gorgonzola risotto

we have a favor to ask of you! whether you read regularly or just found us, we'd love your help in nominating pictures & pancakes for saveur's best of 2011 awards for food photography! go here and vote to get us on the ballot. the previous year's lists are filled with amazing artists we'd love to share company with - thanks for your help everyone!

the sun came out for a bit today and we pretended it was warm by having our first kelvin slush of the season - ginger and white peach, yum! we are headed to Birmingham, AL next week to work on a project we're excited to share. any food destinations we can't miss while we're there? also can't wait to share a recent shoot we did with adam richman of man vs. food. some great new cookbooks are out - can't wait to pick up this book on all things goat, heidi's latest and matt's book as well!

here's an easy, indulgent risotto recipe perfect for lunch with a salad or as a side paired with a nice piece of beef and a good bottle of red wine. it's so good and incredibly rich - you'll want to eat the entire pot!

Gorgonzola Risotto

serves 4

2 tbs olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup arborio rice

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 to 1 cup water

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 oz gorgonzola dulce

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

salt & pepper

parmesan cheese for garnish

heat oil in a medium pot over medium high heat. add onion and saute 5 to 8 minutes or until translucent. add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. add rice and stir to coat with oil, cooking 1 minute. add 1 cup of stock and stir constantly until all of the liquid is absorbed by the rice. add remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until each portion is absorbed and rice is tender. add water 1/4 cup at a time if rice is not tender enough after 4 cups of stock have been added. reduce heat to low and stir in cream and gorgonzola. stir and cook until thickened. remove from heat, add walnuts and season to taste with salt and pepper. divide between bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese. enjoy!

behind the bar

we wanted to give you a sneak peek to a guest post that will be up in april on behind the bar, a design sponge monthly cocktail feature. we were lucky enough to share our gin & ginger a while back, and were thrilled to be asked to do another. we're really on a whiskey kick right now, and created a drink that we hope everyone can enjoy...we'll share the link to the recipe for our blackberry smash as soon as it's up! in the meantime, these simple cocktail nuts are perfect to go with almost any cocktail - cheers.

spicy maple almonds

makes 2 cups

2 cup dry roasted unsalted almonds

2 tbs maple syrup

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground chipolte chili

toss all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. spread on a sheet pan and place in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. let cool completely and enjoy!

new work

just a quick hello and happy monday! wanted to share some fun new work in the april issue of martha stewart living - shot a delicious mad hungry with stuffed leg of lamb and steamed artichokes, a perfect menu from lucinda to get you in the mood for spring. the shoot was art directed by our friend dimity jones - check out her blog three to one.

think we're still stuffed from a good eating weekend in boston - tater tots near fennway here, creative cocktails with amazing ice cubes here, pizza and march madness here and maybe one of the best brunches of all time at highland kitchen!

stew & snow

from warm and sunny friday to snow and sleet today, east coast weather is so confusing! it's a good day to stay inside, read a book with a cup of tea and make a pot of this hearty warming fish stew. it's light and healthy while still being satisfying. and it's versatile - throw in whatever combinations of vegetables, beans, grains and fish you have on hand.

check out this article i worked on for the nest with a few other members of the big leo family. did you see the beet detox spread our friend jen, shot for the new issue of rue - it's beautiful! ready for a fun weekend in boston to celebrate a great friend's birthday - including a wine tasting event here.

Cod & White Bean Stew

serves 2

1 tbs olive oil

3 leeks, white and light green parts, sliced and cleaned well

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed

2 cups chicken stock

1 small bunch thyme

8 oz cod, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2 tbs chopped parsley

salt & pepper

heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium high heat. add leeks saute for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. add celery and garlic and saute a few minutes more. add tomatoes, beans, stock and thyme and bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender and warmed. add cod and simmer 5 to 8 minutes or until white and flaky. remove from heat, stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. enjoy!

pb, chocolate & salt

a cool rainy thursday in nyc is the perfect day to bake! actually, any day is perfect for this easy combination of amazing flavors of peanut butter, chocolate and salt. we adapted this from an over ten year old bon appetit recipe found on epicurious.

also, check out what we've been up to lately:

- the spring issue of sweet paul magazine is out. we were happy to be a part of the kids issue developing & shooting 'freeze it' and especially enjoyed eating the strawberry shortcake ice cream sandwiches!

- hopefully you didn't miss andrew's latest work in the march issue of martha stewart living like these tasty cocktails, zucchini nut bread cookie sandwiches (and a fun stop motion video on the ipad), and lucinda's uncorned beef which we will definitely be making next week!

- i styled a great lamb article in the april/may issue of fine cooking and really enjoyed the roasted loins with mustard herb crust for dinner after the shoot!

- check out the blog at kosher.com, a great client we've been developing recipes for each month.

have a great weekend!

Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

makes 2 dozen

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup old- fashioned oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

1/4 cup honey

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 ounces milk chocolate chips

2 tbs maldon salt

in a medium bowl, mix flour oats, baking soda and salt together. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together peanut butter, sugar and butter until fluffy. add honey, egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. add dry ingredients in two additions and stir in chocolate. refrigerate dough 30 minutes or until no longer sticky.

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. roll a heaping tablespoonful of dough with your hands to make a ball and place on greased baking sheet, placing 12 on each sheet. using hands or the bottom of a glass, press balls down slightly so cookie is about 1/4-inch thick. sprinkle with maldon salt and bake 11 to 13 minutes or until beginning to brown but still slightly soft to the touch. cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. enjoy!

apple brandy

here's a quick and refreshing cocktail inspired by a drink from jg domestic that i tasted on a recent trip to philly. it went perfectly with the hickory smoked georgia pecans with maple & bacon! we used apple brandy from harvest spirits for this libation - they are located in the hudson valley and apparently give tours and tastings at their distillery. sounds like we need to take a road trip soon!

The Philadelphia

makes 1

1 oz high quality gin

1 oz apple brandy

1 tbs meyer lemon juice

2 tsp maple syrup

3 1/2 oz club soda

1 sprig thyme

1 slice of apple

in a cocktail shaker, combine gin, brandy, lemon juice and maple syrup with ice and shake well. pour into a high ball glass, top with club soda and stir. garnish with thyme and apple. enjoy!

asparagus

a quick hello and a beautiful bowl of spring green asparagus soup to warm up from the grey days we've had recently (even though the sun is shining this afternoon). it's super simple and a great way to use up extra vegetables.

we're excited about a project we're working on with uppercase magazine - can't wait to share! have you seen jen's new project, the makers? all the creative people in brooklyn and what they're making are so inspiring! also, have you seen this behind the scenes video from ban.do? fun, sparkly and pretty as always.

Roasted Asparagus Soup

serves 2

4 cups coarsely chopped asparagus

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 tbs olive oil

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream or milk

salt & pepper

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. toss asparagus, garlic, onion and olive oil on a sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. roast 20 minutes or until tender. transfer to a food processor or blender and add stock and cream. puree until smooth and season to taste. serve warm or chilled.

snow day

today is a great day to stay inside and play in the kitchen as the view outside turns into a winter wonderland. we know everyone in nyc is sick of the snow but the beauty and stillness of the white powdery stuff is still exciting to these west coast kids! cookbook santa was very good to us this holiday and we have loads of inspiration to share. a few books at the top of our list that we received are noma, tartine bread, my sweet mexico, and baked explorations. the oatmeal sandwich bread recipe for today's post comes from another wonderful cookbook, good to the grain, filled with recipes that bake with whole grain flours. it's a perfect loaf to toast, smear with butter and jam & nibble with a cup of tea on this snowy day. enjoy!

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

(from Good to the Grain)

makes 1 large loaf

1 pkg active dry yeast

3 tbs unsulphered molasses

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted & cooled

1 tbs kosher salt

add 2 cups warm water, yeast and molasses to the bowl of a standing mixer. stir, allowing yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes, until it begins to bubble. add flours, oats and butter to the yeast mixture. stir together with a wooden spoon, cover with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes. attach the bowl and the bread hook to the mixer. add salt and mix on medium for about 6 minutes or until the dough slaps around the sides of the bowl without sticking. if the dough is sticking at any time, add one or two tablespoons of bread flour. the dough will be soft, supple and slightly tacky.

scrap the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. put the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a towel. let it rise for about one hour or until it's doubled in size.

to shape the dough, scrape onto a lightly floured work surface. press down, working into a square shape and depressing any air bubbles. fold the dough down from the top to the middle, then up from the bottom to the middle. next, bring the newly formed top and bottom edges together and pinch the seam in the middle, sealing the seam with your fingers. pinch the sides together and roll the shaped dough back and forth, plumping it so that it's evenly formed and about the size of your loaf pan. place the dough in a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and press it gently into the corners of the pan. cover and let it rest for about 1 hour or until dough rises to half it's size or puffs up over the edge of the pan.

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through. the loaf is ready when the top crust is dark as molasses and the bottom crust is dark brown. give the top of the loaf a thump to see if it sounds hollow. remove the loaf from the pan and cool for at least 2 hours on a baking rack.

martha

a quick hello and some fun updates on what we've been up to in the new year! the images above are from work andrew shot in the february issue of martha stewart living - delicious in season tangelos and a curry dish from the lovely lucinda scala quinn. also check out our chocolate pretzel tart featured today on the martha blog taste of the test kitchen.

excited to share a beautiful chocolate project i styled this week with photographer jason varney. had a fun time in philadelphia, including a wonderful dinner here and of course a few cheesesteaks here and here.

we're excited to watch football this weekend but even more excited to eat pork at cochon 555! happy friday!

fine cooking

just stopping in to say hello! almost forgot to share the december/january issue of fine cooking that i styled! the fabulous croquembouche on the cover was shot by the talented miki duisterhof and the sweets & sparklers feature was so much fun to shoot at the gorgeous home of photographer pernille pedersen. it's a great story and gave me loads of fun ideas for a champagne and dessert party - the apple, fennel and cheddar cheese straws were SO delicious!

have you seen the redesign of jen's blog, nectar & light? love it!

the new amsterdam market this sunday is all about our favorite things - coffee & chocolate!

looking for some holiday gift ideas? check out a few of our favorite blog gift guides - a cup of jo, design sponge, simply photo & sassy radish, plus these beautifully put together gift baskets from one of our favorite stores in brooklyn!

have a happy weekend!