Sara Kate Gillingham's Recent Articles
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Pati Jinich’s Mexican Thanksgiving Turkey
There’s a little turkey at Eight Mile Creek Farm in upstate New York who will soon sacrifice her life for our Thanksgiving meal. We’ve named her Patita, after our good friend Pati Jinich, a brilliant and effervescent Mexican cook, television show host, and cookbook author.
Nov 14, 2019
Weeknight Coq au Vin
Close enough to classic coq au vin to feel like the real deal.
Nov 7, 2019
How To Control Plastic Container Clutter
People participating in our Fall Kitchen Cure are closing in on the final days of the process. If there’s one question we’ve seen again and again it’s how to deal with those pesky plastic containers. Stacey Platt, a professional organizer here in NYC, gave me some tips to share with you.Plastic food storage containers are a serious kitchen clutter culprit. Who isn’t guilty of hoarding far more than they actually ever use at once?
Sep 13, 2019
Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate Chip Brioche Pretzels
Our friend Deb Perelman, who runs the enormously adored cooking site Smitten Kitchen just published her first cookbook and I got to spend an afternoon in her kitchen making one of the recipes, an insanely decadent breakfast treat: think pretzel meets chocolate meets the most tender brioche dough you’ve ever laid teeth on. (Here’s a peek into her kitchen!) This is just one of over 100 recipes (and more than 300 photographs, all by Deb) 105-plus recipes. 300+ full-color photos.
Sep 12, 2019
Recipe: Beet Box
This is a Restaurant Reproduction from Little Giant, a wonderful little restaurant on the Lower East Side serving “Seasonal American” food. Sautéing the beet greens in the pancetta may not be how it’s done at the restaurant, but we really liked the flavor. Of course, you can simply sauté in olive oil instead.
Jul 12, 2019
Heirloom Beans from Rancho Gordo
Heirloom Beans From Rancho Gordo• $5.50/pound• Rancho GordoA few times a year I place a big order for beans from Rancho Gordo, a purveyor of heirloom beans, dried corn, chiles, dried herbs, grains and rice. The box arrives and my pantry feels complete. Yes, these beans are that exciting.
Jun 22, 2019
Recipe: Wild Plum Jam
How lucky am I to be on vacation a few miles away from a small roadside grove of wild plum trees? A friend who was in Northern California a few weeks ago tipped me off to the secret spot and it was our first — and now a daily — destination. The first crop came home in our in-flight dog carrier with a few extra slung in the skirt of my daughter’s dress.
Jun 14, 2019
Recipe: Meyer Lemon Cherry Chutney
The heaviest, most awkwardly wrapped and cautiously placed gift under my Christmas tree this year was a bowl full of homegrown Meyer lemons. While here in New York we’re fully ensconced in cellared vegetable season (turnips! beets! potatoes!) my family in California is kicking off citrus season, so I was lucky to have some beautiful Meyers brought straight from Los Angeles.
Jun 12, 2019
Recipe: Salted Almond Ice Cream
I know you don’t expect to start seeing coverage of ice cream until summer arrives, but the truth is I make it year ’round. I also drink margaritas and white wine every month of the year, and I have been known to rock a pair of white pants before Memorial Day, so if you’re like me and you’re up for breaking the traditional editorial calendar rules, read on about the salted almond ice cream I made last weekend. I promise you’ll be glad you did.
Jun 9, 2019
How to Take a Good Picture of Pie
Best Pie Bakeoff Because so many people now cook with a camera around their necks (and eat with one in their laps) we encourage readers to send in photos with their questions and require them to do so for contests. Many are wonderful, but some could use help. Whether or not you plan to participate in the Bakeoff, I thought a little Pie Photography 101 might be useful.By the way, I learned most of these tips from my mother, who is a food stylist and did the styling for my book. Thanks, Mom.
Jun 8, 2019
Recipe: Mexican Hot Chocolate
Readers requested a great hot chocolate recipe to serve this holiday. Here’s one my mother used to make every Christmas morning.Mexican Hot Chocolateserves 41 quart milk (whole milk if you’re feeling decadent, lowfat if you’re holding back) 2 tablets Ibarra Mexican chocolate* (3.3 oz each), broken into small piecesHeat milk until just about to boil, do not allow to boil over.Place half of the chocolate in a blender.
Jun 7, 2019
What’s the Deal With: Whole Wheat White Flour?
[This tip comes from a reader named Laura.] It’s been a year or two since I first heard of white wheat bread, and I’ll admit I immediately assumed it was just a marketing ploy based on tiny print and asterisks. Not true. White whole wheat flour is making a good run at becoming part of mainstream American baking.
Jun 6, 2019
Recipe: Sweet Corn Ice Cream
Our neighborhood ice cream joint is Cones on Bleecker Street. A few weeks ago I noticed a new (new, or new to me?) flavor: Sweet Corn Ice Cream. It was delicious, and after trying it out at home, I realized it was quite easy to make. This is not their recipe (I don’t think they share such information), but an approximation of what I tasted there.
Jun 6, 2019
Good Question: Who Invented Penne alla Vodka?
Dear Kitcheners,Paula Franzese (a lecturer with a company that gets future lawyers ready to sit for the bar exam), claimed in a lecture that her father invented Penne alla Vodka while working as a chef in an NYC restaurant in the 1970s. Could this be true? Does anyone know who invented the dish? When? Where?thanks, Sarah (photo: accompanies a Penne alla Vodka recipe at Williams-Sonoma.
Jun 6, 2019
Recipe: Thomas Jefferson’s Vanilla Ice Cream
We learned yesterday in The History of Ice Creamoriginal recipe We split the recipe in half and did one half as written (mold on left), and the other (mold on right) with two changes: instead of all cream, we did half cream and half milk (one pint of each), and for this lower-fat version, we also scraped out the insides of the vanilla bean because there’s such goodness inside those pricey little fellows, it was hard to just strain it out, as Mr. Jefferson suggests.
Jun 6, 2019
Recipe: Herb Butter
When the herb garden starts going crazy, or you just couldn’t control yourself at the market and ended up bringing home way more herbage than you needed for that one little recipe, it’s time to make herb butter. Keep it in the fridge and slather it on grilled fish, poultry, or red meat, veggies like corn on the cob, or put a nice pat of it on your favorite piping hot bread.
Jun 6, 2019
Recipe: Beet Salad with Horseradish Cream and Frizzled Sweet Onions
Do we really need another beet salad? We really don’t need much, but would you love another beet salad? My guess is yes. There’s certainly room on our server, so why not?Last week, Maxwell and I ate at Market Table, a fine little establishment in our neighborhood. We shared a beet salad with a piquant horseradishy cream base, some fried shallots and a nice googey wedge of blue goat cheese.
Jun 6, 2019
Recipe: Poor Man’s Parmesan
A Sicilian friend who once visited us for the weekend and offered to make lunch, taught me a great substitute for Parmesan. We’d run out, and his pasta dish commanded a topping. So he fried up some bread crumbs and declared them “Poor Man’s Parmesan” with a very Southern Italian flick of the wrist and lift of the eyebrows.
Jun 6, 2019
Recipe: Basic Vanilla Ice Cream
When you’re facing a whole season of ice cream making ahead of you, it’s good to review the basics. There are two kinds of ice cream, as far as the home-cook is concerned: those made custard-style, and those not. I find that knowing the custard-method down pat is important, and a great springboard for other flavors. So as you gear up for a warm summer weekend, I hereby arm you with a Basic Vanilla Ice Cream recipe.
Jun 6, 2019
Spring Recipe: Rhubarb Crumble Pie
Where I come from, the first thing to show up at the market is rhubarb, not strawberries. So as temptingly spring-like as a strawberry rhubarb pie might sound, if I were to make one now, it would be with strawberries flown in from a faraway place. Besides, why mess with rhubarb? Have you had it on its own? It’s edgy, indeed. Sour and bright, it needs some sweetness, but not too much. Here’s a pie with a simple buttery crust and rhubarb, barely sugared.
Jun 6, 2019
Judith Jones Makes an Omelet for One (to Share)
Judith Jones, the cookbook editor best known for championing and publishing Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking, died yesterday in her home in Warren, Vermont. But her reach goes far beyond Julia. In the culinary realm, she brought us Lidia Bastianich and Edna Lewis — and long before then, she played a critical role in getting Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl into bookstores and homes.
Jun 6, 2019
Recipe: End of Summer Prune Plum Pie
Along with the typical back-to-school and fall-is-in-the-air vibe, for me September has always been a time to eat as many Italian prune plums as possible. My mother made it so: an end of summer requirement like the homework and piano practice to come, prune plums were to be eaten in great quantities, like a sweet drippy book end to all the fun and freedom I was leaving behind. My favorite way to eat these special fruits is baked simply in a pie.
Jun 6, 2019
Recipe: Baked Summer Squash
Turn your back for five minutes and suddenly there are zucchini a foot long in every vegetable garden. Summer is in full swing, and summer squash (zucchini, yellow squash, crookneck squash, and pattypan squash) are super versatile; great shredded as a raw salad, grilled with garlic, or, as I did this week when it was too hot to stand over my grill, baked with a generous coating of breadcrumbs and Parmesan. It’s hard to mess this one up.
Jun 6, 2019
Good Question: Pastry Flour vs. Cake Flour
Dear Kitchen,I’m confused about the difference between pastry flour and cake flour? Can I use them interchangeably?Thanks,Rita (To All Good Questions)Dear Rita,It all has to do with protein.Pastry flour contains 8.5% – 9.5% protein, which is low relative to all purpose (10% – 12% protein) and bread flour (12% – 13% protein). It is used in delicate cakes and pastries, pie crusts, cookies and muffins. . Absorbs less liquid in recipes.
Jun 6, 2019
Vintage Gear: Dansk Kobenstyle
A striking kitchen shot from one of Friday’s Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest entries at Apartment Therapy sparked a lot of discussion about a little yellow pot. Guido was quick to ID it as Dansk, cooking show appearances made Laura a longtime admirer, Tat recommended one to a friend, Jean generously shared her secret DC source, and Melinda recalled getting one as a wedding present.
Jun 6, 2019
Recipe: Cellar Hole Granola
We gobbled up this granola all weekend. Sprinkled over yogurt, swimming in milk (cold or warm), or eaten by the handful, it was hearty and satisfying, without being too sweet. Try experimenting with other dried fruits and spices if those listed aren’t your favorites.(Thanks, Stacy!
Jun 6, 2019
Getting Ready for Thanksgiving: Turkey Tips
(We promise, this is the last discussion of turkey until next year.) To determine what size turkey to buy, count on each person eating 1/2 – 3/4 pounds of meat. If you want guaranteed leftovers, plan on 1 pound for each person. Remove the your fresh turkey from the refrigerator at least a half hour (no more than an hour) before putting it in the oven.
Jun 5, 2019
What I Learned from Visiting William Faulkner’s Mississippi Kitchen
A couple years ago, without really planning it, l found myself standing in William Faulkner’s kitchen. In Oxford, Mississippi, for the Southern Foodways Symposium, I did what every tourist to Ole Miss does: I visited Rowan Oak, William Faulkner’s home just off campus.
Jun 5, 2019
Recipe: Fettucini with Balsamic Delicata Squash & Bitter Greens
Okay, it’s time to stop denying it, this is really happening: we’re at that point where there’s hardly any fresh, local, in-season produce in the markets to inspire wild innovation in the kitchen. It’s time to stretch.How do you honor the hearty ice-kissed greens and mighty squash of winter and not yawn over your dinner plate?
Jun 5, 2019
Recipe: Sour Cream Pie Crust
From the middle of May until the end of November, I’m a pie girl. I have to restrain myself from eating it at every meal since my mother trained me from a very early age that leftover pie is fair game for breakfast. Sometimes we would even eat it straight from the dish: two forks, Sunday crossword. Summer is exciting because the fruits that thrive in a pie crust are all ripening.
Jun 5, 2019
Technique: Seasoning a Brand New Cast Iron Skillet
With plans this weekend to make Big PancakeBroadway Panhandler Here’s the step-by-step guide: 1. Pre-heat oven to 325° 2. Wash skillet with warm, soapy water and dry thoroughly. 3. Apply a thin coat of vegetable oil, or vegetable shortening with a paper towel on all surfaces, inside and out. 4. Place in oven on center rack, upside down. Place a baking sheet or a sheet of foil on the rack beneath to catch drippings. 5.
Jun 5, 2019
Why Don’t Pigs Make Cheese?
It’s a fair enough question. All the other barnyard friends — cows, sheep and goats — give milk that is made into cheese. But why not the pig? From the ubiquitous image of a mama pig nursing her piglets, we know they have milk.I always thought perhaps they just didn’t give enough milk.
Jun 4, 2019
My Favorite Meditations on Thanksgiving
Almost three years ago, one of our writers, Dana, came to us with an idea to write a Weekend Meditation every week. I was so pleased to have such a thoughtful writer bring her soothing and contemplative energy to our site every single Sunday morning.So it is on this day, when it’s likely you’re either cooking or eating a lot (and in some cases both) that I invite you to sit down and take a break from it all. Read through some of Dana’s columns.
Jun 4, 2019
Recipe: Fresh Coconut Mousse Cake
This is one of my favorite cakes from my book. It reminds me of ballerina in a giant white tutu — completely over the top.When I was developing the recipe, the idea was to create a big white confection that wasn’t overly sweet and capitalized on the flavor and texture of freshly shaved coconut. Using the pre-shredded stuff in the plastic bag gives an inferior result. If packaged coconut is your only choice, be sure to avoid the sweetened variety.
Jun 4, 2019
Recipe: Braised Oxtail Ragu
This week I’m really feeling the briefness of the December daylight and the deepening of the cold temperatures. While I normally make a big effort to eat only small amounts of meat and to eat clean and light, especially at night, this dreary week I have braises and rich sauces on my mind. It seemed only right to pop out to the butcher, buy a whole oxtail, and cook it into slow submission.
Jun 4, 2019
Recipe: Raw Kale & Pig Cheek Salad, You Know You Want It
A version of this post was originally sent to our email subscribers yesterday. To receive Sara Kate’s weekly email, sign up in the column to the left or click here. Something tasty will arrive in your inbox every Thursday.We’re slogging our way through January with the theme of Eating Light guiding not only our recipe coverage, but our attitudes toward eating and cooking as a whole. In last week’s email I suggested one way to eat more lightly is to just eat less.
Jun 4, 2019
Recipe: The Best Chocolate Ice Cream
OK, calling it the best might be a bit of a stretch: the true merit of something as beloved and simple as chocolate ice cream comes not just from its formula, but when and where it’s consumed, the quality of the ingredients, and perhaps foremost, the mood. I can’t control any of those variables, but I can give you a pretty simple recipe for chocolate ice cream to get you on your merry way.I was inspired by two things.
Jun 4, 2019
Recipe: Back to Basics Cherry Pie
When we were in Italy in June, we stayed at a friend’s house that, as luck would have it, was down the road from a fantastically fertile wild cherry tree. Each morning we’d hike up to it and fill our hats. One morning we even used the rental car as a ladder in order to reach some more choice branches.So of course, I had to make cherry pie.
Jun 4, 2019
Good Question: Should I Buy a New Cuisinart?
Dear Kitchen,I have a 7-cup classic Cuisinart, which is 7 years old and whose work bowl is slowly cracking. The plastic shaft on the grating disc also just broke. A new disc is $26, a new workbowl is $30. I also read that the dough blade should be replaced every few years, and that’s another $30.Should i just get a completely new food processor?Thanks!Jill in Boston (To All Good Questions)Dear Jill,The one thing that Cuisinart food processors are known for are their great motors.
Jun 4, 2019
Good Question: Cleaning Ceramic Mortar and Pestle
Dear The Kitchen,I was recently given a beautiful, cream coloured ceramic mortar and pestle. I’m dying to use it, but have no idea how to clean it (and it came with no instructions!). Can I just give it a wash in some warm soapy water?Thanks, Mairi (To All Good Questions)Dear Mairi,If your mortar and pestle has an unglazed interior, the best way to clean it is to rinse it out and let it drip dry.
Jun 4, 2019
Kitchen Tour: Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Kitchen
After fourteen years in a Manhattan kitchen untouched by renovation, Sara Moulton recently took an axe to it all and started from scratch. It might shock you to learn she still cooks on an electric stove (no gas in the building) and didn’t enlarge the footprint one inch. Better yet, she cooks five nights a week for her family of four and develops all of her recipes there.
May 24, 2019
Kitchen Tour: Chef Laurent Tourondel’s Country Kitchen
I recently spent a morning with Chef Laurent Tourondel, creator of the popular BLT Restaurants, in his country house kitchen on Long Island. A gaggle of French relatives plus Laurent’s girlfriend and her family had descended for a holiday weekend so the house was full of energy. Pancakes, from Laurent’s book, Fresh from the Market: Seasonal Cooking with Laurent Tourondel (Wiley) were on the menu.
May 24, 2019
Five New Cooking Habits I Brought Back from Rome
It’s hard to go anywhere in Italy and not return home with a new outlook on your cooking. I’m lucky to have been many times, each visit bringing fresh ideas to the recipes I develop and the ways I approach life in general. It’s easy to say that the Italians have it down. Here’s the thing about Rome in particular: it’s so beautiful, everything tastes good.
May 24, 2019
A Peek into Parma, Italy
As it is the rest of Italy, it goes without saying that the food in Parma is wonderful and abundant, but thanks to the producers of Parmeggiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and Balsamic vinegar in nearby Modena, this northern Italian region is also known to many as the true culinary breadbasket of the Italian nation.I’d been to Parma once before, more than a decade ago, just as my professional passion for food and food stories was setting in.
May 24, 2019
Travel Recipe: Airplane Salad with Greens, Grains & Seeds
Airline food has never been anyone’s favorite dining experience, but lately it’s gotten downright ridiculous to have to eat bad food and pay for it, too. The upside is that so many people are now bringing homemade food on flights. This makes me happy not just because it’s usually more healthy, but because it brings a sense of originality and creativity to what is otherwise a pretty cold and impersonal experience.
May 24, 2019
What $70 Gets You At a Flea Market
I’ve been going to Upstate New York for the past few weeks with some friends who do many style-y things for a living, and one of them is that they collect antiques to sell in their store in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. They are good friends to have in many ways, but one of my favorite things about having these housemates is the way they can do a flea market like no one else. Lately, I’ve learned some of their tricks.
May 24, 2019
Recipe: Tagliolini with Almond Pesto and Fava Beans
Last month I spent several days in Umbria with a cook and innkeeper named Letizia Mattiacci. One morning a few of us cooked with Letizia, making pasta from scratch and shelling baskets and baskets of fava beans. The resulting dish was well worth all the manual labor.
May 24, 2019
The Creamy Ricotta Pasta You Can Make in 15 Minutes
Dinner in under 15 minutes is hard to argue with.
May 7, 2019