Real talk. Until about a month ago, my experience in the kitchen has had a gap. Not a huge gap, or one that had ever come up until earlier this year. Most of my clients would never know, but I was exposed. And I’m not one to let a chance for self-improvement slip away. I’d [...]
This is overdue, but who cares? Cake is cake. I made a birthday cake late last year, for my lovely sous-chef, editor, and boyfriend. (One of those roles came before the other two, not vice versa. I’m not that kind of girl.) I demand inspiration each year for this cake. You may remember last year’s [...]
Ah, Thanksgiving. How was yours? Mine was super-relaxing. Want to know what a Personal Chef eats on the day before Thanksgiving? And for lunch the day of? The same thing everyone else eats: whatever is most convenient. And when it’s a pescatarian Thanksgiving meal that one doesn’t start planning until Tuesday (luckily for only three [...]
Some scenes from my wild New Year’s Eve, pleasantly spent at home in the company of a slightly under-the-weather boyfriend. I lit candles, and put on a dress and heels, because it just isn’t New Year’s without some fancy-pants luxury. He put on a suit, bless’im. First, a Sazerac… …which went nicely with the requisite [...]
In case anyone was wondering – and you were all wondering, right? – this is the birthday cake I made for my boyfriend this year. It’s a tradition that I ask him every year what kind of cake he wants, and in return he gives me not a flavor, but a fairly broad category that [...]
We had Thanksgiving dinner! You know, um, two weeks ago. (Give or take a day.) I bet you did, too. I took some pictures, and thought you might like to see them. For hors d’oeuvres, we had a date and kumquat chutney… …served with a round of soft Camembert, the World’s Best Spiced Pretzel-Nut mixture, [...]
In my line of work as a personal chef, I’ve had many occasions to plan menus for dinner parties. Often, in searching for ideas for appetizers or hors d’oeuvres, I’ve come across something that looks a lot like this: The ingredients vary, of course, but the basic format is always the same. A single leaf [...]
I have a crush. I have a serious crush on Ruth Bourdain. There, I’ve said it, and I don’t care who knows. And today being Valentine’s Day, I’ve done what any sensible person would do: I’ve prepared a four-course dinner for my Special Lady, complete with drink pairings, and comprised of all her favorite foods. [...]
Every year, I ask my boyfriend not if he wants an elaborate, ridiculous, complicated, over-the-top birthday cake, but what kind. As I was trained as a pastry chef, the chance for me to flex my pâtissière muscles once a year is irresistible. I dive into the research stage like a student studying for final exams, [...]
When I started this blog, I fully intended to post two or three times a week. And, for a while, I was able to keep that schedule up. Lately, though, I’ve been far less active here than I’d like, but it’s been for a very good reason, and one that I won’t bother to let [...]
