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Category: Recipes

Poached Eggs over Four-Spice Spinach

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There is nothing quite like the delicate texture of the whites and the warm, runny yolk of a
poached egg. It is a remarkably simple way to make eggs, and while most Americans associate poached eggs with hollandaise sauce, or eggs Benedict, poaching is one of the best cooking methods for creating healthy eggs. Adding spinach makes for a nutrient rich dish, and a nourishing start to the day.


My favorite way to enjoy poached eggs is over Four-Spice Spinach. It is so flavorful, and the
spinach serves as the perfect medium to sop up all the lovely, warm yolk. While there is no
need for bread, you can certainly place a toasted slice under the spinach. In fact, once you have mastered the basics of poaching eggs, you can explore variations: add sliced avocado, grilled tomatoes, or smoked salmon beneath the spinach—It is as simple as stacking your favorite ingredients and sprinkling them with herbs, spices or just salt and pepper. When I want a quick, simple, and healthful dinner, I create a spinach salad with my favorite ingredients, add smoked salmon and a poached egg—the variations are endless.


This recipe calls for one egg per person, and lots of spinach, but you can easily poach more
eggs.

poached egg with salmon and spinach


Yield: Serves 2

Cauliflower “Couscous” With Garden Fresh Herbs

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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

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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

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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)

Boundry Waters Roasted Wild Rice Soup

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Adapted from The Marshall Field’s Cookbook (Book Kitchen 2006)

There is no better way to thank a hostess than with a thoughtful gift you know she will appreciate, and it is especially touching when you share something that also brings your friendship closer together. My dear friend, Sara, a Minnesotan, gifted me a bag of her favorite roasted wild rice—it is a little harder to come by than you would image! 

Sara recalled an entertaining dinner conversation we had in Southampton a few years ago. We talked at length about comfort food and concluded that there is no more reliable a cure for whatever ails you—whether you make it like grandma or update it for your own palate.  Our go-to comfort foods say so much about where we grew up and how we were raised, they connect us to our roots and wrap us in familial warmth. Her favorite comfort food is a creamy wild rice soup, made with her favorite roasted wild rice.

The rice she loves is made by Lund & Byerlys where I found a recipe for a creamy soup that included ham. There are numerous bloggers from Minnesota who share their version of this popular soup and I loved reading about their childhood memories of visits to the Boundary Waters Café and Marshall Field’s. New Yorker’s have similar childhood recollections of Christmas at Macy’s Herald Square. The Marshall Field’s references led me to a creamy chicken and wild rice soup recipe which appeared in their cookbook—today I am sharing a version of that recipe. It is exactly what I envisioned when Sara so passionately described her favorite comfort food, and it is as deliciously satisfying as I imagined—truly a soul warming, comforting soup.

Sara has fond memories of this soup always being served with fresh, warm popovers and maple butter! What a perfect accompaniment. 

Next on my bucket list is to plan a visit to the beautiful Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the magical place that inspired this soup! One of Minnesota’s most beautiful and remote areas—named among the “50 Places of a Lifetime” by National Geographic Traveler. 

Notes: Be sure to rinse your wild rice and only cook until the kernels are al dente, not too tender. This will ensure the rice does not get mushy when added to the soup. 

Yield: Serves 6

Ki-Ra’s Aloe Punch

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Ki-Ra is a retreat center, holistic spa, and family home. A place to escape and nurture your mind, body and spirit with yoga, meditation and deliciously prepared Ayurvedic, organic food. This beautiful 25-acre oceanfront minimalist retreat close to Parque Nacional del Este in the South-East corner of the Dominican Republic is the perfect setting to get back in sync with nature and yourself—reset and recharge.

The best part of any wellness retreat is finding a stress-relieving, detoxifying treatment or technique that can also work at home. Ki-Ra’s “Hip Bath & Aloe Punch” is both relaxing and invigorating. A treatment done at sunrise to wake up and purify the digestive system—a wonderful way to start the day! This can easily be done in your bath at home, or simply begin your day with an aloe punch.

Why Aloe? Aloe vera, a succulent that grows abundantly in tropical climates, has been used for centuries as a medicinal plant. It is believed to have beneficial properties for losing weight, acting as a natural laxative, and improving the digestive system. It is also credited with controlling cholesterol and triglyceride levels. 

For medicinal purposes, Ayurvedic practitioner Kyra Montagu recommends drinking one ¼-cup of her aloe punch every day for up to three months and advises women not to consume it while menstruating. It is also recommended that women avoid consuming aloe during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. Kyra says it is best to drink in the morning before breakfast.

When cutting your aloe leaf, be sure to extract the gel only, peeling away all of the green rind and avoiding the yellow sap that lies just beneath the green rind of the leaf, known as aloe latex—which can have adverse health effects. 

When harvesting aloe vera gel at home, make only the amount you will consume right away. Natural enzymes and bacteria begin to break down the active ingredients quickly; and as they degrade, their ability to deliver health benefits diminishes. 

Yield: Serves 1 (¼ cup)

Olive Tapenade Dip

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On a recent trip to Bermuda with dear friends, our host shared his dislike for olives but love of olive tapenade! It is not an uncommon conundrum.  For those who appreciate the flavors of Provence, a classic tapenade is delightful, a mildly seasoned spread traditionally served on baguette slices or with crudités. It is the perfect contrast to creamy dips like hummus and spinach-artichoke.

Our tapenade discussion inspired me to pull out this old recipe, another easy way to create a special dish for the family or entertaining friends—it takes only five minutes to make. I have also tossed this dip with fresh, hot pasta, and used it as a rub for baked chicken.

Niçoise or Kalamata olives are best for this recipe, you can also use green Castelvetrano, olives—I like to offer both. 

Yield: Makes 1 1/2 cups 

Bellini Cocktail

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After serving one last Valentine’s Day dinner in 2004, Lutèce, the renowned landmark French restaurant on New York’s East Side, closed its doors, ending a more than 40-year run as the best restaurant in the United States (according to Julia Child and Zagat).

André Soltner, the chef for 34 years and the owner for most of that time, was one of the first chefs in America to emphasize the freshest possible ingredients. His philosophy continues to inform my cooking to this day. 

André and his lovely wife, Simone, who ran the dining room, radiated unpretentious warmth and charm. André was always present to greet guests and he came to know their tastes and preferences, like a caring father. One of my favorite desserts was his hot, chocolate soufflé, and when André learned that I did not like to taste the eggs in my soufflé, and preferred more chocolate, he adjusted it to my palate and would check in with me after dessert to be sure I was pleased—Unforgettable!  

I talk more about the Soltner’s influence on my culinary adventures in both of my books, Palm Beach Entertaining, and Hamptons Entertaining, but today I want to talk about Valentine’s day, Curly, and Bellini’s. 

Curly was the jovial, completely bald bartender at Lutèce who introduced me to the Bellini. He always had a kind word and would make me smile no matter what kind of day I was having. He was genuinely happy to see regulars, and Curly had a talent for curating conversation at the bar. For Curly, the Bellini was a romantic cocktail, perfect for a lady! It became my cocktail of choice for many years, and to this day it symbolizes romance, femininity, and celebration. He liked to add a dash of Chambord to the classic cocktail.

Valentine’s day would not be the same without a Bellini—created by Guiseppe Cipriani at the legendary Harry’s Bar in Venice it owes its name and color to Cipriani’s fascination with Giovanni Bellini, a 15th-century Venetian artist. Originally prepared with Prosecco and white peach purée, it is perfectly acceptable to use yellow peach puree or prepared peach nectar.  

For me, the Bellini will always conjure up a smile, fond memories of dinners at Lutèce and romance.

Yield: Makes 1

Cranberry Margarita

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Everyone has their spirit of choice, especially during the holidays. For our Thanksgiving gatherings, the traditional welcome drink has always been a warm, homemade, spiced apple cider—spiked with a dark, aged rum for the adults. This year, with a smaller group and no children visiting, I decided to make Margaritas!

Tequila has become especially popular with our friends and family. It is the gluten free go-to drink, and the Blanco and Silver varieties don’t contain sugary syrups nor are they aged in wood, so they are unlikely to contain congeners—the chemical impurities that can exacerbate hangovers. 

For this Thanksgiving-in-a-glass cocktail, feel free to substitute thawed, frozen cranberries for fresh ones, and remember, cocktails are an intuitive process you should approach like you do cooking—if your cranberries are especially tart, use more simple syrup.

Yield: Makes 2

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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This super easy fall dish has graced our Thanksgiving table for years. Along with cranberry sauce, applesauce and stuffing, it is one of the classics, and this simple version, with just 4 ingredients, is always a crowd-pleaser.  

If there’s extra time, I prefer to heat a large, cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of oil to coat the pan. Add the Brussels sprouts, cut side down and sear for 3-4 minutes, or until light golden brown on the underside. Then, transfer the pan to the oven and follow the recipe below. If the pan is too crowded, transfer the sprouts to a baking sheet.

You can easily elevate this recipe with your favorite flavors. Here are just a few of the variations we have enjoyed.

  • Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Walnuts: After 10 minutes of roasting, remove the pan and toss the Brussels sprouts with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, more to taste. Then, place the pan back in the oven to finish baking. Just before serving, toss the roasted Brussels sprouts with ½ cup toasted walnuts.
  • Parmesan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts: After 10 minutes of roasting, remove the pan and sprinkle ¼ cup Parmesan cheese over the tops of the Brussels sprouts. Then, place the pan back in the oven to finish baking. 
  • Balsamic-Glazed Roasted Brussels Sprouts: During the final 5 minutes of baking, drizzle the Brussels sprouts with 2 tablespoons of balsamic glaze. Toss to coat and return the pan to the oven to continue baking. Drizzle with balsamic glaze before serving.
  • Garlic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts: Toss 5 cloves of sliced garlic with the olive oil, salt and pepper, coating sprouts well. Bake according to the recipe below. 
  • Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

For all flavor profiles, begin with fresh Brussels sprouts for the best results–bright green, and firm. Avoid sprouts that feel mushy or have loose leaves that are yellowing or have black spotting. Submerging sprouts in a bowl of ice-cold water helps cut some of their natural bitterness. Be sure to drain and dry the sprouts so they are completely dry before roasting.

Yield: Serves 4