By Ari, on January 25th, 2012
Is anyone else confused by this uncharacteristically warm winter? We received a few inches of snow this past weekend, then yesterday it was 50 and sunny. On the plus side, all the snow has melted. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say warmer days were coming.
But of course I know better.
This dish is delightful. It’s light, but intensely flavored by the warm tomatoes and fresh rosemary. And ready in 20 minutes! Talk about an easy, healthy, weeknight meal.
Sautéed chicken with a light tomato pan sauce? Sign me up!
 Continue reading Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce
By Ari, on January 20th, 2012
I nailed this, guys.
The assignment was to eat more veggies, right?
I wouldn’t go substituting these fritters for fresh greens every day of the week, but a little indulgence (read: oil) once in a while is never a bad thing!
Also, they’re damn tasty.
Continue reading Zucchini Fritters
By Ari, on January 19th, 2012
Are you intimidated by working with “exotic” flavors?
Don’t be.
Continue reading Lamb Kofte
By Ari, on January 15th, 2012
For those who don’t know, New Yorker’s take brunch very seriously. Every Sunday people crawl out of bed, whether they’re hungover or not, to let the best chefs in the country ease their pain and tempt their palates. If you work in a restaurant kitchen, Sunday mornings from 10 am (or really 8 am when you begin prep) till 4 pm is a time to be scared. A time to panic, and pray to whomever you believe in (the food gods, of course) for an easy morning. Pray that the tickets don’t get backed up. That the line chef standing next to you doesn’t flop his first order of omelets or pancakes.
For the rest of us — the civilians — all we have to do is cross our fingers that the front of house staff doesn’t run out of coffee.
The majority of people who brunch fall into one of two categories:
(1) Those who had a low key evening the night before. These people are able to get up in time to stand in line outside the restaurant (currently in 15 degree weather) 20 minutes before the doors open to ensure themselves a table.
or…
(2) Those who had an epic night to remember (which sadly, they don’t remember) and are forced out of bed around 1 pm by their significant other because, let’s face it… if he or she doesn’t eat immediately, you’ll never hear the end of it.
I would say 99.9% of the time, John and I fall into the former.
Shocking, I know.
Our recent meal at Mile End, a Montreal-style Jewish delicatessen in Brooklyn, reminded me why I love brunch: when it’s prepared well, it can be the perfect start to your day.
The menu is a dream come true: not only do they have traditional breakfast fare (eggs, hash, bacon, etc.), but they’re also serving up all the Jewish deli classics a girl could want (latkes, chopped liver, lox, whitefish salad, brisket).
When you walk into Mile End, you have the option of sitting at the counter (with a direct view of the chefs as they cook — yes, please!) or at one of the smaller, family-style picnic tables in the room. We sat at the bar and chatted with the chefs a little as they worked. Everything here is homemade and fresh, from the twice-fried french fries, to the chopped liver and smoked brisket.
My decision was easy: the mont royal.
Potato and chive latke, lox, and a dollop of creme fraiche.
Heaven. Everything was seasoned well, presented simply, and absolutely delicious. The best part? Neither the lox nor the latkes were greasy. I could eat this every day. Continue reading Mile End
By Ari, on January 14th, 2012
I’ve rearranged a few priorities in my life.
First, I’m eating more vegetables. Kale, squash… those are both great.
Second, I’m trying to consume less fatty cuts of meat. In this tart, I opt to use pancetta over bacon. It’s the healthy choice.
Third, I’m eating more butter. Making this tart dough on a regular basis is definitely a good life choice.
Alright, this last one should probably be removed from my priority list. Baby steps.
Anyway, I’m starting off the new year with a healthy perspective, and from here on out I’ll try to cut back on things like sweets and fried foods. Promise.
…except for the recipe I’ll post in a few days about zucchini fritters. Is it still considered bad if you’re frying up veggies?!
Continue reading Kale, Taleggio, and Butternut Squash Tart
By Ari, on January 4th, 2012
Oh yes I did.
Now I know I said that our New Year’s diets would begin in the new year (makes sense), but I baked these on December 31st. That’s not technically cheating, is it?
Technically, we ate bacon, egg, and cheese croissants for breakfast the two following mornings (okay, that’s definitely cheating), but we were just trying to use these up as quickly as possible so said diet could begin sooner. You’re following my logic, right?
Oh, whatever.
These were so worth the calories. My pants were beginning to fit a little loose anyway.
The obvious question: were they hard to make?
Hard? No, not really. Time consuming? A resounding yes.
There’s a lot of down time involved in making croissants. You spread the process out over two days, though, so it’s not that bad. Shall we? Continue reading Croissants
By Ari, on January 1st, 2012
You know the saying, “Don’t wish your life away?” I try not to. I try to live in the present. To soak up whatever joys and sorrows are currently thrusting themselves into my life. But every new year I find myself anticipating what’s next. Last year it was all things wedding-related, my first real job and paycheck, which lead to my first shopping spree (you can see where my priorities lie), and generally enjoying life in NYC. It was a good year – nay, a great one. The highlight was marrying my best friend. (Can you really blame me for thinking that?)
Now we’re jumping head first into 2012. I’m already wishing the months would pass by sooner so I can get to the “good stuff.” (I can’t help it!) Of the many wonderful events taking shape this year, we’ve got even more weddings to attend (my brother’s, our cousins’, and many close friends — so far we’re looking at FL, NJ, RI, MA, and England!), hopefully a pleasure trip or two (all I want to do is eat and travel), which leads to my absolute favorite thing: trying new food, which I intend to do a lot of.
And I’m about to start a new job!
As with anything in life, this year has brought its own fair share of ups and downs. Having a place to divulge those details has been immensely rewarding. I always knew that food could bring people together, but until I began Tasty Retreat, I never knew how therapeutic writing about food could be.
This blog is so much more than a collection of recipes. Every plate of food has a story, and for the last year and a half you’ve let my share my stories with you. Thank you all for every kind word you’ve shared with me. Thank you for trying these recipes and letting me know how they turn out (it means more to me than you know). And thank you for supporting me on this (seemingly unending) journey as I figure out the dos and don’ts of surviving in the food industry. Continue reading Best of 2011
By Ari, on December 29th, 2011
Also known as “seven layer cookies.”
Or “Italian-American cookies that don’t actually exist in Italy.” (Trust me, we looked.)
Let’s review: as I’ve said before, baking is not my forte. All the measuring and preciseness just does not suit me (…unless we’re talking about the to die for rosemary shortbread, which is easy peasy and perhaps the greatest invention of life — please go make some immediately). But I’ve always loved a good challenge.
A few weeks ago, John brought home a box of these lil’ cuties. Per our usual self-restraint, we quickly ate them all. I knew I wanted to try making them at home, but was just waiting for a recipe to fall into my lap.
Ask and ye shall receive. Just last week, Heather Homemade posted this very recipe! Basically, the cookie gods wanted me to bake. And who am I to disregard such indirect orders?
So what the heck are rainbow cookies anyway? Other than delicious, I would describe these as almond-cake cookies coated in a thin layer of chocolate.
Alright, fingers crossed. Let’s do this.
Continue reading Rainbow Cookies
By Ari, on December 28th, 2011
Julia Child. The woman who brought cooking to television; who reassured home cooks that making mistakes was okay. The woman behind boeuf bourguignon.
A few years ago my friend Dana and I went to the movies and saw Julie & Julia. We were smitten, head-over-heels even, for Meryl Streep’s character, and promptly began talking to each other in our best “Julia Child” voices. (This may still happen on occasion…) After the movie, we walked over to Barnes & Noble and each picked up a copy of Julia’s infamous cookbook: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. (Yes, we are the type of people this movie targets — the women who run out and buy the highly re-publicized object of affection within an hour of seeing the film. Way to go, marketing department.)
Somewhere between reminiscing over our times in Paris and the smell of buttery croissants, we decided to make Julia’s presence in our lives more prominent. Thus began our intimate monthly Julia Child Dinner Club. It only happened a handful of times (apparently grad students have a limited schedule or something), but a few of our closest friends would get together once a month and prepare several dishes from MtAoFC.
As we prepared our first dinner, Dana and I were shocked when we realized just how much butter and cream were thrown into these recipes. It’s almost as if Julia was actively trying to scare people away. But alas, we stuck it out. We delightfully tossed in a bit of butter here, a large splash of cream there, and copious amounts of salt, resulting in one hell of a meal. (With the amount of calories these recipes pack, you only want to do this once a month. Trust me.)
My time in grad school has obviously come to an end (R.I.P. Julia Child Dinner Club), but there’s a part of me that still wants to keep Julia’s legacy alive. I cannot imagine making some of her recipes in the heat of summer, but now that we’re dropping down into the 30′s during the day, I have no excuse.
There is no other recipe in MtAoFC that screams Julia Child quite as much as her famed boeuf bourguignon. After months of hiding on my bookcase, it was time to dust the ol’ lady off and bring her back to life.
Continue reading Julia’s Boeuf Bourguignon
By Ari, on December 25th, 2011
Twas the morning of Christmas, and all through the town,
Not a creature was stirring, except Jews in nightgowns,
They left in a hurry, from their warm cozy beds,
With coffee in hand, as they ran for their sleds,
To Russ & Daughters, or Katz’s, they flew with delight,
In search of pastrami, and nova, so right!
They pushed Moishe and Miriam out of the way,
To be first in line on this merry Christmas day,
After an hour long wait, they successfully left,
And returned to their kitchen, to fry up the best,
Little latkes in town, (except for her Mother-in-law’s,
Whose recipe is a secret, and guarded with claws),
One latke, two latkes, three latkes, four,
All topped with salmon, and creme fraiche galore,
Then scattered with scallions, and piled up high,
As they both sat down, with a twinkle in their eyes,
Belly lox on the left, Scottish salmon on the right,
And within moments, they disappeared out of sight,
Their stomachs were full, and their kitchen a mess,
The smell of hot oil covered her dress,
They changed into sweatpants, and opened some wine,
And bummed around the house, just killing some time,
With the tv turned on, and marathons playing
Law & Order! NCIS! Their favorites (just sayin’),
They caught up on blogs, and cleaned up their place,
Until dinner that evening, (Chinese food, around 8),
After a long day of eating, they settled down for the night,
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good bite!
 Continue reading On Christmas
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