenue—a narrow, brightly lit place called Havana Chelsea. This was to be my big introduction to Cuban cooking, the cuisine Alfredo had grown up eating, and it was something I was looking forward to. What I hadn’t anticipated, ho

10/18/12 • D.I.Y. DEEP-DISH PIZZA Adapted from Lidia’s Italy in America, by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tania Bastianich Manuali (Knopf) One of my earliest memories is of throwing a tantrum so epic that despite reasoning, pleading, and finally multiple angry warnings, my mom had no choice but to haul me out of the West Philadelphia swim club where we were spending our Sunday afternoon and drag me home. The reason

10/11/12 • DEVILISH EGG SALAD Adapted from the May, 2012 Bon Appétit As a kid any number of things could make an appearance in my lunchbox that would immediately cause me to slam it shut, or propel me to the nearest trash can (lest any of my classmates catch sight of the offending item and start their humiliating chorus of Ewwwwwwwww!s). Among these reactive items: liverwurst, Brie and onions on a baguette (my mom wa

10/04/12 • PERFECT PLUM TORTE Adapted from the Sept., 1997 Gourmet Several months ago, back when the AC was set to “high” each day and the sun was still out when I’d tuck into dinner, I stumbled across this recipe for a plum and hazelnut torte. It’s a dessert with a decidedly fall flavor, in large part because it calls for Empress plums—which are only available in the very early autumn—but also because it just looks