Lunch at Five Leaves

 I remember hearing about Five Leaves when it first opened. Heath Ledger was involved somehow (and happened to live down the block from me at the time), but it was in Greenpoint and I didn't pay much attention. It was a neighborhood I barely visited. Fast forward a few years and I've been there three times in the past week. Nico's new favorite place to play is in Greenpoint and Five Leaves is a block away. On Monday, I finally went there with him, my friend Karlyn, and her son Fox.

Worried about disturbing people, we decided to sit outside. Even though it was cold, the sun was shining, and we were all bundled up.

Had we timed our order better, Karlyn and I wouldn't have had to inhale our lunches (merquez scrambled eggs with spiced chickpeas, avocado and sourdough for me and a burger with a pineapple ring and fried egg for her), but our boys demanded fries the minute we sat down and they'd devoured a big bowl of them long before our food arrived. Nico requested dollops of Dijon mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise for his.

Once the rest of the food came, Fox was passed out in his stroller and Karlyn had to give Nico her iPhone to keep him entertained. It wasn't long before he started begging to go home and our food was cold.

Sitting outside wasn't the smartest idea, but wreaking havoc inside wouldn't have been any better. There was one good thing about our decision. Kiefer Sutherland happened to be outside which we didn't notice until after we'd settled in. I swear—that he was out there and that we didn't see him until after we sat down. In fact, he and I bumped into each other. I was coming out after asking for some menus and he was on his way in to use the bathroom (or so our server said). Karlyn considered asking him for a photo, but before we knew it he and the woman he was sitting with were whisked away in a cab. It's funny how something as silly as seeing a celebrity can make my day. It seemed to make Karlyn's too, and probably made our husbands wonder how we can ever complain about having hard days when we're having leisurely lunches next to famous people.

While we were getting ready to leave, two guys sitting next to us said we'd inspired them to sit outside. We all agreed that it wasn't ideal, but as one of them said, it was an experience we'd always remember. They'd seemed genuinely entertained by our little boys and their comical banter, and probably didn't even notice Kiefer, which is saying something, don't you think?

Some day, I'd like to go back to Five Leaves, with Daniel and a big group of friends. Inside looked warm, cozy, and a very fun place to be. And the menu? Don't even get me started. I'd be happy with just about anything on there, and they serve breakfast all day.

Five Leaves
18 Bedford Avenue
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
718-333-5345

The Brookie

Meet the brookie, a brownie cradling a chocolate chip cookie from Baked. It's dreamy. For weeks I had a note to buy 4" pie tins on my to-do list so I could make a batch myself. I'd found the recipe, and it seemed easy enough, but I knew having six Brookies in my apartment would be dangerous. Daniel has restraint when it comes to desserts. I don't. 

I tried my first one after a visit to the Waterfront Museum, a barge at Pier 44 in Red Hook that my friend Caitlin told me about. She said it was a great place to take kids, especially on Thursday afternoons when admission is free. 

I like to plan outings that are near good coffee shops or bakeries or other special spots for food. With an infant and toddler, it's hard to sit anywhere and have a full meal, so I look for places where we can linger for just a little while. Plus, what could be better than a floating museum followed by brookies at Baked? Not much. We had the perfect afternoon. 

To get to the barge, we parked at Fairway and walked toward the water. We met the cheery captain who let Nico ring a bunch of bells, and were all mesmerized by the Rube Goldberg-style ball machine, a Dr. Seuss-like contraption. 

After, we played in the gardens nearby, sat by the water and watched the sun set. Thanks to Baked, I have a new favorite dessert. Thanks to Caitlin, I found my new favorite place in Brooklyn. 

Waterfront Museum

290 Conover Street at Pier 44

Red Hook, Brooklyn

718-624-4719

Baked

359 Van Brunt Street

Red Hook, Brooklyn

718-222-0345

Mango Chutney, Prosciutto and Paneer Pizza

Lately, while reading other food blogs, I find myself wondering: How on earth do all these people take such perfect photos of everything they make?

In my world, cooking tends to go like this. I start a recipe. Almost instantly, Nico decides it's time for us to play hide and seek. I play along because it keeps him occupied while I attempt to make a decent meal and our apartment is small enough where I can quickly leave a sauce simmering to go and find him (which isn't hard since he always lets out a devilish laugh whenever I come anywhere close to where he's hiding). Around the same time, Leo usually has a meltdown. The happiest baby as long as we're on the go, he's my 6-month old wannabe toddler who seems offended when I try to contain him in an exersaucer, bouncy chair or other baby-friendly device. Before you know it, Daniel needs to swoop in and take over. And play photographer, too.

That was the case the last time we made this pizza. He actually took a bunch of photos, but it was nighttime and there wasn't good, natural light. Not to mention that by the time this was ready, both of our children were finally in bed and we just wanted to eat.

So, I'm sorry the photo isn't better. But take my word for it. This pizza rules. I recently wrote about it for my blog on iVillage and you can get the full story and recipe there. We've been making it about once a week and if the Park Slope food coop hadn't stopped carrying paneer and I had mango chutney and prosciutto on hand all the time, I'd make it way more than that.

It's quick and easy, but feels kind of exotic. Growing up, I went through a pineapple pizza phase. With mango chutney and prosciutto, this is similar, but more sophisticated. Try it yourself and you'll see. And don't worry about taking photographs. Just eat.

Wine-Stewed Prunes with Mascarpone

I first tried these a few years ago at Frankies 457, a Brooklyn restaurant I used to visit a lot. I finally made them myself last night. Just as I remembered, they're incredible. 

This recipe elevates the prune, a dried fruit I love -- that so often gets a bad rap -- to new levels. Completely no-fuss, it combines a pound of them with dry red wine, sugar and cinnamon sticks. After simmering for about an hour on the stove, the prunes start nestling together in a striking plum colored syrup that I wanted to lick from the spoon. Wine-soaked prunes would also make a lovely nail color, I have to say. Or maybe wine-soaked dried plums sounds better?

They couldn't be easier to whip up, either for a dinner party or a late-night dessert. For the wine, I used a Malbec which worked well. The original recipe said to use 1 1/4 cups sugar. That seemed like a lot, so I used 1 cup and still thought they were a bit too sweet. Next time, I'd use even less.

Rich with a deep, jammy flavor, they also feel kind of festive and would be a nice end to a holiday meal. They were perfect last night with a few spoonfuls of mascarpone. Later, I'll see how they taste cold on top of some plain yogurt.

Wine-Stewed Prunes with Mascarpone
Adapted from Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli via The New York Times 
Serves 6

1 pound pitted prunes (about 40)
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2½ cups dry red wine
2  8-ounce containers mascarpone

1. Combine prunes, sugar, cinnamon and wine in a pot over medium-high heat. When mixture boils, reduce to simmer and cook 45 minutes, until liquid has turned to syrup.
2. Remove from heat, and rest at least 15 minutes. Spread a mound of mascarpone on each serving plate, top with 6 prunes and drizzle with syrup. Serve immediately.

The Perfect Play Kitchen

Christina's Kitchen, Nova Natural

For Christmas last year, I gave Nico this play kitchen. It's still one of his favorite toys, which makes me very happy. Toddlers have a tendency to be very into something one day and completely over it the next. Especially a simple, wooden toy that doesn't make noise or blink. 

At first I started him out with mini pots and pans from Acorn, some eggs and a few pretend food sets from Haba. For his birthday, I got him a mini toaster. He hijacked my kitchen timer and some pot holders and is often begging me to give him our lemon juicer and tongs (which he prefers to call "pinchers"). 

Today, he served me this breakfast which he described as a salty pretzel, a pizza sandwich, six eggs and a pie. My kind of meal. Sometimes, before we go out for the day, he places a bunch of his stuffed animals around a tray and piles it with food. I love that he wants to make sure his little friends are well fed. 

While giving him a bath last night, I asked what he wants to be when he grows up. Expecting his usual answers (fire man, garbage man, construction worker), he surprised me with a new one. He told me he wanted to be a cooker who makes delicious things.  

Holiday Cookie Crawl

With one child, it didn't seem as crazy to take the subway 12 stops (or more) in search of really good sweets. With two, things are more complicated.

So, while I really would love to bundle up my boys and have them sample holiday cookies all over the city with me, it's just not going to happen. Not this year.

Instead, I'm dreaming about where we'd go if we could. For my latest Mommy Poppins post, I checked in with seven of my favorite spots and found out what they're baking this year. Because in my opinion, a cookie crawl is the perfect way to spend a holiday weekend. Or any weekend. Actually, make that any day of the week.

I did try these mini fruit mince pies at Dub Pies and thought they were delicious, but to make sure there are more holiday sweets in my future, I'm going to christen some new cookie cutters next week. But first, I need the perfect sugar cookie recipe. Any suggestions?

25 NYC Food Gift Ideas

I love giving people gifts and I usually find a way to work food in somehow. For weddings, I send couples to special restaurants (Mas in the West Village, usually), and I've planned a few surprise trips to Shinn Estate.

For the holidays this year, I want to give friends and family some of my favorite NYC foods. Bars of chocolate made in Brooklyn by two brothers, hand rolled pretzels that rival the stale ones sold all over the city, and boxes of brownies from a place I visited way too often during the four years I worked in Chelsea Market.

For my latest Mommy Poppins post, I shared these and many other local gift ideas that would make anyone who likes food very happy. Because let's face it. No one really needs more stuff. But we all need to eat!

The Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare

If you haven’t heard about The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare by now, it's time to change that. With a multi-course tasting menu, and two Michelin stars, it's like a Brooklyn El Bulli. I celebrated my birthday there in September and it was the perfect place for a special occasion.

Their menu devotes just one word to each of it many courses, and a whole two sentences about photos and notes. In a nutshell, they’re not allowed. The chef wants you to enjoy his food without any distractions. For me, this was a relief. These days, I don't get to go out to dinner or see many of my friends much. To spend a few precious hours with some of my favorite people while enjoying cod, hiramasa, king salmon, egg, sturgeon, ravioli, duck, cheese and dessert, I didn’t want to worry about details. I do that enough.

I can’t tell you much more about what we ate, but I can tell you that it was all excellent. The chef, Cesar Ramirez, plated the food -- small, delicate bites that looked beautiful -- on china. We were all in awe of a sardine stitched into a potato chip . A few reviews I'd read commented on his bad attitude. Either he'd read them too, or people like to exaggerate. He kept to himself most of the night, but our lively group got him to loosen up a bit (and let us take a picture).

New York Magazine recently wrote a longer review of Brooklyn Fare and called its location brutal. Sure, this particular stretch of Schermerhorn Street is desolate and not exactly charming, but it doesn’t really matter. You’ll be there at night when it’s dark and you’re not coming to sightsee. Once you slip inside and sit down, you’ll feel like you’re at a fancy dinner party (even thought you're really in a stainless steel prep kitchen). But beware: Cesar will charge you for any broken china.

If you go by yourself, hopefully you'll click with some of the other people at the communal table. To have the most fun, do what I did. Get a big group and try to fill it up yourself; it seats up to 18 people. It’s still BYO from what I’ve heard. Stock their bar, then sit back and relax. Cesar will worry about the details and you can enjoy an incredible meal. Without any distractions.

The Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare
200 Schermerhorn Street
718-243-0050

*Brooklyn Fare's website focuses more on its supermarket of the same name a few doors down. Its Facebook page has more info about The Chef's Table.

Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

With two kids, there are some days when it's impossible to leave home. In my case, one child usually decides to take a long nap and by the time he wakes up, the other one is tired. It's nice to get some one-on-one time with each of them, but when I'm in pajamas all day and somehow can't find a second to sit down, it's easy to go a little stir crazy.

To feel productive, and keep Nico busy, I usually pull out a cookbook and we find something to make.

Before becoming a Mom, the thought of cooking with kids didn't make much sense to me. I imagined the whole process being slow, messy and not a lot of fun. I had no idea how malleable motherhood would make me.

Cooking with Nico is one of my favorite things. As I suspected, it can get very messy and the final product isn't always the prettiest, but I love watching my child learn to cook. Whenever I ask him if he feels like baking, he usually rattles off a bunch of things he'd like to make. Chocolate chip cookies always top the list.

I read about these Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Kim Boyce's cookbook Good to the Grain on Orangette, so when we found ourselves stuck at home the other day while Leo took a very long morning nap, I knew it was time to finally make them.

Thanks to three cups of whole wheat flour, their flavor is more complex than a traditional chocolate chip cookie, but with a lot of butter and sugar, they are by no means healthy. I usually inhale regular chocolate chip cookies. I ate a few of these in one sitting, but their wonderfully chewy texture made me eat slowly and really appreciate them.

My only complaints were that they tasted slightly salty (maybe because I used regular salt instead of kosher?) and had too much sugar. I'd like to make them again, but will use less of both, and a really dark chocolate and see if that helps balance things at all.

Nico loved them (although I have yet to see a cookie he didn't like). When it was time for his nap, (right around the time Leo woke up, of course), he gave me the biggest smile and said: "We made some really awesome cookies!"

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 sticks cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bits

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. (If you have no parchment, you can butter the sheets.)

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to blend.

Put the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, mix just until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl, and blend on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the chocolate, and mix on low speed until evenly combined. (If you have no stand mixer, you can do all of this with handheld electric beaters and/or a large, sturdy spoon.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then use your hands to turn and gently massage the dough, making sure all the flour is absorbed.

Scoop mounds of dough about 3 tablespoons in size onto the baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. (I made mounds about 1 tablespoon in size which explains why my cookies are on the thin side. I have a hard time controlling myself when it comes to cookies and wanted to keep them small.)

Bake the cookies for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are evenly browned. Transfer the cookies, still on parchment, to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Yield: about 20 cookies




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Thanksgiving Dinner and Dessert in Brooklyn

Two of my recent Mommy Poppins posts are about Thanksgiving in Brooklyn. The first features some of my favorite Brooklyn restaurants and what they'll be serving this year, plus places that have meals to go. The other lists Brooklyn bakeries that I love and what they'll be baking.

5 Brooklyn Restaurants Serving Thanksgiving Dinner, Plus 3 Places with Meals to Go

9 Brooklyn Bakeries with Delicious Thanksgiving Desserts

Since Daniel, Nico, Leo and I are on our own for Thanksgiving this year, we'll be referring to both lists often. We're thinking about getting most of our meal to go (as of now, we're leaning toward Bklyn Larder), but I plan on making this kale and apple salad with pancetta and candied pecans from Food & Wine.

Four & Twenty Blackbirds: Brooklyn's Best Pie

I've been spending a lot of time on a certain block in Gowanus. Close to the F stop on 4th Avenue, it has two important places. One spot makes Nico very happy (and though Leo is only 5 months old, he seems to enjoy it, too). The other motivates me, no matter how sleep-deprived I am, to schlep a baby and a 2 1/2 year old there almost every week.

Nico and Leo's place is Powerplay, a children's gym that has classes and an indoor playspace. Four & Twenty Black Birds, home to Brooklyn's best pie, is mine.

I've never really been a pie person. I usually crave crisps and crumbles, or brownies, cookies and cakes. But these pies are all I want lately. My favorites are filled with in-season fruits. Not sticky sweet, they have a double-crust and are sprinkled with raw sugar. On my last visit, I ordered slices of Spiced Plum Fig, Salted Caramel Apple and Plum Crumble.

Opened by two sisters from South Dakota, Four and Twenty Blackbirds is small and cozy. Some seem to come in for their morning cup of coffee while others linger at a big wooden table. The pies are perfect, but other baked goods, such as fat morning cakes stuffed with figs, or strawberries or prunes are also pretty addictive. It'd be a good place to relax with a friend and enjoy some sweets and a hot drink. For now, I get mine to go. I wait till both boys are asleep, then I heat my slice gently in the oven and eat it with some Greek yogurt on the side.

At $4.50 a slice, it's not the cheapest treat out there. After apple picking a few weeks ago, I found their Salted Caramel Apple Pie recipe and considered making it myself. Reading the instructions, I remembered that it takes a lot of time and patience to make a really good pie, especially when making your own double-crust. These days, I'll happily pay the Elsen sisters to make it for me. Again, and again, and again.

Four & Twenty Blackbirds
439 3rd Avenue (corner of 8th Street)
718-499-2917

Baby Chef

This is Leo. Or Baby Chef, as people referred to him last night while we celebrated Halloween in Park Slope. He was supposed to be the Pillsbury Dough Boy, but I never got around to making the sign for his hat. (Now that I think about it, Baby Chef is a better costume anyway. I love Pillsbury's adorable icon, but I don't want to promote bread from a can.)

A punctual little guy, Leo arrived on his due date almost 5 months ago. Since then, life has been exhausting and exhilarating. Busy, and sometimes blurry. Becoming a family of four is intense, and incredible.

In other news, I recently started freelance writing for a few sites. I'll have some articles launching soon on baby gooroo, a weekly blog on iVillage Food (starting tomorrow), and I'm now a Brooklyn contributor for Mommy Poppins, a great site for kid-friendly activities in New York City. I recently wrote about bakeries in Brooklyn that serve seasonal sweets and have fun places to play nearby. It was inspired by my food tours which I've taken a break from for now, but plan to start again at some point on a regular basis.

Life is busier than ever, but it feels good to be writing and cooking again. Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you about the best pie in Brooklyn.

The Inn at Kent Falls in Litchfield County, CT

Baby boy #2 is supposed to arrive in 5 weeks. Knowing life will be hectic once he makes his debut, Daniel and I took a trip, just the two of us, last weekend. Nico happily stayed with my Mom in Manhattan while we whisked ourselves two hours away to lovely Litchfield County, CT.

We took a similar trip before Nico was born to Shinn Estate on the North Fork. We considered going back since it's still one of our favorite inns out of the many we've visited, but I'm a sucker for trying something new, especially when it comes to food and travel. As usual, I spent a lot of time searching for the right place and finally found The Inn at Kent Falls in this book, a gift from Daniel's cousin.


Similar to Shinn Estate, The Inn at Kent Falls feels like an intimate bed & breakfast without the nosy innkeepers and stuffy decor. It's run by Ira Goldspiel, a hip New York City transplant who kept a very low profile the entire time we were there. Though the inn was full, we only saw a few other guests briefly at breakfast, making it feel as if we had the place to ourselves. Ira told us the house is 250 years old, but only a few low ceilings and wide-plank wood floors gave it an old-fashioned feel.

The decor was country chic and the furniture was similar to what we saw in a lot of the antique shops nearby.

Our room had its own entrance on the side of the house, a very cozy four-poster king bed and a beautiful claw-foot bathtub.

It was the perfect place to rest and relax. Daniel and I had never been to Litchfield County and we were surprised by just how beautiful it was. We felt far away from New York, yet it took us just under 2 hours to get there. It was an ideal place to spend a romantic weekend, but there were so many things that made us think of Nico and how great it'd be with him, too.

Everywhere we went, we seemed to see rolling hills, babbling books, and waterfalls. Best of all was stunning Lake Waramaug.

The area is full of activities, but for once, we decided to not plan anything in advance (aside from dinner, of course). All weekend we just floated from one thing to the next, making decisions spontaneously, something so foreign now that we're parents.

To be honest, most of the food we had didn't wow me, but living in Brooklyn sets the bar pretty high. We did enjoy a nice lunch here (right after spotting Kramer from Seinfeld at the antique shop Privet House, across the street) and a fancy dinner here, although the service needed a lot of improvement.

We popped into cute shops in a few different towns and and saw a lot of very nice, and very expensive, furniture, housewares and even fancy homemade candy.

We ended up buying only one thing the whole trip. A little fire engine for Nico from an adorable store called Three Monkeys and Me. A fitting name considering I already have two monkeys in my life and will soon have a third.

As sad as we were to see it come to an end, this weekend away was just what we needed. I wish we'd had more time to spend at the inn and lie by the pool, or soak in that tub, but this is one place I'd happily visit again and again.

The Inn at Kent Falls
107 Kent Cornwall Road
Kent, CT
860-927-3197

Food Tour Overview

As a former Food Network employee and Mom of two little boys who has called Brooklyn home for the past 9 years, I'm passionate about food and what I believe is New York City's best borough. Whether you want to find some kid-friendly spots that actually have good food or visit Brooklyn's best bakeries, I'd be happy to show you around.

Currently, I'm only offering tours by request. Email me at: brklynfoodie@yahoo.com if you're interested in a customized tour and we can work something out.

Second Food Tour: A Movie, Cookies and A Lot of Toddlers

I led my second tour last week and it was a lot different than my first. This time around, there were 7 Moms (including myself) and 8 kids (one 5-week old, six 2-year olds and a 6-month old). I expected a bit of chaos, but got a lot more than that.

Since the majority of the kids were toddlers, we started off at the Big Movies for Little Kids film series at Cobble Hill Cinemas. It was the first movie experience for many of the children, and surprisingly, they all sat fairly still throughout the two short films, happily munching on popcorn.

Afterward, we walked over to One Girl Cookies, on Dean Street. Before moving to Park Slope a few years ago, I lived right across the street. I still miss that block, the neighborhood, and my proximity to some of Brooklyn's best sweets, a lot.


From the first time I stepped inside One Girl Cookies, it's been one of my favorite places in all of Brooklyn. First, I love the decor: blue walls, swirly chocolate brown and cream wallpaper, white subway tiles, and butcher block counters. It's hip, cozy and cheerful with an old-fashioned feel. I actually thought a lot about One Girl Cookies while coming up with ideas for my own kitchen (if you click, scroll down to see the one I'm referring to).


Cookies are the main attraction and I love One Girl's approach. About the size of a silver dollar, they can all be eaten in one or two bites. They're fun to order, too. Named after members of the owner's Italian family, they offer great ideas for baby names (think Lucia, Penelope, Cecilia, and Juliette) and you can't help but wonder about the women that inspired these dainty treats.

They're all addictive, although if I had to choose, I'd say the Olga (mint ganache sandwiched between two sugar cookies) and Lucia (a shortbread, caramel, and chocolate layer bar) are the best. As if the cookies weren't enough, there are unbelievably moist cupcakes topped with a crown of icing, Il Laboratorio gelato, ice cream sandwiches, fudgy brownies, chocolate or pumpkin whoopie pies, and a rotating menu of cakes, too.

Originally a mail-order business that owner Dawn Casale started in her West Village apartment in 2000, One Girl Cookies moved to Boerum Hill in 2005. Dawn now runs the business with Dave Crofton. They first met when he applied for a job as a baker and are now married. Together, they've created one of the best bakeries in Brooklyn. It's a place where you want to linger and try every single sweet.

I had been in contact with Dawn about my food tours and arranged to have some sweets ready when we arrived. As expected, the kids devoured most of them. Quickly. See that hand with chocolate-covered fingers reaching for a cookie? That's my son, eating what was probably his tenth one. And this smiling little guy is Dash, another very happy customer.

After attacking the sweets, the kids were ready to run, climb, jump and turn the place into an indoor playground. There were kids running toy cars over what we soon found out was Dawn and David's family tree (displayed on a delicate material that could be easily damaged) and others trying to climb shelves in the store. Then there was my own son who was trying to swipe sweets from the window display.

Sitting in a movie theater for an hour and then gorging on sugar was clearly not the best combination for a pack of 2-year old boys. A better idea would have been to stop in the shop, pick up some sweets and head to a nearby park. Lesson learned!

To help me plan future tours, I asked all the Moms to send me feedback. The one who joined with her 5-week old (and who found me through This Little Piglet!) said how nice it was to get out and spend some time with other moms. She said she felt comforted by the fact that there was no reason to feel nervous if her son suddenly cried or freaked out. Her comments and the experience itself reinforced my original plan to focus on parents and babies. New parents are usually the most desperate to connect with people who are going through the same changes they are. And when your child mainly sleeps and eats, you can actually sit, talk and savor the food you're eating! Hopefully, I can find a way to include older children on future tours, but for now, I'm sticking to babies 12 months and under.

My next tour is on Tuesday along Atlantic Avenue and two Moms with newborns are already coming. Contact me if you're interested in joining, or spread the word to any new parents you know. I'll be posting more details soon.

One Girl Cookies
68 Dean Street
212-675-4996

Molly Wizenberg's Cider-Glazed Salmon

I started this post over a year ago. Right around the time I stopped blogging altogether. It features a recipe from one of my favorite food bloggers, Molly Wizenberg of Orangette.

Orangette was one of the first food blogs I discovered. It's still a favorite. Molly had been blogging for a few years by the time I discovered her. I spent the first few weeks catching up. Her writing felt familiar, as if she was someone I knew well. I wished, and still do, that I could write like her. Like many of her readers, I was swept away by the love story that unfolds on her blog. The short version? A fellow food lover from New York found her while searching for a lemon cake recipe online. He's now her husband and they run a restaurant in Seattle. Dig through her archives to find out more. It's a foodie love story fit for a movie.

Last year, Molly published A Homemade Life, her first book. It's a collection of touching stories and food, of course, sneaks its way naturally into every one. I was sad when I finished, but because each story ends with a recipe, I get to revisit it often. I think I dog-eared almost every one.

I missed Molly while she was in New York promoting the book last year, but finally met her a few weeks ago while she was here for the paperback release. We spoke for just a few seconds, but I was surprised, and honored, that she recognized me from my own blog. It was so nice to see her in person, hear her speak and see that she's just as I imagined. Warm and friendly, soft-spoken yet witty and sarcastic. Very articulate.

At first, Molly's life sounds perfect. But the more you read about her, the more real she becomes. She's been through a lot and is clearly wise beyond her years. A true old soul. I'd already been planning to start writing again, but hearing her talk about the book and how she became a food writer made me even more motivated.

I've made dozens of Molly's recipes over the years and they always seem to turn out perfectly. This cider-glazed salmon was no exception. It might be one of my most favorite yet, along with this granola, this salad, and this butternut squash puree that I wrote about back in 2006.

But, back to the salmon. It's poached in fresh apple cider and reduced with cream till you're left with a sweet, delicious caramel-colored sauce that you'll want to slurp straight from the pan. It'd be a great dinner party dish or the perfect meal for two.

Now that Molly's book is in paperback, I thought it'd be a good time to finally publish this post. I might have made her salmon recipe over a year ago, but I still remember it perfectly. Give it a try and pick up A Homemade Life as soon as you have a chance. You won't be disappointed.

Cider-Glazed Salmon
Serves 4

For this recipe, you'll need a large 12-inch skillet with a lid. The pan should be large enough to hold the salmon without crowding and to provide plenty of surface area for boiling down and thickening the sauce.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 cups fresh unfiltered apple cider
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
Salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large, heavy skillet, combine the butter, shallot, and cider. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove and discard the shallot.

Place the fillets gently in the pan, adjusting the heat so that the liquid just trembles. Spoon a bit of the liquid over them, so that their tops begin to cook. Cover and simmer very gently. The fillets will cook for 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness. To test for doneness, make a small slit with a paring knife in the thickest part of the fillet: all but the very center of each piece should be opaque. (It will keep cooking after you pull it from the heat). Transfer the cooked salmon to a platter, and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.

To prepare the glaze, raise the heat under the pan to medium-high, add a pinch of salt, and simmer, stirring frequently, until the liquid is reduced by about two-thirds. It should be slightly thickened and should just cover the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the cream. Stir well to combine. Return the heat to medium-high and boil, stirring frequently, for a few minutes, until the mixture darkens to a pale golden caramel--like those Brach's Milk Maid caramel candies, if that helps--and is reduced by one-third to one-half.

Place the salmon fillets on 4 plates and top each with a spoonful of sauce. It should coat them like a thin, loose glaze. Serve immediately.

Note: If you'd like to make this for only 2 people, halve the amount of salmon, but not the sauce quantities.

Next Food Tour: Monday, April 19

I know it's short notice, but my next food tour is tomorrow. I'm still in a trial phase and most of the people joining are friends, but slowly the word is spreading. On Tuesday, I had 2 people and tomorrow, it looks like there will be at least 5 and maybe 1 more. If anyone else is interested, you're welcome to join us!

Most of the kids coming tomorrow are toddlers, so we'll be meeting at Cobble Hill Cinemas at 4pm. Every other Monday, the theater screens movies for kids ages 2 and up. Tomorrow's viewing is an Earth Day celebration featuring two short movies: Dr. Seuss's The Lorax and the Academy-award winning film, The Man Who Planted Trees. While food will always be a major focus of my tours, I'll try to combine them with events such as this from time to time, especially when older kids are coming.

After the movie, we'll be heading to my all-time favorite spot for sweets. If you'd like to join for that part only, we'll be arriving around 5pm. For more details, email me at: brklynfoodie@yahoo.com. To get updates about future tours via email, sign up for my newsletter.

First Food Tour at Nunu Chocolates

Before telling you about my Brooklyn food tours, I was taking all sorts of steps behind the scenes. Spreading the word among Moms I know, reaching out to local businesses, and making a long list of places to include. Putting the idea in writing and sharing it was my first big step. Leading a tour was the second. I can now check both off my list. I'm really doing this.

I've been contemplating this idea for over a year, putting it off out of fear and uncertainty. Now that I've gotten started, I can hardly contain myself. My head, which for so long could only handle Mom-related information, is spinning with ideas. This is still a major work in progress, but I haven't felt this determined by, or dedicated to, a project in a long time. It's refreshing.

My first tour was on Tuesday with Karlyn, who I spent many years with at Food Network, and her son Fox, and Bernadette, who I met in Park Slope soon after having Nico, and her daughter Eileen. Nico stayed home for this one, but he'll be joining my next tour on Monday. Details to come!

Eventually, I hope to make a few stops per tour. Since this was my first, I started small and settled on one (a smart decision considering it takes a long time to get anywhere with a few toddlers in tow).

We met in Park Slope and walked over to Nunu Chocolates on Atlantic Avenue. Opened by husband and wife team Justine Pringle and Andy Laird, Nunu represents everything I love about Brooklyn businesses.

Justine and Andy make all the chocolate themselves in a small kitchen that you can see while relaxing in their cozy space. They didn't know anything about making chocolate when they started and don't have any formal culinary training. To get their business going, they've worked countless hours and multiple jobs over the last few years. They continue to work about 18 hours per day, 7 days a week. When asked if they ever take vacation, Andy told me they took a half day for Thanksgiving. Hearing their story only made me more excited to boast about the good food Brooklyn has to offer, and the incredible people behind it.

With Andy's help, we selected an assortment of treats, including salted caramels, chocolate covered graham crackers, a ganache with organic raspberry puree and another with mezcal chili. All of Nunu's chocolate has a 53% cocoa content which allows it to be sweet, but not overpowering. Everything was delicious and Andy was nice enough to send us home with a few extra samples.


Eileen and Fox were happy to help us taste test, of course.

Nunu also serves coffee, tea, wine and beer and is open from 7am-9pm, every day. You can find their chocolates at various locations throughout Brooklyn, or you can join me the next time I take a group of Moms and kids there. I plan on going back soon!

Nunu Chocolates
529 Atlantic Avenue

917-776-7102

Brooklyn Food Tours for Parents & Children

A lot has happened since you heard from me last. I stopped working at Food Network, became a full-time Mom, and in two months, baby boy #2 will be born.

For me, becoming a parent marked the end of leisurely restaurant meals (temporarily, at least). And of course, food blogging fell by the wayside. But my devotion to eating the best food I could find never wavered. If anything, I became more obsessed. Case in point? I joined the Park Slope Food Coop. I also became the honorary planner of food-related outings for a group of new Moms I met.

On one outing -- a six-mile walk to satisfy a croissant craving -- my friend Bernadette suggested I start my own food tour business. A light bulb went off. I’d been exposed to the food world during my 7 years at Food Network, but never felt like I could get close enough to what really interested me: the food.

I considered culinary school, but knew I didn't want to be a chef. I started this blog thinking I wanted to become a food writer, only to discover that writing about food is very, very hard. Finally, thanks to Bernadette’s brilliant suggestion, I realized I could do what I do best. Walk, talk about Brooklyn, and show friends, and eventually food-loving strangers, the best places to eat.

It’s been a year since that inspiring walk to Fort Greene. At last, I’m ready to get this going. I'm starting food tours for parents and children in Brooklyn.

I know what it’s like to be a new parent, to feel immobilized, as if you can’t venture too far from home, fearful you’ll be stuck with a screaming infant and scornful looks from strangers. I want to help parents see that they can still be adventurous with kids. Outings with children, especially those that revolve around food, are different, of course. Even when you live in a very kid-friendly neighborhood like mine, the idea of eating out with a little one is daunting. But anything that gets you out of the house, talking to other parents, and walking, and treating yourself to something delicious, is good for both you, and your child.

When I first had Nico, I met many women who were afraid, or unsure, about doing anything adventurous with their babies. I on the other hand wanted to take Nico everywhere. It wasn’t always easy, but I was always glad I’d tried.

I'd love to get some feedback from all of you, if any of you are even still out there, and would be forever grateful if you'd help spread the word. I have a long list of tours I want to plan, but need to start slowly to make this the best it can be. Hopefully, over time, I can help new parents discover some of the best food Brooklyn has to offer (and eventually in Manhattan and beyond). As I've learned since becoming a Mom, it's all about baby steps.

My first tour will be a trial one with a few friends and their children on Tuesday, April 13. We'll be leaving Park Slope around 4pm and heading to some sweet spots along Atlantic Avenue. If you’d like to join, contact me for details (you can now find my email under my profile). I hope to plan a few more in April and will post all the details here. Stay tuned!