celery root

celery root is a very strange and scary looking vegetable! but with a little love it can be turned into so many beautiful dishes. i was first introduced to the root as this classic french dish when recipe testing for this cookbook. this luscious rich soup makes a perfect lunch or dinner and pairs nicely with a lovely green salad. it couldn't be easier to make, especially with the help of this fantastic tool! immersion blenders make silky smooth soups in seconds and the whisk attachment means you don't have to lug out the kitchen aid stand mixer for a small bit of whipped cream. next time i grab some celery root at the greenmarket, i'm going to try this beautiful salad!

Celery Root Soup

serves 4

3 leeks, white & yellow only, cleaned & sliced

1 tbs olive oil, plus more for garnish

1 1/2 lbs celery root, peeled & cubed

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 slices crispy bacon, crumbled

1/2 tart apple, cut into thin matchsticks

in a medium sized pot, saute leeks in oil until softened, about 8-10 minutes. add celery root, chicken broth and 3 cups of water. bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook 30-40 minutes or until celery root is soft. puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. return to pot, off heat and stir in heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. thin soup with a little water until desired consistency is reached. ladle into bowls and garnish with crumbled bacon, sliced apple and a drizzle of olive oil. enjoy!

fall starter

here's a quick salad that you can throw together to impress dinner guests that is much more sophisticated tasting than it is difficult to make. the combination of sweet pears and maple syrup is offset by salty gorgonzola cheese and smokey bacon - yum! try it with different combinations of cheese, nuts and firm fruit for an ever changing fall starter. is anyone else getting excited for Thanksgiving next week? we have friends coming from santa barbara and boston and can't wait to start cooking - it's definitely the best food holiday of the year.

Fall Pear Salad

serves 2

2 ripe firm pears, such as bosc or anjou

1 green onion, sliced

3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tbs maple syrup

3 tbs hazelnut oil

approx. 1/4 cup olive oil

fresh cracked black pepper

core pear with an apple corer, trying to keep pear whole. slice into 1/8-inch thick rounds and combine in a bowl with green onion, bacon, cheese and hazelnuts. in a small bowl, combine lemon juice, maple syrup and hazelnut oil. slowly whisk in olive oil, taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. toss salad with dressing, plate and garnish with pepper. enjoy!

the big apple

back from a busy but great week in nyc! we had a little rain, a little sun and a lot of great meals. we had a fabulous lunch at momofuku ssam bar which included steamed pork buns (of course!) and amazing pork scrapple with thick cut bacon, a perfectly poached egg and a little salad of frisee and mizuna on top - unreal!! another great lunch was had sitting at the bar of gramercy tavern for a late afternoon cocktail and delicious pulled pork sandwich. we had an amazing dinner at locanda verde in the greenwich hotel - the garlicky fava bean crostini and homemade ravioli were great but the best part of the meal was dessert - a scoop each of malted milk chocolate and rice custard gelato. another highlight of the meal was meeting jeffrey steingarten, food critic and author, and his lovely wife at the bar after dinner. can't wait to go back again for more foodie adventures!

deviled eggs

as promised here are a few images and a recipe from our Urban Family Easter this past sunday. there was champagne and more champagne and lots of great friends and delicious food - it was a beautiful day to sit outside in the warm sun. we weren't able to take as many photos as we hoped once the main dishes were out and the serious eating began but this is a start, literally. these deviled eggs are our take on the traditional appetizer but with a tasty modern garnish of chive and bacon. and who doesn't love deviled eggs?!

Deviled Eggs

yields 40

24 eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbs dijon mustard

2 tbs pickle juice, strained from jar

2 tsp lemon juice

4 dashes of your favorite hot sauce

salt & pepper to taste

4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and cut into small pieces

1 small bunch chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

place eggs in a large pot and cover with 1-inch cold water. bring to a boil, cover, turn off heat and let sit for 7-8 minutes. test one egg by removing from water, running under cold water and peeling. drain eggs and place in ice water bath until cold. peel, slice in half lengthwise and separate yolks and whites. in medium bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, mustard, pickle juice, lemon juice and hot sauce. add egg yolks and mash with a fork until smooth. season with salt and pepper to taste. put mixture in a piping bag fitting with a plain wide tip and pip mixture into egg whites. garnish each egg with a piece of bacon and chive.

bacon

everything really is better with bacon. remember that extra pork belly we mentioned last week? well, it magically became bacon after seven days of resting in the refrigerator, covered in a combination of salt, sugar and aromatic spices. besides sending friends home with slabs of cured pork belly, we had lots of bacon for breakfast with eggs, cooked up beautiful lardons to go in all our salads and made plenty of simple sandwiches like the blt pictured. we really needed one of these! making bacon was an easy and fun process i highly recommend trying at least once in your lifetime. enjoy!

Home-Cured Bacon

2 1/2 lbs skin-on pork belly

3 tbs kosher salt

2 tbs peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 tbs sugar

1 1/2 tbs brown sugar

1/2 tbs garlic salt

1 tsp ground espresso

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground allspice

trim pork belly to square off edges so you have a nicely shaped slab. rinse the pork, pat it dry and transfer to a large sheet of parchment paper. in a spice grinder, combine salt, peppercorns and bay leaves and grind. in a small bowl, combine with remaining ingredients. rub seasoning all over pork. transfer to a gallon plastic bag and seal. refrigerate on a sheet tray for 7 days, flipping the bag every other day. some brine will accumulate in the bag. after 7 days, the bacon should feel firm to the touch. remove bacon from the bag and wash thoroughly under cold water. pat dry with paper towels. preheat oven to 200 degrees F. roast bacon on a sheet pan until meat is lightly browned and internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F, about 2 hours. transfer to a cutting board and cool. slice off the skin. once completely cool, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 3 months. thinly slice with a long sharp knife or cut into lardons to fry.

the high life

we finally had some nice rainy cool weather to make it really feel like winter. well, a southern california winter that is. so we had to make soup! this creamy corn chowder combines some of my favorite flavors like smokey bacon, sweet bell pepper, creamy sweet corn and earthy herbs like thyme and bay. i used fresh corn leftover from a miller high life bbq shoot but frozen corn works well too. feel free to adjust the ratio of cream to chicken stock if you want an even richer chowder.

Corn Chowder

6 oz bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

1 red or orange bell pepper, diced

3 carrots, peeled & diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 qt chicken or vegetable stock

5 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob (about 5 cups)

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbs fresh chopped parsley

salt & pepper

in a large saucepan, saute bacon until crispy and all the fat is rendered. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. saute onion, bell pepper and carrots until slightly softened. add garlic and potatoes and saute 2-3 minutes more. add thyme, bay leaves and chicken stock and bring to a boil. reduce and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. stir in corn, cream and bacon and cook 5-8 minutes until corn is tender but still a little crisp. remove from heat, add chopped parsley and season with salt & pepper to taste. enjoy!

eggs & bacon

shirred eggs can be one of those little simple treats that can warm the start of your day. and who doesn't love adding a little heavy cream to anything?  the idea for this recipe came from the wonderful baked eggs we had at a new friends house in brooklyn last week.  their twist was some amazing truffle oil added at the end.  ours happens to be the idea of the more bacon the better...

Shirred Eggs

4 strips bacon, cooked

4 eggs

salt & pepper

1/4 cup fontina

1 tbs chopped parsley

1 tbs chopped chives

2 tsp heavy cream

preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  grease 2 ramekins and place on a sheet pan. crumble 2 slices of bacon into each ramekin, covering the bottom completely. break two eggs into each ramekin and season with salt and pepper. bake for 10 mins.  top each with fontina, herbs and cream. return to the oven 7-10 mins, until whites are set but yellow is still a bit runny.  serve with toast. indulge!