Seated App

Month: April 2021

Need Help Finding Your Next Book?

Posted on by Admin General

On these pages you will find a curated collection of my favorite readings, featuring everything from cookbooks to mindful eating and entertaining, to the memoirs and stories that inspire and inform our knowledge of food, culture, and community.

Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent booksellers. They make it easy and convenient to purchase books online while supporting independent bookstores at the same time! Long-time bibliophiles and collectors like me create lists focused on linked interests. My page is centered on food—cooking, culinary capers, and food memories described through the lens of historical fiction, as well as beautifully illustrated books on gardens and gardening, and interiors that inspire gatherings. 

Some of the shops my collection supports are the very booksellers who championed both Palm Beach Entertaining and Hamptons Entertaining, as well as their respective philanthropic missions. Like Bookshop, the owners of these stores are passionate about supporting local authors. 

I will be adding books monthly, just click the social media icon on my home page or type in bookshop.org/shop/anniefalk to access my curated list.

At the moment, Bookshop is sold out of both Palm Beach Entertaining and Hamptons Entertaining, so these links take you to Amazon. Did you know that simply typing in smile.amazon.com allows your Amazon purchases to generate donations? You can choose your charity, track your impact, and donate items. Environmental Working Group benefits from all my eligible purchases on Amazon.

I hope you enjoy Bookshop and this selection of carefully chosen books. 

Please let me know if you have a favorite that is not listed or if you enjoy one of my recommendations.

Cauliflower “Couscous” With Garden Fresh Herbs

Posted on by Admin General

The first time I tried this delicious cauliflower “couscous” was at Ki-Ra’s and I could not wait to learn how to make it. Light, healthful, and satisfying, it is a wonderfully versatile recipe that can be a base for so many creations. I was delighted to learn how easy it is to make—simply pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until they resemble couscous. 

Eaten raw, the grains are tender and crunchy, and can be tossed into a salad. Cooking the “couscous” makes the cauliflower more tender and rice-like, which is how Kyra served it—as a side dish to accompany a spicy vegetable curry. 

So many of my friends are vegan and gluten free, and in my own home we are eating a mostly plant-based diet these days, so I was thrilled to learn how to make this easy dish of fragrant herbs and fresh cauliflower. I was especially excited to discover that renowned chef Eric Rippert, adds market vegetables and an argan oil vinaigrette  to create his version, a rich tasting, vegetarian “couscous.” 

The combinations are endless, so have fun and make this recipe your own by adding your favorite culinary herbs, artisan oils, and vegetables.

Yield: Serves 6 (side dish)

How to Refresh a Loaf of Bread

Posted on by Admin General

A parting gift, from the handmade to the most opulent and elegant, is a thoughtful expression of appreciation to those who joined you on a special occasion, and oftentimes serves to mark the experience—a memento of the time you shared together. It is often presented upon a guest’s departure, and the sentiment always touches me deeply.

After a weekend with friends, our host and hostess woke early to see us off and presented us with a well-wrapped package. When we arrived home, we discovered it was a loaf of homemade Purple Corn Sourdough Bread! We and our fellow guests had been enjoying this delicious bread all weekend long with a delightful selection of jams, fresh eggs, cheese, and lots of complements to the host and hostess. It was truly a thoughtful favour.

Attached to the beautifully wrapped loaf was a tag with instructions on refreshing the bread. Below you will find a similar tag you can print along with this recipe’s instructions. Normally, we would have devoured it the next morning, but decided to let it harden a bit to test the instructions. A few days later, we revived our bread, shared it at breakfast with our family, along with stories of our memorable weekend with friends. It was as delicious as we remembered and evoked fond recollections of the precious time we shared together with special friends.

Fruit Salad Infused with French Four Spice Syrup

Posted on by Admin General

Hotel Manapany located in Anse de Cayes, a beautiful, untamed beach in St. Barth’s, debuted in the spring of 2018. A five-star, eco-friendly resort that rests among the glitzier hotels for which the island is known. It is the only resort on St. Barth’s deeply committed to protecting the environment, with amenities that include electric vehicles for guests to use and solar-powered electricity. Manapany produces its own water, maintains a vegetable and fruit garden, and provides towels made from natural products—eco sensitive luxury at its best.

The hotel exudes authentic French-Caribbean culture, including cocktails infused with rhum agricole from Guadeloupe and Martinique, and a seafood-inspired menu built on the bounty procured from local fishermen and the native herbs from an on-site garden. The extraordinary juxtaposition of casual island food and impeccable haute-cuisine techniques result in memorable fare and unforgettable cocktails.

During our stay, Executive chef Anthony Martel treated us to a bowl of tropical fruit infused with a wonderfully fragrant simple syrup and he was kind enough to share the recipe. This aromatic syrup is easy to make and a delightful way to elevate fruit.

A selection of seasonal, tropical fruits from a local farm in Florida served as my inspiration to revisit the recipe. When using mixed fruits, be sure to cut each into even, bite-sized pieces. For a beautiful addition to a summer buffet dinner, I opted for colorful melon balls and added garden-fresh mint and edible violets.  

Whether you choose tropical, exotic, or local fruits, a high-acid, aromatic white wine will work best. Malvasia, gewürztraminer, or sauvignon blanc are all good choices.

Yield: Serves 4 (1 ½ Cups)