I recently spent an afternoon with Melissa Clark in her Brooklyn kitchen. She had me over to talk about what it's like to be pregnant (she is, I was), working on a cookbook while pregnant (she is now, I was then), and about to take a sledgehammer to the kitchen with the baby just weeks away (she is, I did.)
I was greeted by Emma the cat and the wafting scents of a crock pot simmering some Ham Hock and Pinto Bean Stew for the cookbook Melissa is doing with Paula Deen. A pleasant greeting, to say the least.
The fridge was filled with all kinds of inviting tubs of food she'd tested for the Deen project, and the book she's working on for owners of the Blue Ribbon restaurants. There are about six other projects she has simmering. Pregnancy aside, she is a busy woman.
This is a recipe writer and tester's dream space. Full of great supplies and equipment, all with stories. Her artillery of knives and cookware, curated by combining the eclectic collections she and her husband had prior to meeting. There is a beautiful orange enameled custard mold that came from her mother who made a "panna cotta-like dish" whose name changed depending on the theme of the meal. "If it was a French dinner, it was a French Creme; if it was a Spanish dinner, it was Spanish Crema."
It pays to live nearby (I witnessed chicken being passed over a fence to a neighbor) or stop by (as I did) while Melissa is working. On this particular day, she tested a recipe for Apricot Parfait, which is featured in her column in today's NY Times Dining section. I got to plunge a spoon in and take a first taste.
It was a treat to watch her work and to discover that our styles are quite similar. Perched at her copper-trimmed kitchen island (for sale in our classifieds! enter "island" in the search box), she is both careful and easeful as she sketches out her formulas. She uses a pen to take notes in a food-splattered notebook (the laptop stays out of the kitchen). She tastes with her fingers and smiles a lot. She closes her eyes and smells things.
She makes unanticipated changes due to lack of an ingredient or a accidentally generous pour, and sometimes creates something unexpectedly better.
Washing down the parfait with some of her hand-delivered seltzer, in heavy rotation during pregnancy and heat waves, we compared notes on our professional methods and our personal dreams for little girls who will grow up eating well, and maybe even cooking for their mothers.
Related:
• Honey-Apricot Parfait With Greek Yogurt, Walnuts and Cinnamon (NY Times, August 5, 2008)
• MelissaClark.net
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Oh no, cat on the kitchen counter--eek!
That cat on the table is bad news for hygiene and for pregnant women.
I love that she still has what looks like relatively dated pine cabinets.
I just read an article in the latest Bon Appetit on how she, and other food writers, stay so thin-it didn't mention her pregnancy. I do enjoy her columns in the Times.
cat food recipe?
While I'll agree that kitties should not ever be on counters or tables, there's nothing wrong with having a cat when you're pregnant. As long as you don't clean the litter box, you're reasonably safe. Additionally, if someone is that worried, you can actually get the cat's litter box leavings tested for toxoplasmosis. Cats pick it up from hunting rodents, so it's not a given that all cats have it, especially indoor only cats.
Just my $.02. I'm a devoted cat owner so I have to defend them. :)
On topic... that parfait looks absolutely delicious.... and her kitchen is gorgeous.
I love cats too
but their paws track through poo poo
and on the table
that translates into EW!
Melissa Clark's recipe are always appealing. Thanks for the peek inside her kitchen.
I can't get past the cat on the table.
a cat in the kitchen????? with a pregnant woman???? .......
.....no thanxs....
I'm freaked out by the cat's butt sitting smack dab in the middle of the counter... yuk...
I was looking forward to learning something about recipe writing and testing. This post revealed nothing, except that the author is quite self-centered.
Whoops, just saw the earlier post on how to write up a recipe. Disregard comment above, please.
The cat on the counter doesn't bother me at all because I'm making the assumption that Ms. Clark is not an idiot and knows about both cleanliness and how to stay healthy while she's pregnant.
And I'll point out that the cat is probably going to be spreading fewer germs than a toddler does.
And have folks tried to keep from wandering where it wants to wander?
Just to clarify:
The concern over pregnancy and cats is over a rare disease called toxoplasmosis and the suggestion that pregnant women should avoid their cats (yes, including having them up on counters) is one of those myths, right up there with telling pregnant women not to dance or swim. Here is the CDC's page on toxoplasmosis and pregnancy.
The biggest valid concern is the handling of the litter box, and I'm sure Melissa avoids that fun task for these months.
AND
The biggest risk for toxoplasmosis while pregnant is actually the consumption of undercooked meat.
As for the cleanliness of Melissa's kitchen, I saw it: it's darn clean and those counters are wiped down.
cheers!
just want to chime in and say that I'm not grossed out. Beautiful and very clean looking kitchen, Melissa. (P.S. that cat is probably cleaner than most of our kitchen sponges!)
Im guessing you guys who are so horrified by the cat dont go out to eat much. I'd be willing to bet the take out down the street (pick a street, any street) has much scarier stuff on its counters.
While I was growing up, our cats were on the counters all the time, and we all survived. One of the cats used to curl around my brother's cereal bowl while he was eating cereal.
I don't have a cat now, but I never put food directly on the countertop, so I don't see how any cat germs could get into the food.
I am a chef, have 3 cats and I am pregnant. My kitties are indoor cats and one of them HAS to eat his dinner on the counter because otherwise the youngest will scarf down his food too. I am sooooo tired of hearing other people's judgments about having cats while you are pregnant. If you do not have contact with the litter box and keep everything clean you and the baby will be fine! I took my cats into my home to be my companions forever and I cannot imagine giving them up because of other people's misplaced fears.
Wow, as a cat owner, I am shocked - SHOCKED I TELL YOU - because I had no idea that my cats? They walk in poo and then have dirty feet? Who knew? This is Brand New Information, people. Thank you SO MUCH for getting me up to speed on how disgusting cat ownership is. Perhaps you can suggest some way in which I might disinfect my countertops? Because, being an ignorant and crazy cat lady, I have never in my life cleaned a counter before cooking on it before. I mean, why would anyone DO that, am I right?