blood orange cake

One of the things I love about food—and sharing recipes—is that there’s always something new to try. Always. It doesn’t have to be something crazy—it can be—but it can be something as simple as swapping out an lemon for a blood orange and taadaaa! You’ve got something new! There’s a level of anticipation involved (wherein I whisper to myself, “please be good, please be good”) and then there’s the simplicity of seeing raw ingredients become something totally new (wherein I whisper to myself “please don’t be ugly”). It’s just fun. Sometimes I forget that. Sometimes I get in a slump and feel like everything is boring. Luckily I always come around. Perhaps it’s because there are things like blood oranges that feel like little treasures just waiting to be discovered. I came up with the idea of this cake after spying lemon cake at my local coffee shop and thought, mmm, that sounds good… but I bet blood orange cake would be better. And so I present you with a simple, tasty blood orange cake.

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Filed under breakfast and eat and sweets by kelly. January 25th, 2012 . 2 Comments

meyer lemon curd

I’m going to do it again—winter citrus’ i heart you! This time I’m going to sing the praises of meyer lemons, the sweeter, more sophisticated cousin to the lemon. Meyer lemons have a smoother skin and are often slightly more orange than a common lemon. They bring depth to dishes like lemons do, but they just have a little less tartness. And since they’re not in the grocery store year round (at least in NYC), they feel like little treats. So this week, upon being invited to a brunch party at a friend’s house, I decided to make some meyer lemon curd. It’s a snap to make and tastes like heaven on everything from toast to waffles.

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Filed under condiments/sauces and eat by kelly. January 17th, 2012 . 8 Comments

happy hour: satsuma + sage cocktail

One of the things I love about winter (yes, there are things I love about winter) is the many varieties of citrus that find their way into supermarkets. Last week it was blood orange, today I found these lovely satsuma mandarins. The rind of a satsuma is almost puffy, which makes them a cinch to peel, and they often come with a leaf still attached, which makes them look extra pretty.

I decided to pair the bright, sweet flavor of the satsuma with a hint of sage simple syrup, a hearty helping of gin, and a splash of vermouth. The result is a cocktail that tastes super fresh and vibrant, with a hint of herbal notes that balance those flavors nicely.

In other news, hello! to any new readers from my recent (exciting) interview on Saveur.com! Please have a look around and stay awhile… there are plenty of drinks to be had, snacks to be eaten and treats to sneak.

Cheers! To a long weekend, tasty drinks & saveur!

satsuma + sage cocktail
makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 ounce fresh satsuma juice
1/2 ounce sage simple syrup
2 ounces gin, like hendrick’s
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy!

Filed under happy hour by kelly. January 13th, 2012 . 3 Comments

spiced sweet potato crisps with lime yogurt dipping sauce

Ohhh the joys of turning on the oven and enjoying the heat that comes out of it. I’m thinking back to those summer months when the thought of adding more heat to our apartment not an option, but with winter weather comes all sorts of baking and roasting. I’m loving it. In addition to the coziness, I like the laziness of it. I mean, there’s very little effort involved in many of the things I make this time of year, yet they still taste awesome. That’s my kind of food. Last week, after a long day at work I made these sweet potato crisps and they were so good I had to make them again so I could share them with you. Easy + delicious = awesome.

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Filed under eat and sides by kelly. January 11th, 2012 . 3 Comments

happy hour: applejack flamingo

Well, hello and happy new year! 2012 is really here and that just seems a little bonkers. But there’s no going back so full steam ahead, right?!

I wanted to start off the new year with an extra tasty cocktail. After poking around my books for a while, I had some ideas floating around, so I went to the grocery to see if anything brought clarity to them. Low and behold, I found one of my favorite fruits, a blood orange. I snapped a few up and came up with the Applejack Flamingo, which is a play on the Applejack Rabbit. The original drink calls for applejack, orange and lemon juice and maple syrup, but I figured it might be interested to swap out the orange for its sweeter cousin, the blood orange. To be honest, I was a little unsure of how the blood orange would play with the applejack, but let me tell you, they’re good friends. The cocktail is sweet—I mean we’ve got maple syrup and blood orange—but the lemon cuts through it to bring a nice hint of tartness while the applejack provides a lovely apple base flavor. To tell you the truth, it’s a little dangerous, because it doesn’t really tasty boozy, just fruity and refreshing. But hey, I’m not complaining.

Cheers! To a new year, tasty cocktails and sunny days ahead!

Applejack Flamingo
makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 ounce applejack
1 ounce blood orange juice
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce maple syrup
dash orange bitters
2-inch strip of blood orange peel

1
Combine all ingredients (except orange peel) in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for 10 seconds.

2
Strain into a cocktail glass. Gently squeeze the blood orange peel and twist, gently hang it from the edge of the glass. Enjoy!

Filed under happy hour by kelly. January 6th, 2012 . 3 Comments

happy hour: ginger mimosa

Well, another year is nearly behind us. I’m always astonished how fast a year goes by. It’s been a bit of a transitional year on eat make read as I’ve taken on more projects—Remedy Quarterly and writing for Serious Eats—and have been able to dedicate less time here. I’m so appreciative to have an outlet where I can post recipes—whether food or drink—just for fun and correspond with awesome people like you! I hope you have an awesome evening and more importantly an awesome year.

Cheers! To a new year!

ginger mimosa
1 ounce Domain de Canton ginger liqueur
1 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
3-4 ounce prosecco

Pour the ginger liqueur and orange juice in the bottom of a champagne glass. Gently pour the prosecco over top until the bubbles hit the rim. Enjoy!

Filed under happy hour by kelly. December 31st, 2011 . 1 Comments

happy hour: cinnamon + pear cocktail

I’m ready to do a happy dance, how about you? With New Years right around the corner, I’ve got a few tasty cocktails lined up to share with you. This week we’ll sip a little rum paired with pear cider (which could easily be switched out for apple cider), a little cinnamon syrup and splash of fresh orange juice. It’s juicy and boozy and spicy, but best of all it’s delicious and festive, especially with a lovely cinnamon sugar rim.

cinnamon + pear cocktail
makes 1 cocktail

2 ounces pear cider
1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup
1/2 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 ounce dark rum
cinnamon sugar for rim

1
Run an orange slice around the rim of a cocktail glass and dip in cinnamon sugar, coating the entire rim. Set glass aside.

2
In a cocktail shaker finned with ice, combine the pear cider, cinnamon syrup, orange juice and rum. Shake for 10 seconds, then strain into glass. Enjoy!

Filed under happy hour by kelly. December 23rd, 2011 . 0 Comments

lemon thumbprint cookies with blood orange marmalade

Before Chistmas I was determined to do two things: a) bake cookies b) post a food recipe on this deprived little blog. So yay! With a free morning in sight, I hurriedly ran to the store picked up key cookie-making ingredients, flour, sugar, butter and a few other odds and ends. Since we’ve had an onslaught of sweet stuff arrive in our office, I wanted to make something that was a little more fruity to contrast the usual chocolates. Thumbprint cookies seemed like the perfect idea—especially jazzed up with a little seasonal citrus in the form of meyer lemons and blood orange marmalade. Plus they’re easy.

The cookies are a snap to make—the most work you’ll do is zesting a lemon. I mean come on. The dough doesn’t fully blend, it kind of forms little clumps. You simply squeeze it together into little balls, then, as the name suggests, you press you’re thumb into the center to form a little well. Continue reading »

Filed under eat and sweets by kelly. December 16th, 2011 . 7 Comments

happy hour: apple smash

Friends, I have been a bad blogger (please note the lack of food-related posts in the past few months). I have been busy with some new, exciting projects as well as good old Remedy Quarterly and quite frankly, I’ve hardly cooked anything in the past month. And the things I have cooked certainly aren’t noteworthy. Boo! That’s life I guess, there’s only one me and unfortunately I’ve had to focus on a other projects lately, but I promise, I’ll be back and I’ll make some magical treats that will make all of us happy. Until then I have a few things to tell you about (which might explain my absence).

First—check out this sweet poster I whipped up! I love happy hour—I like thinking up new concoctions and I like drinking them—which led me to this little revelations… Happy hour is the best hour! You can pick one up in our shop.

Second—I’ll be selling Remedy Quarterly at the BUST craftacular this weekend and I’d love to meet you! I’ll be at booth #52 (which is near the exit) right next to my buds Enormous Champion.

Bust Craftacular
December 10th and 11th, 2011
Saturday: 11 AM – 8 PM; Sunday: 11 AM – 7 PM
82 Mercer St. between Broome and Spring, New York, NY

Third and last— how about that cocktail? I spied it in the New York Times a few weeks ago and put it on my list of easy and delicious cocktails to try. True to form, a quick smash of a few apple slices paired with white rum, simple syrup, lemon juice and a dash of bitters. A dusting of freshly ground cinnamon tops the whole thing off and makes for one lovely and delicious cocktail. It’s definitely a rum-forward kind of drink, but I kind of like that it’s different and unexpected during these chilly days.

Cheers! To a busy weekend, meeting new friends and tasty drinks!

Apple Smash
from the New York Times
makes 1 cocktail

2 large apple slices, like Honeycrisp
2 ounces white rum
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup*
1 dash bitters, like Fee Brothers Barrel-Aged
Cinnamon stick.

1
Mash an apple slice in the base of a glass with a muddler.
2
Add ingredients other than the cinnamon; shake and strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a whole apple slice dusted with freshly grated cinnamon.

*To make simple syrup, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Let cool, then transfer to a very clean jar or bottle. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Filed under events and happy hour and remedy quarterly by kelly. December 9th, 2011 . 4 Comments

Remedy Quarterly Issue 7: Heritage

I’m super jazzed to announce the arrival of Issue 7: Heritage! It’s full of awesome stories and recipes—from bourbon ginger pecan pie to wild berry jam to tostones and mojo de ajo. Yeah, there’s so good stuff happening inside. You can pick up an issue in our shop or if you’re in the New York area, I’ll be at the Bust Craftacular next weekend!

Bust Craftacular
December 10th and 11th, 2011
Saturday: 11 AM – 8 PM; Sunday: 11 AM – 7 PM
82 Mercer St. between Broome and Spring, New York, NY

Filed under events and read and remedy quarterly by kelly. December 3rd, 2011 . 2 Comments