Six years ago, I didn't go to my cousin's wedding in the south of France so I could write a tv treatment for Emeril Lagasse. I met him on a plane and told him about my cooking show idea. He liked it, and told me to send a couple sample episodes to...
Read MoreSlow Cooker Lamb Shank Shawarma
Lamb is the durian of the meat world. To some, the smell is a stink. To others, a perfume. Growing up, we managed to have lamb only when it was quarantined from Mom. Lamb chops -- the stinkiest of cuts -- was a once-a-year thing, meat eaten quickl...
Read MoreSoy Ginger Star Anise Skate
This is my Dad's recipe, though he typically does it with sea bass. There are a lot of reasons to like skate. Its elegant shape. Its easy-to-avoid bones. Its reasonable price -- $6/lb rather than $20/lb for Chilean sea bass. But you can do this wi...
Read MorePumpkin Maple Souffle à Deux
While Julian and I scrambled for our phones, the souffle deflated and the ice cream melted. Souffles are only hard if you let them. I've agonized over souffles to gritty, wet, fallen effect. But once I just ran with it, souffles became easy. My fi...
Read MoreCruciferous "Couscous"
This isn't a low-carb thing. I mean, it is, but that's not why I made it. This is for the people who always order roasted brussels sprouts. Who stuff their Maoz with fried broccoli and cauliflower. For the people who get excited about a big, juicy...
Read MoreBlackberry Millet Pancakes
Julian took this picture. Obviously not on an iPhone, like all the other pictures on this site. Pancake culture. Have never understood it. Like, why do people put butter and syrup on them? And do you really like pancakes? Are you sure it's not jus...
Read MoreCranberry Raisin Clafouti
All my aunts on my Mom's side are forager-cooks. They proudly show off their mosquito-protection suits as if they were brand-new dresses. Aunt Emilienne sold mushrooms to a Montreal restaurant for $700. Aunt Yvonne brought gallon-bags of walnuts f...
Read MoreSlow-Cooked Chipotle Honey Mustard Chicken
I'm still on this reimagined barbeque kick. I can't just do it normally. On one hand, I'm fascinated with barbecue -- the regional differences, the passionate fans, the high-stakes contests. And yet, I stay away. I don't have a professional smoker...
Read MoreReimagined Korean BBQ
It started with the kalbi sauce. Traditionally, kalbi is made with short ribs, but I only had chicken breast. So I made kalbi chicken. That was the beginning of my fall into the bizarro Korean BBQ universe. You've seen slaws based in mayo, in yogu...
Read MoreSlow Cooker Miso Ginger Garlic Chicken
One of the best things you can get in Chinatown is the chicken with garlic ginger sauce. The chicken is boiled. Boiled! A cooking method even more boring than steaming. And yet it's delicious because -- when you get a good one -- the chicken is fe...
Read MoreSourdough Dessert Crostini
So my friend Pam makes this bread. Like, really good bread-bread. The type that that makes people moony when they go to Paris. Enough to make a carbophobe buckle. So good you can eat it as toast for breakfast, with tomato and cheese for lunch, and...
Read MoreFava French Onion Soup
Growing up, I never had a crockpot. We had a dishwasher, but never used it. We never bought pre-cut veggies and made our rice by watching the boil, then simmer, then steam -- not by pressing a button. I still hand-wash my dishes and cut my own veg...
Read MoreA Home-Cooked Dinner in Mallorca
Julian and I planned our summer vacation like you'd plan a Saturday night. We went where our friends were. Colin was triathlon training in Mallorca, Zach and Talley were dropping into Paris from Zurich, and Berlin...well, we just wanted to go ther...
Read MoreBrainy Chipotle Salmon Salad
When to eat this salad: - When it's too hot to cook. - When your boyfriend is taking the bar exam the next day. - When you're at home and you don't want to pretend that you like tortillas when you order tacos. My brainy salmon salad is sorta studi...
Read MoreCarrot Avocado Chimichurri Salad
This recipe came from a couple different angles. First, the avocado. I frequently buy my fruit from two Indian guys who run a fruit stand on Jay St in DUMBO. They started bringing pineapple because I requested it. They said they weathered NYC's fr...
Read MoreCherry Grape Balsamic Compote
I may have a thing for the sour. I drink apple cider vinegar on the rocks. I had to stop sucking on lime wedges because they were eating away the enamel of my teeth. I gelatinized pickle juice because it's socially unacceptable to drink it out of ...
Read MoreLove is ABC Ice
Last year, my coworkers at 3rd Ward asked Julian what desserts I liked so they could surprise me for my birthday. I only found out after the party that he wrote this: Dessert-wise, Jess likes a lot of stuff--generally the more inventive/outlandish...
Read MoreMaple Peach Chia Pudding
Rice pudding is a dessert I love, but don't get enough of. I've had a delicious rice pudding at Anthos, fried like an arancini. Two nights ago, I had an almond-scented rice pudding at a Turkish restaurant. But generally restaurants don't really se...
Read MoreLeftover Juicer Pulp Bread
Julian recently bought a juicer, which means that after making something like this: ...you get a lot of this: Vegetable pulp! Contrary to popular belief, I am no pulp scholar, so I don't actually know if this pulp is really good for you. It has fi...
Read MoreSuperfood Sundae
This is basically an article out of SHAPE magazine, made into "sundae" form. It has matcha, goji berries, cacao nibs, and mulberries (no kale, walnuts, kefir, or acai though). I let the astringency of the matcha take over the banana and pineapple ...
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