On Wednesday, I was in New York for about seven hours (it’s a nice day trip from Miami), warming my hands with cider from the Union Square Market and later, sipping hot chocolate with my friend Adnaan (pictures and video of both below). Adnaan and I talked about cities and travel, prompting me to pull [...]

In the American South, a bowl of collards = money in the new year. Here’s to a prosperous 2009: Recipe: (for a houseful of people) Add four tablespoons olive oil or 2 pieces of bacon, diced to a large pot over medium. Heat 3 minutes. Add 1/2 small onion, diced, cook 3 min; add 5 [...]

I make latkes the wrong way, as you’ll see, but latkes always feel right as people crowd into the kitchen and surreptitiously select one from the growing pile, volunteering to grate potatoes for the next batch. This is an excellent reason to keep potatoes on hand and just the thing for happy hours in lazy [...]

Rather than the ubiquitous sweets surrounding this season, I’m craving umami, the indulgent fifth taste that I close my eyes to savor. This is a stack of recipes that I combine into hors d’oeuvres, but anchovy aioli and chicken liver pâté are always nice to have on hand—whether or not you assemble them on toasted [...]

The ultimate comfort food? Aligot. Traditionally almost equal parts potato puree and Tomme cheese (joined in elasticity), I like to take mashed potatoes in this direction, adding garlic and Tomme/Raclette to Yukon Golds, stirring with figure eight motions. This Thanksgiving side deserves a place in your dinner rotation all year. I’ll be making this for [...]