Wouldn’t you rather have cocktails with your guests then be chained to your grill? Caterers and many restaurants often precook their protein then finish it off right before serving. Time to think like a pro and follow suit. My citrus marinated pork tenderloin is exceptionally tender. The trick is marinating it the day before. Turning the Ziploc
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
My last cooking class at Dorothy Lane Marker’s Culinary Center was so much fun. We had a great group, plenty of farm fresh ingredients, and a lineup of recipes that could be done almost entirely ahead of time. Let’s face it- if you’re going to have people over you want to be out with your guests, not stuck in the kitchen. The theme was
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food detective
Each day I discover these fabulous emails in my inbox from Bon Appétit, Martha Stewart, and the New York Times, all alerting me to what I should be cooking that day. It’s great marketing, because I click on every one of them. Last week there was one from a continuing series on how to recreate comfort foods. The recipe was for homemade taco
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food detective
While we all hope for velvet results, sometimes we need an iron hand to get there. Lately I’ve been looking to broaden my horizons. I’ve read some fascinating books- Colson Whitehead’s “Underground Railroad”, Affinity Konar’s “Mischling, and I’m just finishing Yaa Gyasi”s “Homegoing”. Obviously I’m not drawn to the cheeriest of books, rather ones
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Last week I was the guest chef at Moraine Country Club. We decided on a tasting menu to showcase all the season had to offer. It was such fun working with the staff and being back in a professional kitchen. As I uniformly chopped crates of vegetables for my gazpacho for sixty and wrestled the massive Hobart mixer the memories came flooding back.
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food detective
In our family the birthday girl dictates the celebratory meal. Most often the menu features bacon wrapped grilled fillets, asparagus or broccoli tossed with lemon and the ever-present twice-baked potato. But as the girls have grown so have their palettes. On a recent trip to Whole Foods in Palm Desert they were offering samples of crispy
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
My hubby and I just celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. I can’t tell you how fortunate I am to be able to spend my days with such a remarkable person. Years ago I thought a solid marriage filled with unconditional love would be just beyond my reach. But then almost a decade ago Dave came into my life. How incredibly fortunate that I would
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
How do you pull a party off in a matter of minutes? The answer is by planning and prepping everything weeks, months and hours ahead of time. The secret to successful entering is in the pre-work. There is actually a direct correlation between the amount of time you put into planning and the ease with which your party comes off. Knowing we wanted to
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Can’t believe tomorrow is July. That said it is time to get your grill on! One of the things I like best about grilling is that most things need to be marinated and that means prepped and placed in a bag hours ahead of time. Another little secret is that most grilled meats should sit for at least fifteen minutes. And if that’s the case then why not
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Just taught my first class at DLM’s Cooking School. What a blast! The theme was a “vertical dinner party”. Many of the students arrived wondering what that term actually meant. Truth is I made it up, but it’s my go-to version of a pumped up cocktail party. When you want to entertain a crowd but are pinched for space, time or money instead of a
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Wherever I find myself, I’m happiest with a full dining room table. As a former professional chef and caterer I want to share what I’ve learned over the past three decades of entertaining. On this site you’ll find tricks of the trade to help even the most harried of you pull off a seemingly seamless fête. Come join the conversation! read more →