Just what you need to beat May’s showers, this creamy soup highlights earthy potatoes with an added punch of spring garlic.

In may be May, but a thick fog has recently taken over Chicago, creating chilly mornings, wet afternoons and brisk nights. This velvety soup is the perfect way to savor the fresh flavors of spring — and warm up while waiting for sunshine. A simple combination of new potatoes, garlic and herbs, it makes an easy lunch alongside a chunk of crusty bread. With a delicate flavor, green garlic is simply young garlic that has not yet developed the bulbs commonly seen as garlic. Available in the early spring months, this versatile vegetable is delicious grilled or sautéed whole, and can be added to a variety of dishes for a fragrant taste, stronger than spring onions but more mild than mature garlic.

Potato and green garlic soup, serves four
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch green garlic, about 8 to 10 garlic plants, trimmed to only the white and light green part and thinly sliced
1 pound new potatoes, cleaned and cut in half
1 cup water
1 bunch thyme
2 bay leaves
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, 1 cup water, bay and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the stock and simmer an additional 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft to the touch. Remove the thyme and bay leaf, and puree using a stick blender or in a stand blender. Do not over process. Strain through a fine sieve and return to pot. Add cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer until heated through. Top with fresh oil, micro greens or garlic chives and serve. Enjoy!

Surprise! Raid your pantry to create a spur-of-the-moment treat packed full of flavor.

In a restaurant, the staff is a family. Crammed together for long hours in a fast pace, intense environment, they spend weekends, holidays, and special occasions together. And everyone from the big jefe to the dishwasher who has worked for the company for thirty years gets something special on their birthday. Of course, the pastry kitchen is home to scraps of dark chocolate cake or lemon curd from a previous night’s special, so coming up with a birthday surprise is more often a job of mastering leftovers than anything else. In a moment of free time (and a lesson on cake preparation), a lucky manager may receive a fondant wrapped jewel. On a busy day, a loved server may find a bowl of his favorite ice cream appear. But whether it’s a batch of special cookies or a fancy cake, everyone is taken care of.

At home, it’s rare to have these ingredients on hand. There just isn’t any room for the frozen doughs, cakes and fillings that make up a pastry kitchen’s stockpile. So it’s with much more determination that a birthday cake is made at home — the flavor choice is all yours. But, just as in the pastry kitchen, don’t rule out using what you already have. Look around the refrigerator and pantry and get creative. Fruit poaching liquid can be used as a syrup to moisten the cake layers, jam is an instant filling, and crushed toasted nuts make a simple, but beautiful decoration for the outside of the cake (here I’ve used the rhubarb and poaching liquid from last week’s coolers). A little creativity can go a long way, and make the process a fun challenge. So for your next birthday treat, look to your pantry before you begin.

Brown sugar cake with chocolate frosting, makes one 9-inch cake
For the cake:
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz butter, softened
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
For the frosting:
12 oz butter, softened
7 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla
To assemble:
1 cup mashed poached fruit, such as rhubarb or berries, or any flavor jam you prefer
1/2 cup simple syrup, or fruit cooking juice (I used the rhubarb and syrup from my cooler)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and sugar a 9″ cake pan. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in a bowl. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed for five minutes, until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. On low speed, slowly add in the flour in three separate additions. Scrape down the sides to combine completely and add the milk, and vanilla, in two additions. Mix until just smooth, but don’t over mix. Pour the batter evenly into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and cool completely.

2. Run a paring knife along the outside of the cake pan to loosen, then gently remove the cake from the pan onto a work surface. Using a long serrated knife, trim the top layer to even out, then cut the cake in half horizontally. Use a pastry brush, coat the inside layer of the bottom piece of the cake with half the syrup. Spread the mashed fruit or jam evenly on top and place this piece of cake on a plate or cake round. Turn the top piece of cake over, so that the inside is upwards, and coat with simple syrup. Lay the syrup side down on top of the mashed fruit or jam, aligning the pieces to get the best fit. Place the cake in the refrigerator to cool while preparing the frosting.

3. Carefully melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, making sure not to burn it. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Add a small amount of the butter mixture into the chocolate and mix with a spatula (this is to temper the butter into the chocolate so the chocolate does not seize when you add it into the butter). Add the chocolate mixture and vanilla into the butter and mix until combined.

4. Remove cake from refrigerator. Use a spatula to coat the cake with icing, first covering sides and then filling in the top. Using a small off-set spatula, create peaks for a messy look or smooth out for a more finished cake. If you smooth out, cover the sides with toasted nuts, coconut or sprinkles, if so desired. Place in the refrigerator to set. Remove fifteen minutes before serving. Enjoy!

With tangy lemon granita and sweet rhubarb soda, this refreshing elixir celebrates one of spring’s first delights.

Like many enthusiastic cooks, I find myself enamored with a new item at the farmer’s market every spring. A few years ago it was dates: Early in the season I was attracted to the crisp texture of raw Khalal dates, and would nibble through half a container before leaving the market. As they softened into cloying mushy jewels, I whipped up earthy date ice cream and added them to cake batter. Another year I couldn’t get enough of the many varieties of Southern Californian persimmons. From crunchy fuyus to soft and smooth hachiyas, my desserts became laced with persimmon custard, mousse and ganache.

But even I am surprised at my newest infatuation. An item I have longed loathed since first cooking it into tart filling at Spago, I suddenly have the tangy taste of rhubarb on my mind. It’s early spring appearance often makes rhubarb a pastry chef’s best friend, who, after a long fruitless winter, is ready for the first signs of flavorful life. But inspired by everything from the rhubarb spiked Commandotroepen cocktail I sipped at Chicago’s Sable to David Rodriguez’s pillowy rhubarb creation at Red Medicine in Los Angeles, the earthy vegetable is quickly becoming my go-to ingredient.

Most commonly used in pie fillings, rhubarb has just as many savory applications as sweet ones. It makes a a wonderful chutney alongside meats and can be shaved into salads for a tangy surprise. Making use of the beautiful cooking liquid that results when poaching rhubarb for tarts or crumbles, this take on a frozen drink can be a wildly tart, refreshing dessert or a brilliant way to liven up your cocktail hour. But rhubarb is only available a short while (from late April through mid-June), departing just as stone fruit and berries start to really ripen, so make sure to grab it while you can.

Rhubarb float, serves 2
For the lemon granita:
2 cups fresh, strained lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

For the rhubarb syrup:
5 stalks fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 orange
1-inch piece ginger, cut into thin slices
1 vanilla bean, pod cut in half and scraped, or 1/1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 L Soda or tonic water

1. For the granita: Pour a small amount of the lemon juice and the sugar into a small pot and bring to a boil. Combine with the remaining lemon juice and pour into a small container. Freeze.

2. For the rhubarb: Combine the sugar, water, vanilla and ginger in a small sauce pot. Add the zest and juice of the orange. Bring to a boil and add the rhubarb. Cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 5 minutes, until rhubarb is just slightly tender. Remove the rhubarb using a slotted spoon and chill, reserving for pie or tart filling. Strain and chill the liquid separately.

3. To assemble: When lemon liquid is completely frozen, use a fork to scrape or shave the ice. Place back in freezer. Combine 1 cup rhubarb liquid with soda water, and shake carefully to combine. Fill glasses with lemon granita and top with rhubarb soda. Add pieces of rhubarb if desired.

Get ready for sunnier days with this light catchall market salad, topped with a rich poached egg.

With a teasing warm afternoon here and there, and more than a few dreary rainy days, spring certainly feels right around the corner. Nothing celebrates the  upcoming season of asparagus! strawberries! ramps! quite like a stroll-through-the-market salad. Toss in a bit of whatever you fancy, whatever you can find, or whatever you have on hand. Fresh cheese, mushrooms, some prosciutto perhaps — and use up extra eggs by topping the salad with a perfect poached egg. Add a little balsamic and you have just the thing to tide you over until the farmer’s market is flush with the produce you have been dreaming of all winter long.

more …

Everyone seems to have a dish they remember eating as a child — a favorite dinner, straight-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, the smell of mother’s apple pie — and just the thought can take you back to a certain moment in time. For Cheryl Tan, nothing compares to her grandmother’s pineapple cookies. In her new memoir A Tiger in the Kitchen, Tan leaves the busy life as a fashion writer behind as she embarks on a personal journey to learn the special recipes of her childhood. The New-York-based writer recently shared how the year she spent with her Aunts and mother in Singapore taught her the history of their family ­­and gave her confidence in the kitchen.

You were a fashion writer for the Baltimore Sun and the Wall Street Journal, living a busy life in New York City. What similarities are there between the fashion and food world?

I went from covering a world that’s about avoiding eating to one that’s all about eating. When I was covering fashion, I went to some of the best restaurants for lunches or covering events, but all everyone does is order a salad. Of course there are some common threads­ — in both industries you have very artistic people who are focused on the details. And I have always loved food.

In the early part of your book, you mention your lack of skill when it comes to cooking — from your failed coconut cookies to your need to follow a recipe. Do you feel as though you have mastered cooking now?

I wouldn’t say that I’ve mastered it, although I’m much more of an expert. Originally, I taught myself to cook. I was living all by myself, so I started clipping out recipes in the newspaper, or off Campbell soup cans. I became more experimental, but I was still glued to recipes. But after the year with my Aunts, Grandmother and my mother­­ — watching them in the kitchen inspired me to be a little more confident.

What is the most important skill you learned in the kitchen?

Of course there were lots of little things, like how to chop quickly so your hands don’t get hurt. But the most important thing was just to be more free with cooking. I was always scared to be free with cooking, but my Aunts said agak-agak, which means guess-guess. Just taste, don’t be so wetted to precession. If it’s too sweet today, you’ll make it less sweet tomorrow.
more …

Savor your lemons with this Mediterranean staple–the salty, sour taste brightens everything from grilled fish to salads to cocktails.

When the New York Times recently published their DIY Handbook, a little spurt of horray! went through me. A long supporter of saving your veggie scraps for stock, using mushroom soup seconds for pickled delights, and taking the two-day time to hand fold puff pastry, these simple recipes- everything from a corn muffin mix to fresh cheese- go hand-in-hand with my living life for food mentality. So I was excited to try these hallowed writer’s suggestions on the best homemade concoctions, and you can’t go wrong with this preserved lemon recipe.

Like the other dozen or so recipes in the mix, this is a variation from a tried and true home preservation cookbook– specifically the recipe hails from Paula Wolfert’s tome Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco. A staple of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, preserved lemons are often used to fragrance tangines and marinades, in chicken dishes and in salads. Though you can purchase the salty-sour citrus in stores, the homemade variety allows for additional spices such as cinnamon, cardamon or fennel, and you can continually add left-over lemons to the salted lemon juice (just make sure everything is completely covered in liquid). After a few weeks you’ll not only have pickled lemons to julienne into spring salads, coleslaws, and top sautéed fish with, you’ll also have a great lemony brine to add to salad dressings and marinades. So the next time you find yourself with a few extra lemons almost past their prime, save the day with this DIY recipe.

Preserved Lemons, adapted from New York Times D.I.Y. Handbook, makes two-pint jars
7 to 9 medium, organic lemons
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
2 heaping tbsp black peppercorns
4 bay leaves

1.  Scrub  7 to 8 lemons, enough to fit snugly in the two jars. Slice the lemons from the top in half, just to a 1/2-inch from the bottom, and then again the other way, so the lemon is quartered but still attached at one end.  Rub kosher salt all over lemons and reshape back together.

2. Cover the bottom of each jar with 2 tbsp of kosher salt. Fit all the lemons into the two jars, breaking them apart if necessary. Sprinkle each layer with remaining salt.

3. Press the lemons down into jars to release their juices. Add to each jar one tbsp black peppercorns and 2 bay leaves, and any additional spices you may desire. Squeeze the additional 1 to 2 lemons into the jars until juice covers everything. It may be easier to pour the contents of the jar into a bowl, mix thoroughly and then refill the jar, layering the lemons with the brine.

4. Close the jars tightly and place in a cool dark place, shaking the jars every day for 3 to 4 weeks, or until the rinds are tender to the bite. Continue to store in the refrigerator for up to one year.

5. To use: remove a piece of lemon and rinse. Julienne, or thinly slice, lemon rind and add to salads, at the end of cooking (especially good with sautéed hearty greens and seafood), and baked goods. Scoop the pulp (or use the brine) out and add to everything from jams to marinades to purees (or Bloody Marys).

With all the buzz that Ruth Reichl will helm a new Gilt Groupe food website, I see an opportunity to work for my idol. So, I’m taking matters into my own bit of cyberspace. Here’s why Ruth should entrust me as web editor and food writer extraordinaire:

1. I’m obsessed with food
I spend all my money eating at every restaurant in town, spend every minute of my time reading food websites, magazines and books, testing and cooking recipes, writing for (this lovely!) website and freelancing. When I’m in a lull between foodie adventures – from festivals to food-based vacations to markets – something just feels off.

2. I’m qualified on paper
A master’s graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, I am a one-man-band reporter/editor. Need a video shot of a chef butchering a whole lamb in the a.m., edited by mid-day and posted online, with additional high-quality photographs plus links with suggestions for butchering knives, by afternoon? I’m your gal. I’ve done the CSS and HTML for several websites (including this one!), maneuvered my way through several CMS platforms, shot and edited video and audio for interactive packages, and helped design/execute a prototype magazine for the iPad, Beaucoup, using Adobe’s new software.

3. I’m actually qualified
I have a bachelor’s of science in culinary arts from Drexel University and over seven years experience in the restaurant industry. My first real job was working at Spago Beverly Hills where Pastry Chef Sherry Yard kicked my butt into shape, which means I not only know how to hold a chefs knife, quenelle, and make a souffle properly, but I can taste the difference between Seascape and Gaviotta strawberries. From the farm focus I learned at Spago and my stage at Manresa to the modernist cuisine I learned at Providence and my stage at The Fat Duck, I can write my way through any food experience, culinary challenge or recipe.

4. Gourmet was the best job I’ll never have
Gourmet was the first food magazine I can remember reading and was the real reason I applied to journalism school. It had been my dream to work with the team that created Gourmet since I can remember, and everything I did, from culinary school to writing restaurant reviews for my college paper to working on a French goat farm was a step towards my goal of Gourmet. The day it was announced that Gourmet was done, I cried. Literal tears streamed down my face. If that’s not dedicated I don’t know what is.

5. I am a Ruth Reichl fanatic (in a good way)
I’ve read all your books, the Gourmet weekly e-mail  word-for-word, Gourmet every month (see above), and follow your tweets. I want to work with the best, and you are the best.

6. I’m hardcore
You can’t work for seven years in restaurants and not be. Twenty days of 17-hour shifts. Been there. Five a.m. shifts, done that. Work till 2 a.m. and back at 6? Done that too. I’m willing to do whatever it takes, whenever, to get the job done and my standards are cut from the perfectionist block of the chefs who trained me.

7. I’m well-rounded
I can do more than just recipes and cookbooks. As the food science reporter for Medill News Service, I covered a variety of health and science related topics, including but not limited to breaking news updates on poultry safety regulations, the state of economics of Illinois farming and the intricacies of preparing a cow horn with quartz for biodynamic farming. And my fellowship with the Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern allowed me to research how climate change affects our food systems and practices.

8. I’m a forward-thinking gal
I believe that for any publication to succeed in this ever-evolving world of online media, it is absolutely crucial to keep at the forefront of the industry and develop an innovative relationship with the reader. I am constantly reading about media, web, and technology and teaching myself the techniques necessary to craft this relationship.

9. I’m me

I’m hoping that this list will act as my personal homing beacon straight to you-know-who. If you’re reading this, Ruth, my portfolio’s here and I’d love to tell you even more reasons why I’d be a sure-fire asset at your new site.

Piping hot, straight out of the oven, the fresh, flaky taste of rich butter and sweet chocolate is worth the hard work croissants take.

Croissants are a true labor of love. A two-day process involving successive folding, rolling and relaxing of the dough,  the simple butter and flour mixture needs a lot of attention to turn into the perfect pastry sidekick for your morning cappuccino. This isn’t an everyday recipe, and enough local bakers produce quality croissants that it’s one of the few items generally acceptable to purchase on a regular basis. But there is something soothing in making this dough every once in a while, and adding it into your repertoire is sure to up your baking ante.

Croissant dough is similar to puff pastry; a yeast-leavened dough is wrapped around butter and folded several times to create layers in a process called lamination. When the dough bakes, the butter melts, creating air between the dough layers, causing the end product to puff up. My first real memory of making puff pastry comes from my time working as a pastry cook at Spago Beverly Hills.  Puff pastry was in high demand- it was regularly used for a savory foie gras tart on the garde manger station, a dessert trio for large parties, and for dessert specials, like a farmer’s market fruit tart with champagne sabayon. That meant that making puff pastry was an important task: At any given time the dough was being made, chilled or rolled out on the bakeshop’s large sheeter- a machine that gently pushed the dough back and forth, making the process of rolling an extra-large batch slightly easier.

more …

Three Michelin stars, best restaurant in America, and a chef with a death defying, Oprah-worthy-story: Alinea’s everything it should be.

For all that Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas do to set themselves apart from the pack, dinner at Alinea is everything you expect – unbelievable. From the Star Trek sliding front doors to the teasing kitchen view of several dozen cooks to the final course- a peanut butter, chocolate, blueberry dessert plated table side on the table atop a thin rubber tablecloth- every element is just as it should be: thoughtful, thought-provoking, playful, and delicious.

Lacking the pretension or overbearing presence that often comes with many multi-course, haute cuisine meals, the staff seems almost as giddy to be serving each course as the diners are to be enjoying them. With sly smiles and coy descriptions, the presentations arrive on the infamous metal spoons, vials, tiny platters, and delicate ceramic wear of Martin Kastner, the restaurant’s wildly talented service ware designer. more …

The world wide web can teach you a thing or two about where to go, what to eat, and how to do it all without breaking the bank.

Who knows how the world went round before the advent of the Internet. Just how did Julia Child explore all those Parisian restaurants without searching chowhound for suggestions or using a smartphone to guide her to  the newest openings? It’s good for a lot, but for the foodie, surfing the net is great. From finding a romantic restaurant in a foreign city to looking for cheap eats, you can almost become an epicurean authority without ever leaving home. But the food tastes oh-so-better in person than onscreen, so get up from that computer, armed with suggestions from some of these top sites, apps, and services.

Find your Foodie guru
With weekly e-mails and an iPhone application, Foodie offers users specials, discounts and offers at Chicago-area restaurants that can’t be beat. Using the app, diners-in-the-know can score exclusive reservations at the no-reservations Bucktown-favorite The Bristol or complimentary courses at restaurants like Province. Blackboard Eats is a similar websites that offers daily specials at restaurants in cities like Los Angeles and New York, plus national online steals.

Get app friendly
If you have a smart phone handy, load it up with apps that will help you locate the best foodie finds, and save. For those who love to chase down their meals on wheels, Foodtruck and foodtrucker are apps that keep an eye out for what Korean/taco, philly cheesesteak, and macaroni roadie chef is popping up where. Want something a bit more grounded, but not sure where to go? Apps like Urbanspoon and Yelp easily show you what locales are nearby, including pricing, reviews, and all the info you need to get to the table.

Join the crowd
Your inbox may already be packed, but add a few foodie sites to the list of incoming. TastingTable sends you daily updates of openings, trends and recipes, and their online service allows you to save favorites in a checklist of restaurants to go to (plus download the app to view all their suggested hotspots near you). And sites like Groupon and LivingSocial aren’t just for scoring deals on clothes and spas­– change your settings to maximize coupons for food deals and you’ll be saving in no time.

Check in already
While you don’t need to be like that friend who regularly posts status updates from the dry-cleaners, yoga studio and grocery store, checking in at restaurants and bars may be worth the price of privacy. Using the check-in option on smart phone apps for Facebook, foursquare and Yelp can earn you coupons, like a dollar off beers or two-for-one discounts. But you never know where you’ll score until you’re a pro, so you kind of have to take a chance with this one.

Look to the blogger in the know
In every city there is someone who is doing exactly what you want to be doing- going to the coolest restaurants, eating the best food, hanging out with chefs and restaurateurs- only they’re doing it much better. And blogging about it. You can’t live in LA and not read about Caroline on Crack’s antics at pop-up dinners and bar crawls. Or be in the windy city and not hear Chicago Foodies thoughts on the latest microbrew. Find your foodie blogger, and you’ll find the true key to the city.