The Roger Smith Cookbook Conference 2012

I spent all day last Friday and Saturday at the Roger Smith Cookbook Conference here in NYC, listening to some of the top people in food sharing their expertise and experiences: Melissa Clark, Judith Jones, Peter Kaminsky, Molly O'Neill, Laura Shapiro, Bonnie Slotnick, Tanya Steel, Joe Yonan, Grace Young...and so, so many more.  My favorite part, though, was that all the panelists shared stories with us.  Storytelling was actually a major theme of the conference, I think, and the story-loving librarian in me just soaked it all up like a dry sponge.  I felt elated, inspired, fired up, excited...and I also felt so far out of my league that I hardly introduced myself to anyone.  Aw well.  There's always next year, right?

I took a crap-ton-load of notes that I'll share with you, and I also pulled some of the tweets from #cookbookconf.  I highly encourage you to check out the hashtag for the complete rundown, including different perspectives, discussions, and notes.  (Side note: what did we do at conferences before Twitter?  I love that it enables us to experience panels we can't attend, and it allows for a multi-layered discussion and engagement.)

Without further ado, here is a sample of my (copious) notes from the conference:

• I discovered a rididonkulous amount of new blogs and websites.  Here's a taste: Three Many Cooks, Artful Gourmet, Eat Boutique, Operation Gastronomia, Lady Gouda (my favorite blog name by far!), Art of Gluten-Free Baking, The Experimental Gourmand, Kitchen Play, The Editor's Kitchen, JessicaTom.com, Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Kitchen, Poor Girl Gourmet, One Tough Cookie, and many, many more.  My Google Reader is happily filled to bursting!

• BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS.  Thanks to the outstanding panelists, I have a long list of books I want to read: Culinary Intelligence (Peter Kaminsky), Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge (Grace Young), Simple French Food (Richard Olney),  Climbing the Mango Trees (Madhur Jaffrey), A Fistful of Lentils (Jennifer Abadi), and others.  These are all books written by panelists (save Richard Olney), and the stories they shared were just breathtaking; I couldn't get enough of them.  I can't wait to delve into their books!

• Peter Kaminsky shared with us the three things we all need to be healthy: 1) Don't eat processed food, ever; 2) buy the highest quality, most full-flavored food you can afford; and 3) cook - or at least live with someone who does. 

• Betty Crocker wasn't a real person!  Did you know that?  I didn't...  Not surprised, of course, but still...

• June Hersh stated that the ubiquity of recipes means that the future of cookbooks is in the stories.  I can definitely see it coming, and I'm thrilled: the stories behind the recipes are my favorite part!

• I learned that some people - namely Jane Lear and a number of the people in the room at the time - are not MFK Fisher fans.  I'm a die-hard groupie so I was floored to learn that there are people out there who don't love her writing.  I still don't see how you couldn't...

• Speaking of Jane Lear, there was a lively discussion on the panel about "food TV" and how it has complicated things.  People watch shows like "Iron Chef" and even Ina Garten and "they don't see the A to B, let alone the Z."  So when it comes time for viewers to cook for themselves, they overstretch themselves, not understanding that cooking actually isn't all that easy.  Then they end up frustrated and give up.  I personally know so many people who have had this experience.  That said, though, food TV can often be the gateway to getting people into the kitchen in the first place so I don't feel like I can completely condemn it.  But, yes, it certainly complicates things.

• I loved what Peter Kaminsky shared about planning a menu for a dinner party.  You need to think carefully about the progression of each dish, how they work together, building everything to a crescendo.  He quoted, "A diva wouldn't start the aria on the highest note."  I'm sooo going to remember this the next time I host a dinner party!

• We also talked about authenticity and ethnicity quite a bit.  In particular, I found Krishnendu Ray's points to be illuminating (for me).  He pointed out that chefs master French techniques and, once mastered, they are considered truly skilled and accomplished chefs.  However, ethnic food is still seen as a list of ingredients that a chef is familiar with, rather than techniques that are mastered; it certainly isn't considered haute cuisine.  He also held up various cookbooks: the ones that are Euro-centric (i.e. The French Laundry Cookbook; NOMA) have covers that are cream or light-colored.  Cookbooks that feature "ethnic" foods have covers with "ethnic" colors: blue, green, red, orange (i.e. Indian Home Cooking).

• A major theme of the conference was that "Perfection Is OVER."  Gone are the days of Martha Stewart's example of shiny perfection and seeming effortlessness.  The whole structure of the family meal is oppressive and romanticized.  Books like An Everlasting Meal and The Improvisational Cook feature much more democratic, creative ways of cooking.  Molly O'Neill said that there's more chaos in the American home these days; cookbooks bring order.  Embracing your failures in the kitchen is honest and authentic.  So, everyone, you can breathe a sigh of relief now. 

• As a blogger, one of the major things I am taking away from this conference is that I can reach out way more than I do.  I'm an active user of Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest...but I'm not reaching out at all to authors.  A perfect example is that I LOVED Georgeanne Brennan's A Pig In Provence (I reviewed it), and I'm an evangelist for Laura Calder's French Food at Home (I cooked from it here and here).  But I never reached out to those authors, or any of the others I've mentioned here.  There were lots of authors at this conference and the overwhelming majority seemed eager to reach out to and collaborate with bloggers.  So I'll remember that going forward - I'd love to reach out to some of my favorites and let them know that they're inspiring me and that I'm spreading the word!

• I didn't go to Judith Jones' panel, but everyone was tweeting up a storm while she was speaking.  First, she apparently had on a salmon-hued pleated Hermes scarf that was To Die For.  Second, she shared her distress that chefs seem to be ruling the food world these days; chefs and their dramatic, titillating cookbooks have very little relevance to the home cook trying to get dinner on the table for a family.  I couldn't agree more.  Many people buy chef's cookbooks because of the name recognition, but these cookbooks are intended to intimidate; they are inaccessible.  This makes their books a form of literature, rather than true cookbooks.

• Grace Young was easily one of my favorite panelists: her passion, knowledge, and stories were inspiring.  Additionally, her rage at the mutation of traditional Chinese cooking got me fired up (particularly when I learned that my $100+ stainless steel wok is damn near useless for traditional Chinese cuisine...but at least it's better than a nonstick wok, which Young said was the worst thing you can use for Chinese cooking.  The high heat gives off poisonous chemicals and all you get out of it is a "soggy braise").  Young also shared beautiful stories about cooking with her mother, and I took away the importance of passing recipes and food from generation to generation; oftentimes, food is the "iron thread" that binds us together.  Lastly, she spoke what was one of my favorite moments of the whole conference: "Record what is real because it has meaning.  It has legs." 

• As I said before, one of the major themes of the conference was the idea that you need to make connections and relate on a personal level.  Jennifer Abadi shared gorgeous, poignant stories about trying to record her grandmother's recipes; ultimately, she said that "it was about more than recipes. It was about history, stories, culture, connection, so much more."  On that same panel, Susheela Raghavan shared that "it has be personal.  That's what it's all about." Indeed.  And amen.

I know, this is the Longest Blog Post Ever.  But I was just so inspired and had so much to share!  I hope to attend this conference annually - it was an invaluable experience and I learned a tremendous amount.

Thanks to all the panelists and organizers!  Thanks as well to the Roger Smith Hotel for hosting, as well as to all the sponsors who provided us with such yummy treats!

Eat, drink, and share your stories.

Garlic and Wine Soup

I had the loveliest morning today.  I stopped at Joe: The Art of Coffee for an Americano and a coconut cream doughnut.  Instead of walking down the street, munching, I stopped in Union Square to sit on a bench and enjoy my impromptu breakfast.  Small, but bold, birds hopped within a foot of my hand and the morning sun came through the yellow and green leaves.  I thought about autumn.  This season makes me feel contemplative, relaxed, and sleepy (in a good way) - it's, hands-down, my absolute favorite season.  At the risk of sounding corny, my heart just felt so full, sitting there, and I couldn't believe my good fortune in being able to sit in the park and enjoy the morning.  It was, in every way, perfect.

The changing of the seasons is always the best time for food and drink, I think.  By the end of summer, I'm rather grumpy about the heat, declaring that I won't make a single thing for dinner that requires heat and pining for the day when I can roast and braise and fry.  Not to mention exchanging my Vinho Verde and Hefeweizen for Pinot Noir and porter.  Well, the day has come.

It began with the Cauliflower Macaroni and was followed by Garlic and Wine Soup.  Jonny and Amy over at We Are Never Full posted the recipe for this soup ages ago; I bookmarked it back in November 2009 and I've only now gotten around to making it.  And, goodness, I wish I had made it sooner!  It is the perfect way to herald in the new season with its creamy richness and earthiness.

Amy and Jonny, in their blog post, recommend pairing this with a rustic red wine, which I think would be lovely and much welcome in the winter.  However, I went with WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT and drank a Sauvignon Blanc with dinner (the same one I used in the recipe...which is why you should always cook with a wine good enough to drink on its own).  I found the bright citrus notes very refreshing with this soup - it cut right through the richness.

This soup truly celebrates a new season.  And don't be afraid of all the garlic; when simmered for a long period of time, it turns sweet, mellow, and fragrant.  My last piece of advice is that you avoid the mistake I made: don't wait for two years to make this soup.  Make it this week.

Eat, drink, and don't worry about your breath.


SOUPE A L'AIL ET AU VIN (Garlic and Wine Soup)
Adapted - only slightly - from We Are Never Full
Serves 2

4-5 heads garlic (50-60 cloves)
4 oz pancetta, cubed
3 tablespoons plain flour
5 cups warm low-sodium beef stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 egg yolks
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 cup Cantal cheese (Gruyere or Emmentaler would work too), grated
4-6 slices toasted country bread

1. Separate each clove of garlic from the head and crush lightly with the side of a knife.  Do not remove the skin.

2. Reserve one clove.  Peel it and chop it finely.  Keep for later use.

3. Gently render the cubed pancetta over medium heat in a large stockpot, until pieces are golden brown.

4. Add flour and stir into the fat.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.

5. Gradually add warm stock to the roux, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

6. Bring to a boil and add the garlic.  Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, mix the white wine with the egg yolks in a 1-quart measuring jug (or a large bowl).  Also, place bread on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler for about 3 minutes.  Add grated cheese and broil for an additional 2 minutes.  Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.

8. After 45 minutes, strain soup through a sieve to remove garlic, skins, and pancetta.  Return soup to pot.

9. Add several ladle-fulls of the simmering liquid to the eggs and wine to gently heat (temper) the yolks.

10. Then, add the egg yolk mixture back to the stock post and stir well.

11. Reheat soup until it shows a few bubbles.  Do not allow to boil.

12. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.

13. Mash the reserved garlic clove with chopped parsley (make a persillade).

14. Ladle soup into bowls.  Add bread slice on top, ladle soup over the bread, and sprinkle the whole thing with the persillade.  Enjoy!


NOTE: I actually forgot the parsley on my grocery list.  Which is why you see no persillade in my photo. It worked okay but I'd recommend the persillade, if not for flavor then at least for looks.

A NOTE ON KID-FRIENDLINESS: Who are we kidding?  Bug wouldn't touch this with a 10-foot pole.  She had "Kid Dinner" and then we enjoyed this for "Adult Dinner" after she had gone to bed.

Foods I Haven't Tried: Macarons

Several weeks ago, I came across this post at The Culinary Librarian about NYC Macaron Day.  First, I didn't even know there such a day in New York (March 20th).  Which is bad.  But then....here it comes...my big confession: I HAVE NEVER HAD A MACARON.

It's purely circumstantial. They weren't on my radar when I was 17 years old and staying in Paris - at the time, I only ate white foods (don't get me started...).  I don't have a sweet tooth.  No one in my circle of foodie friends introduced me to macarons.  I don't frequent bakeries.  If I'm going to have a macaron, I want it to be the right one.  Not to be crude...but when you have sex for the first time,  you want it to be right: lighting, emotions,timing.  That can be the same with food.  If I'm going to try a fresh oyster on the half-shell for the first time, I want it to be right.  I want quality, I want the sea, I want a glass of bubbly, I want the right person next to me.

Which is how I feel with this whole macaron issue.  I regularly shop at Eli's Manhattan, where they have macarons on display.  But are those the best?  Do I really want those macarons to be My First?  Probably not.  But I feel like I'm missing out.  Not to mention that now I feel like I've built macarons up so much in my mind that they can't really live up to my expectations.

Tell me I'm not alone in this, guys.  What haven't you tried?  Share!  Divulge!  And when do you plan on rectifying it?  Or when you finally did have that First Time, was it really as great as you had hoped?

Eat, drink, and have lots of Firsts.


Image from Macaron Day NYC website

Weekday Meals, Part 2: Antipasti and Soft-Boiled Eggs

This is the conclusion to my week as a single parent.  I intentionally left the "easier" meals until last.  So on Wednesday, we had "antipasti."  I call it antipasti, but I do believe it's not the traditional sort.  Anyway, I made myself a little salad with a honey mustard vinaigrette (approximately 1/2 tsp. honey mustard, about 3 tbsp olive oil, approx 1/2 tsp. sherry vinegar**, kosher salt and pepper to taste). 

I cut up a pear for Bug, as well as sliced up some smoked mozzarella (she loves the stuff). 

For me, I included some buffalo mozzarella, which I sprinkled with flake salt, fresh pepper, and lemon zest.  I've also discovered the joys (seriously, it's near-ecstasy) of smoked duck, thanks to my local purveyors Hudson Valley Duck Farm at Fresh Direct. 

Add some salami, which Bug loves, and some triple cream Brie...you have a meal!  Not just any meal, but a rather - dare I say it? - decadent meal for two young ladies without their knight?  Who needs a man, right?

For Thursday, we made one of Bug's favorites: Soft-Boiled Eggs with Artichoke Bread Fingers*, courtesy of Clotilde Dusoulier's Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook:

Of course, I don't call them "artichoke bread fingers" - she'd never eat them.  So it becomes: "Hey, hon, how about eggs with dippers tonight?"  Enthusiastic choruses of hallelujah and Mom is a hero.

Adam came home around midnight on Friday so I had still had one more night to get through.  Friday night.  You know what I did?  I ordered a pizza to be delivered, like any normal human being.  And called the week a success.

Eat, drink, and don't just survive...THRIVE.



* The site this links to is the recipe...but gives no credit to Chocolate and Zucchini.  So I give it here.  That is where I got the recipe.


Note: This is fun.  All the photos of the antipasti meal posted here?  Taken by Bug (aka my 9yo daughter).  I was rushing around: opening wine, getting the table set...  And she asked if she could take photos.  And this is the result.  Am I proud?  Totally.

Wine-Marinated Grapes

Menu planning is difficult. Every weekend, I look through my cookbooks and notebooks to decide what I'm going to make for the week ahead. But even with the hundreds of recipes available, sometimes I want to change things up a bit.

I follow about a hundred food blogs so you can imagine how inundated I am with recipes every day. When I see a particular recipe I love, I email myself a link to that blog post. Then I tag it with "Recipes" in my Gmail. So anytime I feel dissatisfied with all the books and all the ripped-out magazine pages (I know, poor me, right?), I turn to my email. Which is how I discovered this gem: Wine-Marinated Grapes, which I virtually dog-eared from the blog Thursday Night Smackdown. I dog-eared it in 2008.

I was looking for inspiration this past Saturday. Adam was out of town, visiting his own Soul Twin (husband to my own Soul Twin), and Bug was wiped out from a 3-day camping trip. Which is code for she-was-going-to-sleep-a-lot-and-watch-lots-of-TV. So what to do with all that free time? Make drunk grapes!

Michelle at Thursday Night Smackdown got the recipe from Bon Appetit...and aptly, brilliantly named the post "The Snozzberries Taste Like Snozzberries". Come on, children's literature folks, you know where that line is from. God, the parallels of food and kids' lit never cease to amaze me.

ANYWAY, the recipe is ridonkulously easy. Click the Bon Appetit link above - you'll see. And here's where I might scare away potential dinner guests (and maybe even the ones in current rotation): the recipe requires a bottle of dry white wine and I used a bottle of white Zin that a guest had brought over for dinner. White. Zin. I am not drinking that. Ever. And this is the moment where everyone who ever comes over to my house for dinner (and reads this blog) panics. So, for that, I am sorry.

One thing that Michelle mentions is that you can strain the marinating liquid and save it for wine spritzers. I was skeptical. I mean, wine spritzers? With white Zin? A little froofy, right? Oh, no. This was soooo good:

The wine, the grape juice, and the lemon zest are rather sublime. Add a splash of seltzer and a couple of lime slices and you have the perfect summer apertif. Really wonderful.

This is a ridiculously long blog post about drunk grapes but I can't resist. What a fun way to spend my Saturday afternoon while Bug was watching Wizards of Waverly Place.

Eat, drink, and snozz some berries.

My Other Non-Food-and-Wine Blog

We recently started a new blog at work: THE PAGETURN. Well, the full name is actually THE PAGETURN: AN INSIDE LOOK AT BOOKS. It's specific to teachers and librarians, highlighting the books and authors that resonate with that market. It's super-new - we started it in July - so come over, say hi, and welcome us to the kidlitosphere!

When we started the blog, we knew we'd be blogging every weekday and, I have to admit, I was concerned that blogging everyday at work would steal away the last bit of energy and mojo I had left for this blog. Which hasn't been much in recent months.

But I'm so happy that I've been proven wrong. Instead, blogging every day at THE PAGETURN has reminded how much I love doing this, how much I love writing every day, and I feel all sorts of new energy for Pinot and Prose.

Eat, drink, and say hi to me at THE PAGETURN!

Library Hearted

Finally! My friend Sarah is now blogging over at Library Hearted! It's super-new so go on over there and encourage her to keep it up!

Eat, drink, and support your blogging friends!

Recipe: French Mushrooms

I read a lot of blogs - a lot. Food blogs, children's literature blogs, design blogs, fashion blogs, NYC blogs. More than I have time for...but, really, aren't we all short on time?

When I see a recipe I like while reading a blog post, I send myself an email with the recipe name as the subject line and then the link as the message. And thanks to Gmail, I can tag all those emails as "Recipes". So when I'm sick of my cookbooks and magazines, I go to this email list as inspiration.

This is where I discovered a recipe for French Mushrooms from For the Love of Food. I actually bookmarked this in 2008 (!) and I just got around to trying it. In a word, divine. Here's the photographic evidence:

French Mushrooms

Adapted from For the Love of Food

• 2 lbs. sliced mushrooms (I used creminis from the farmers' market)
• 1/2 c. thinly sliced scallions
• 1 c. crème frâiche
• 1 c. sour cream (it was supposed to be 2 c. of crème frâiche but I ran out so had to substitute. Not ideal but you do what you gotta do, right?)
• 6 tbsp. minced parsley

In a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, simmer mushrooms, scallions, and crème frâiche, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms start to give up juices.

Then turn heat to high and boil, uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until liquids reduce to a shiny sauce and bubbles begin to form. Stir in parsley and salt. Serve immediately.

Makes about 12 servings (per FtLoF, but it was more like 4 servings in our house).

What I loved about this recipe was 1) it was incredibly simple to make, and 2) it was deceptively decadent. I thought I was making a "light" dinner for us by only serving the mushrooms, bread, and a salad...but, as you may have guessed, I was wrong. It was very rich and indulgent.

A note: the recipe said to boil the mushrooms for about 10 minutes but I had to go a full 15 minutes - my sauce was super liquid-y still after 10 minutes. I suspect that it was because of the sour cream, which may have had more water in it. So if you can avoid using sour cream, that's really the way to go.

Another note: this is a recipe you can play around with, a quality I love in a recipe! Try zesting lemon into the boiling mushrooms. Or substitute thyme for the parsley - thyme is an ideal companion with mushrooms.

We had quite a few leftovers so, two mornings later, I reheated the mushrooms over the stove and poured them over a brioche roll. With a steaming cup of coffee, it was a kick-ass way to start my day.

Eat, drink, and glean inspiration from fellow bloggers

Book Blogger Holiday Swap

As I told all of you earlier, I took part in the Book Blogger Holiday Swap. This post is incredibly overdue, as I received my gift over a week ago. Nevertheless, here is the package I received from my Secret Santa:

Some new books - supernatural thrillers, which is an entirely new genre for me so this will be interesting - along with some candy, a $10 Blockbuster giftcard, and vanilla-scented shower gel.

My Secret Santa has yet to reveal him- or herself, but thanks so much for the gift! And I'm waiting for the recipient of my Secret Santa gift to post it.

Eat, drink, and make new friends.

Book Blogger Holiday Swap

I read about this first at Presenting Lenore, followed by GreenBeanTeenQueen - they're both participating. It sounded like an absolute hoot to me so I signed up.

Go to the holiday swap official website to sign up - you only have until November 12th!

Blogging and drinking: these are a few of my favorite things!

I'm thrilled to see some of my favorite ladies on the cover of School Library Journal this month:

Betsy Bird (Fuse #8), Liz Burns (A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy), Monica Edinger (Educating Alice), Cheryl Klein (Brooklyn Arden), and Jen Hubert Swan (Reading Rants!). You all look gorgeous!

And check out the accompanying article!

Eat, drink, and cheers to my blogging cohorts!

Help out a fellow librarian and kidlit blogger

Matt Holm reminded me today why I love children's literature folks so much. Click here to find out how to help Bridget Zinn, a fellow librarian, a YA author, and a kidlit blogger, who has been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.


On a food-related note, Bridget shares on her blog that she has to avoid fiber in her diet, which means that ice cream is a go...but broccoli is not. Oh, sweet irony!

Eat, drink, and remember that we're truly a community.

"Too-short girl in the high-stacks world of librarianship" *

As I mentioned, I'm a little behind in the blogosphere (it's the fabbity-fab life, remember?)...

...so imagine my delight when I saw three new posts from Tiny Little Librarian in my Bloglines! I love her stuff. Keep blogging!


If you haven't checked her out and you work in a library, what the heck are you waiting for?! Go. Now.

* My post title is TLL's tagline on her blog.

BlogHer Conference in D.C.

I'm thinking about going to the BlogHer Reach Out '08 Tour in D.C. on Monday, October 13th. Anyone else who reads this blog thinking of going (or already planning on going)?

Thanks to Rachel (Food Maven) for the info - she's going to be speaking!

The One Where I Don't Mention Food

** U.S. News just came out with its list of Best Careers 2008, and Librarian is on it. And I’m just thinking, “Well, DUR!” We’ve all known this for awhile and now America is catching on. What raised a red flag with me is that the median annual pay is listed as $51,400. Really? I mean, reallllly???? I want to know why I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world, holding the position I hold, and I make well under that. Seriously, we’re talking $10k less than that. How annoying. The Man is damn lucky I like my job so much. Damn lucky.

Thanks to Annoyed Librarian for the link.

** Publishers Weekly has the scoop on the joint book tour with Shannon Hale and Libba Bray, and I just have to ask: are there two authors more fun than these two? I don’t think so. I just want to be best friends with them. (Thanks to PW for the photo!)

** The Oregonian has an interview with Beverly Cleary, who I can credit almost entirely with shaping me as a young reader. Ramona spoke to me as a child; she was a kindred spirit. Then I moved on to Dear Mr. Henshaw. Then it was Sister of the Bride, Jean and Johnny, Fifteen, and The Luckiest Girl. She’s the one single author I can say I grew up with; after all, I didn’t discover L.M. Montgomery until I was 15 and Sweet Valley High was just a phase. And I was never into Judy Blume as a kid. It’s delightful to see that, at 91, Cleary is as spunky as ever: when asked to comment about children reading so much less than they used to, Cleary answers: “I don't think I'm qualified…because I only hear from children who do read." Wonderful. I don’t have very many heroes, but she is one of mine.

Life would be sweeter with a sweet tooth

You know, I’m not a baker. I’ve always argued that it’s because I don’t care for the precision baking requires – I’ve never liked math, and baking seems to require too much of it for my tastes. So there’s that. But the other thing is that I just don’t have much of a sweet tooth – give me crunchy or salty or cheesy any day over dessert. If I’m going to have dessert at all, I’ll go for a scoop of sorbet. And the rare time I order something sweet and rich, I either share it or I’m perfectly happy eating only three bites.

So, all that said, I still love looking at baking cookbooks and dogearing the desserts in all my cookbooks. And that goes for blogs lately, as well. Becks and Posh made some lovely, delicate “Jasmine Dragon Pearl Tea Cookies” that look divine. This is a dessert I can get on board with: crisp, light, subtle, only moderately sweet. I’m sooo tempted to make them. But can I use some other tea? I’ve got English Breakfast, San Francisco Spice (lots of cinnamon and cloves – it has a surprising amount of heat), some sort of peach tea, and lots of vanilla tea. As it is, Becks and Posh say that the original recipe calls for Earl Grey but they went with the Jasmine Dragon Pearl that they had on hand. Which really makes this the ideal baking recipe for someone like me: clearly, I can add any kind of tea I have on hand and see what happens. You can add something richer for winter, and I think my peach tea would be wonderful in the spring. Perhaps even lemon tea with some lemon zest too? So I’m adding this recipe to my already burgeoning list of dessert recipes I have squirreled away. And let’s hope I actually give this one a go. Thanks to Becks and Posh for the photo, recipe, and post.

Likewise, Cream Puffs in Venice is having a whole month of chocolate-themed posts so there’s just endless amounts of mouth-watering and eye candy on display over there. I will readily admit, though, that I’ll most likely never make this recipe – I would never make chocolate for myself when I get the most pleasure out of a small square of Dagoba Organic (have you not tried Dagoba? Shame on you. Do so the first chance you get - or go to the link and buy some online). Siiiiiigh. Nevertheless, I still love looking at beautiful pictures of chocolate desserts so feast your eyes on this:

The recipe is from Maxine Clark's Chocolate: Deliciously Indulgent Recipes for Lovers. Thanks to Cream Puffs in Venice. Like I said, it ain't my bag but I'm guessing some of you are just swooning in front of your computer screens right now.

I've got more tidbits to share, but the husband is golfing in NC right now so it's just the kiddo and me all weekend (who declared about the chocolate mousse picture: "Wow! Let's make that!"). Which means she's challenging me to a game of Uno as I type this. Gotta go show her who's the champion.

"French Milk" caused my OCD to kick in!

This is as good a time as any to confess that I am often overcome with a bit of OCD. Which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise since, you know, aren’t we all afflicted with a touch of OCD from time to time? So here’s the story of my latest bout with OCD:

I was recently introduced to the blog Oops…Wrong Cookie, which has some nice reviews of books I haven’t heard of. I always appreciate reviews of more obscure (at least obscure to me) titles – it helps me keep my street cred as a “children’s materials specialist” and I just enjoy being in-the-know about such things.

So one of the bloggers, Laura, reviewed a darling book called French Milk by Lucy Knisley, published by Epigraph Publishing (unfamiliar to me) in 2000. I’m a total Francophile so I was completely intrigued – am I the only one who had never heard of this book before? I first looked in the Queens library catalog: no go. Hmmm… So I went to Baker & Taylor and BWI: “permanently out of stock”. Which of course is just one stop away from Outofprintsville. Damn. So I went to Amazon (guilty as charged) to see if I could pick up a copy from the Marketplace: denied there too. Hmmm… So I thought perhaps Brooklyn PL or NYPL had heard of this book and purchased it: that was a dead end too. Has this book dropped off the face of the earth?!

This is where the OCD kicks in. Now I am obsessed with finding this book. Obsessed. And this has occupied my mind for a week. I haven’t been to eBay yet so that’s my next stop. After that, I think I might have to trek into Manhattan and hunt it down at the indie bookstores; they most likely won’t have it in stock but they’re more likely to hunt it down for me than my local B&N*.

Anyhoo, the hunt is on for French Milk. I will find it. Just watch me.

*This is one of those things they don’t tell you about Queens – there isn’t a worse place to live if you want an indie bookstore. Truly. I have yet to find one at all. And even if I do find it, I will no doubt be forced to take the subway and a bus or two there. And I could be all noble and make that trek, but it most likely ain’t happening. It’s easier for me to go to Books of Wonder or McNally Robinson in Manhattan than someplace in Queens. Which brings us full circle as to the likely reason there aren’t any indies in Queens…

Get your mind out of the...kitchen!

It’s Friday afternoon, my boss is out of the office, my boss’s boss is in a meeting all day and I just met three looming deadlines. And it’s sunny out. Having trouble focusing much? Naaah, not me.

** So I’ve discovered a new foodie website I’m totally in love with: Saveurs du Monde. Though it’s in French, you can click on an English tab at the top of the page and it translates it all. But I love the French. Check out this list of ingredients for Crêpes a la bière du Nord de la France (unromantically translated to “beer crêpes”):

Ingrédients
250 g de farine
3 oeufs
60 g de sucre semoule
1/2 litre de bière blonde
1 pincée de sel
un peu de rhum
80 g de beurre
cassonade, marmelade de mûres, gelée de groseilles, miel etc .

I mean, doesn’t everything not only look better but sound better in French? Yeah, I agree. That’s a gorgeous ingredients list, even though I have no idea what groseilles means. But that’s not the point, is it?

The website also had a fabulous-sounding recipe for crêpes filled with ham and mushrooms. Wow. And the recipe index is really good.

** I found out from Chocolate and Zucchini that egg whites coagulate at 149° F. So if you bake a whole egg at that temperature for 30 minutes, the egg white will perfectly coagulate. Sounds like I’m having a soft-boiled (soft-baked?) egg for breakfast tomorrow morning!

** Lucy’s Kitchen Notebook had a lovely post about Salade Lyonnaise, which wasn’t actually about the salad at all…It was more about people-watching in Lyons, France while eating the salad. It doesn’t matter. It was written poetically, with brilliant photos, and it made me wish I were lots of places other than Jamaica, Queens. (The photo is coutesy of Lucy's Kitchen Notebook)

** I’m making another of Jamie’s recipes tonight – so far the cookbook has been really fantastic, even though I’ve had some missteps here and there: for instance, when Jamie says you need an oven-proof nonstick fry pan, do not use an oven-proof stainless steel fry pan. There is a reason the man said to use nonstick, listen to him. As usual, though, it was good for some laughs. And while I destroyed the aesthetics of the dish, the flavor was swoon-worthy. So tonight I’m doing pork chops with some sort of mustard sauce and serving it over gnocchi. I’ll admit that I’m cheating on the gnocchi and I bought already-made stuff. I know, I know. But I’m a full-time working mom! I take my shortcuts where I can get ‘em! They’re just damn lucky that I’m not the mac and cheese/fish sticks sort of mom….though I was raised on that sort of thing, and I turned out just fine. Sort of.

Happy weekend, and bon appétit.

A bouillabaisse of children's literature stuff, if you will

I sure do seem to be posting a lot lately, don’t I? There are a couple reasons for this:

1. I had an end-of-the-year project at work that completely prohibited me from blogging during my lunch break. And I was too burned out to do it when I got home. So November and December were pretty shot.

2. Adam has been working late the past few nights so, rather than drinking a glass of chard with him (or a pint of beer, for him), I have been glued in front of the computer. This is the last night he has to work late – you’ll probably see a bit of a drop-off after today.

3. I’m feeling drained after ALA, and I don’t feel like working. Boo.

But I just discovered Bloglines and I am the happiest camper right now. All the time I’ve freed up! I can spend it…you know…blogging more!

Sarah Miller reviewed Ever by Gail Carson Levine – argh! I’m completely pining for that book! Sure, I could probably get a hold of my contact at Harper, but I don’t like to play that card too often. Anyone else have a galley out there and want to do a switch? I have Meg Cabot’s new one, Airhead, or the new Mysterious Benedict Society. Anyone? Anyone?

Thanks (again!) to my daily Shelf Awareness email, I’ve found a new blog! And thanks to Bloglines, I’m not sweatin’ it. It’s Collecting Children’s Books, and I’m completely fascinated. In particular, he has a discussion going about the merits of opening up the Newbery discussions. Apparently, for about 4 years in the 1970’s, the Newbery committee came up with “nominees” – Peter has proof of this – and this allowed everyone to read those books and discuss, discuss, discuss before the actual winner and honor books were announced. I think there is definitely something to this: I like the idea of increasing sales and circulation for a wider circle of books; additionally, this process would allow libraries and booksellers to actually have decent stock of the winners when they’re announced! Can you imagine! The meaningfulness of Mock discussions would increase. Everyone – teachers, librarians, booksellers, children, teens, adults – would feel part of the process and feel invested in the outcome, rather than this hush-hush weird sequestering thing that happens now. If the “youth media awards” are truly the “Academy Awards of the children’s literature world”, it sure would be fun if we tried a system revolving around nominees. Maybe I could even do a spread and take bets? Perhaps?

Ultimately, I’m the rare librarian who actually likes and encourages change. Why shouldn’t we try a different approach and see what happens? If it doesn’t work out, how about we go back to the sequestering?

Eat Our Brains Turned Me on to Duck Fat!

Like I need another blog to read! Nevertheless, thanks to Shaken and Stirred, I just discovered Eat Our Brains. And my first exposure to the blog is a brilliant and hilarious discussion of the virtues of roasting potatoes in duck fat. Swooooooon! Seriously, don’t read the blog entry unless you’re prepared to immediately go out and buy duck fat and potatoes for dinner tonight.