Sara Kate Gillingham's Recent Articles
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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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Feb 19, 2007
Recipe: Joan’s No Fail Bundt Cake
It’s the Jewish New Year so it’s time to celebrate and reflect. This weekend, since I didn’t have time to make my traditional, from scratch honey cake, I opted for a no-fail bundt cake recipe. I recently learned that the bundt pan was created by Nordic Ware here in the United States after a couple of ladies from the Minneapolis chapter of the Hadassah society asked Nordicware founders, Dave and Dotty, to make a pan similar to the ones their grandmothers used in back in Germany.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Sep 25, 2006
D.I.Y. Recipe: Dulce de Leche
The DIY feature from Faith, our new Editor-At-Large, will offer options to that jar or packet at the grocery store by giving you recipes for foods you might not think to make yourself. Homemade bread, peanut butter and jam – they’re much easier than you think. Dulce de leche, cajeta, milk jam, confiture du lait – whatever you call it, it’s delicious.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Sep 18, 2006
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Sep 14, 2006
New York Store Review: Kalustyan’s
Kalustyan’s is filled with spices, dried beans and fruit, teas, sweets, cookware, and many other surprises from soup mix to nuts. There’s also a counter upstairs serving falafel sandwiches, hummus and a selection of cheeses.The store is an excellent source for cooks faced with recipes that ask for hard to find spices like black cumin seeds or nigella, but the store’s strong spicy smell and tight aisles can quickly start to feel overwhelming.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Aug 22, 2006
Tip: Tenderizing with Kiwi
If you don’t have twelve hours to marinate meat, using a little bit of kiwi can make tender whatever you’re choosing to cook in minutes. I’m not sure how it started, but my mom and every other Korean mom I know rub kiwi pulp on thin strips of flanken-style short ribs before dunking the ribs in a sweet soy sauce and garlic mixture, and grilling them to charred perfection.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Aug 14, 2006
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Aug 1, 2006
Recipe: Roasted Beets and Sautéed Greens with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
The beets in our garden are big enough to eat, which, in my world, means they’re the size of golf balls. In the fall, when the beets are huge and the greens not as young, I like to make the Beet Box, but when the root and tops are tender and young, we celebrate the beet a different way. Last night we yanked up a handful and roasted them, then sautéed the greens in some Herb Butter and topped with toasted hazelnuts and cold goat cheese.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jul 31, 2006
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jul 28, 2006
Recipe: Sugar Cones
With all the talk about ice cream lately, we wouldn’t want you going out and buying cones, which often have shortening, artificial flavourings and preservatives. Here’s a very simple way of making your own. This is a great accompaniment to your original ice cream recipe that you’re submitting to the contest, don’t you think?
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jul 28, 2006
Recipe: Thomas Jefferson’s Vanilla Ice Cream
We learned yesterday in The History of Ice Cream, that Thomas Jefferson was an early adopter in the New World ice cream scene. Turns out, someone came across his own personal recipe for vanilla ice cream . We thought we’d try to decipher the manuscript (see recipe below with some clarifications and compare to the original recipe), and then make it ourselves.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jul 20, 2006
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jul 19, 2006
The History of Ice Cream
Thanks to my accidental discovery of the International Ice Cream Association this week as I researched various ice cream related issues for this month’s Best Lick! Ice Cream Contest, I now know a bit of ice cream history. Fascinating stuff; here’s a summary: It seems ice cream can be traced back as far as the second century B.C. Good ol’ Alexander the Great was known to enjoy snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jul 19, 2006
Recipe: Mango Salsa
A friend left this recipe on my refrigerator while I was out. They must have known that mangoes are one of the two non-local items I cannot live without (avocados are the other.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jul 5, 2006
Reader Recipe: Abby’s Blueberry Pie
“I think it looks a little sad because I used my glass pie plate which is a deeper than I remembered so it doesn’t have that nice plumped up effect. It’s based on a family recipe that both my mother and my grandmother made, which we all tend to play fast and loose with. This pie combines half cooked fruit with half fresh fruit, so you can sugar and spice up the cooked part but still get the freshness of the raw fruit. ” (Thanks, Abby!
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jul 5, 2006
Recipe: Aïoli
This garlicly mayonnaise goes well with raw vegetables, and all grilled foods, so we like to serve it during the summer, but it is also a nice accompaniment to meats and fish cooked in other ways.Experiment by adding other flavors such as saffron, chipotle chile powder, or fresh herbs.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jun 27, 2006
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jun 26, 2006
Surfas Commercial Kitchen Supply
One of the pleasures of going to a new city is finding the shops you don’t have in your own city. As our world gets smaller and smaller, this is an experience that is harder to come by. Surfas is one of those special places. Surfas is commercial restaurant supply meets chef’s boutique. When I’m in LA, Culver City isn’t exactly my favorite place to visit, but it’s worth it just to go to Surfas and browse the aisles, or stock up on baking supplies.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jun 6, 2006
Recipe: Margaritas To Make Men & Women Giggle
We’ve been drinking these margaritas for as long as we can remember, and I mean year-round.Right about now as the days get longer and warmer, the rest of the world catches up and decides it’s margarita time. With Cinco de Mayo celebrated today, what better time to share the recipe? Watch out, they’re strong.
Sara Kate Gillingham
May 5, 2006
April was Poetry Month: M.F. K. Fisher
Adieu to Stacey and her April poetry posts: The passage excerpted here isn’t poetry, though it did inspire a poem worth reading. (W.H. Auden’s “Tonight at 7:30”). Auden dedicated his poem to M.F.K. Fisher, who wrote the following prescription for gastronomic perfection. It comes to mind because those who are doing “The Cure” will soon be hosting dinner parties. It’s good to keep these rules in mind, even if one disagrees with and breaks them.
Sara Kate Gillingham
May 1, 2006
Recipe: Bermudian Rum Cake
We celebrated the birthday of a Bermudian friend a few nights ago. On the menu were Dark & Stormies and Rum Cake, of course. Being with child, I did not gulp a D&S, but I did enjoy the cake. The recipe, in its original form, comes from the birthday boy’s mother in Bermuda, who gets it from Bacardi.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Apr 26, 2006
April is Poetry Month: To Jacques Pépin by Shanna Compton
From Stacey: “Here’s a terrific poem from Brooklyn-by-way-of-Texas poet Shanna Compton. Many may have read it when it first ran in Gastronomica. Like cream, it quickly rose to the surface where poet Paul Muldoon scooped it up for his Best American Poetry 2005 (Scribner). It is a terrific example of how writing about food so often gives way to something else entirely.”To Jacques Pépin Touch mewith your impeccably clean hands.Go ahead: Say beutter, instead of butter.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Apr 24, 2006
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Apr 20, 2006
In Season: Ramps
Nothing says ‘spring’ like ramps. The first time I encountered ramps was when I’d just finished college lived with a couple who graciously took me in to their house in a suburb outside of New York City for a few months while I hunted for an apartment of my own. That spring I was treated to the fruits of David’s labors; he would regularly comb the forest floor for culinary morsels, most notably, ramps.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Apr 20, 2006
Mile High Lemon Meringue Cake
Hungry and thumbing through the Passover catering catalog from Eli Zabar’s that dropped out of my newspaper recently, I came across this gorgeous photo of their Mile High Lemon Meringue Cake and had an emergency drooling situation on my hands. Normally, I’m not a big meringue person, but this cake is so beautifully executed, it’s hard to recall those early childhood memories of meringue that didn’t do me right. And this is no pie, folks, this is a flourless cake.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Apr 7, 2006
Recipe: Pasta With Greens and Feta
Here’s a recipe from a reader, SarahW, for a simple pasta dish using Swiss Chard (it’s been a hot topic of discussion on the Open Threads for a while) and Feta cheese. With greens such as spinach about to come into season on the East Coast, this would make a great spring dish. Pasta With Greens and Feta 6 Tbsp. olive oil (or less) 4 cups chopped onion 8 cups packed chopped bitter greens (e.g.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Apr 7, 2006
What’s the Deal with Magnetic Knife Strips?
The issue of knife storage came up in a recent post, specifically whether or not magnetic strips were a good way to keep one’s knives. My mom says the strips pull the edge out of whack. Being a professional, she keeps her finest in a knife roll, and her “everyday” (which are pretty darn nice) in a wooden rack fashioned by my grandfather and screwed to the side of the wooden butcher block. I don’t have that kind of space. We have a strip.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Mar 28, 2006
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Mar 27, 2006
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Feb 27, 2006
The Celluloid Pantry: Lobster from 21 and Rear Window (1954)
Sometimes a romantic dinner in means bringing the restaurant home. In Rear Window (1954), socialite Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) has a tray from the 21 Club brought downtown to her boyfriend’s, L.B “Jeff” Jeffries (James Stewart), Greenwich Village apartment. Laid up with a broken leg, Jeff watches in bemused amazement as Lisa unveils a nice Montrachet rosé, broiled spiny lobster, and one of 21’s signature checked tablecloths.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Feb 7, 2006
How to Caramelize Sugar
here was a good bit of chatter on the weekend open thread about how to caramelize sugar. Readers really came through for one another with some great tips. Of course, the technique depends on what you’re using the caramel for, so care should be taken to note in your recipe what kind of caramel is called for. For example, the caramel needed for caramel candies is much less cooked than what’s needed for spun sugar.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Feb 6, 2006
The Celluloid Pantry: Beignets and Mon Oncle (France, 1958)
The subtitles call them crullers, but they’re known by many names: beavertails in Canada, churros in Mexico, zepoles in Italy, and malasadas in Hawaii. Every cuisine seems to have its own version of this classic street food of fried dough served hot, with a light dusting of sugar.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Feb 1, 2006
The Celluloid Pantry: The Bronx and The Thin Man (1934)
Introducing a new Guest Writer: Nora will be contributing pieces on food and drink in cinema. Her feature, “The Celluloid Pantry,” promises to feature off-beat films not typically known as food movies (“no Big Night, Babette’s Feast, super-recent or super-commercial”). Nora has an ever-growing collection of over 500 DVDs, so you can bet she won’t mess around. Welcome, Nora!
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jan 24, 2006
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Jan 20, 2006
Cooking By Numbers: Computer Assisted Cooking
CookingByNumbers.com is an ingenious little UK-based site that will put the contents of your refrigerator and pantry into a formula and spit out recipes so you can cook with what you already have. Brilliant! Tom Tuke-Hastings, the site’s creator (and author of The Art of the Vodka Jelly) says “Don’t bother going shopping, let’s cook with what you have.” Amen.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Dec 13, 2005
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Dec 12, 2005
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Nov 21, 2005
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.
Sara Kate Gillingham
Nov 7, 2005