i'm back in the kitchen so i have some new stuff. my new inspiration is FOOD TO FEED MY FRIENDS!!!!

my friends inspire me to think of how food makes us feel and the reasons we like the foods we like. much of my time is spent thinking about the next time i get to make a meal for a group of my friends. so my first friend inspired menu goes out to one of the best:




HERE'S TO YOU, COLIN!!!!!!!!!!!

this is meal came out of union square green market, bedford cheese shop*, and walking around on an amazing saturday morning.



really great seared lamb chops

serves 9


18 bone in lamb chops (the rib roast kind)--should be 2 per person
1/4 c finely chopped fresh rosemary
kosher salt
cracked pepper

lay chops on cookie sheet. drizzle chops w/ olive oil, slat, pepper, and rosemary. toss around so that chops are well coated in oil. in batches of 3 or 4 depending on the size of your skillet sear chops on high heat for 2 min per side. basically, the way that i could tell when they were ready to flip, was by the sound they made. they will sizzle loud at first then after about two minutes the sizzle died down. also, look at the side of the chop while it sears. it will brown about half way up the side that is when you turn the chop. this should leave a light pink stripe in the middle after both sides are seared. place the batches on a warm dinner plate to rest. i just keep a plate at the back of the stove top. my oven will usually be on, and that makes the stove top warm enough to keep the plate warm. let all the chops rest about 15 min before serving, but these babies are very good slightly warmer than room temp, too. mmmmmmmmmmm. serve with beautimous concord grape sauce



beautimous concord grape sauce


2 lbs concord grapes picked off stems and washed (this is an estimate b/c i just bought the container of grapes at the green market)
1 med shallot minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 whole sprig plus 3 tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 tbs butter
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 c broth of choosing**


in a large sauce pan, melt 3 tbs butter add shallot and garlic, saute until tender and the shallot just starts to brown on edges, add whole sprig of rosemary, reduce heat to low and infuse butter w/ rosemary for about 5 min. add grapes and 1/4 c vinegar, crank heat to med high. stir grapes occasionally until they start to break down and boil. reduce heat to med and cont. to stir occasionally until all of the grapes have burst. remove from heat and pour sauce through a sieve over a mixing bowl. mash grape pulp and juice through sieve to remove large chunks of shallot and garlic, grape seeds and skins, and sprig of rosemary. remember to scrape sides of sieve to get all the goodness out of those grapes. return sauce to sauce pan over med heat, bring to a bubble then add 1/4 c vinegar, the broth of choosing, and some salt and pepper to taste---you should be tasting. and sniffing. and gazing..this sauce is an incredible color. christy commented on how it made her want to paint with it. i have discovered that when i make a meal for a group of people i love, the meal becomes this very sensual experience. the music is always the best and our conversations are imaginative and warm and silly. they go on forever. atmosphere like that makes it so easy to make great food.--whoa, okay. sauce...turn the heat to med high and bring to a rolling boil. at this point you want to turn all you attention to the sauce, it should start to reduce pretty fast, you may have to turn the heat up to high for short bits of time to keep the boil rolling. but when it gets thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, take it off the heat and stir in the last tablespoon of butter. it is ready for your saucing pleasure.


*bedford cheese shop, bedfordcheeseshop.com, 718 599 7588 / 888 484 3243
**i split my batch of sauce into two sauce pans after i mushed it through the sieve and made 1/2 batch with veggie broth and it was yummy over the baked acorn squash, and i also made a 1/2 batch with beef broth that made the lamb chops not of this world. i suppose chicken broth could be used as well. even other forms of meat broth like lamb or veal (if you are that way) could be acceptable. i don't think mushroom broth would be a good fit, nor would fish stock.




bedford cheese shop mac & cheese, baby!


serves 9 w/o leftovers

this mac & cheese deserves an introduction. this is the best mac & cheese i have ever made, and i will probably never be able to make it the way it was the night of colin's birthday yumfest. but, this way is super yummy, too.*



1 lb cooked pasta that makes good mac & cheese, whatever kind makes you scream!
2 c heavy cream
8 oz marscapone cheese, stirred so that it is smooth
6 oz brie, rind removed
10 oz english white cheddar, shredded
1 garlic clove crushed and chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
1 tbs butter
1 tsp nutmeg
salt, pepper


large sauce pan med heat melt butter, saute shallot and garlic until tender, add cream, heat until the cream starts to bubble around the edges of the pan and the cream starts to rise . reduce heat and stir in marscapone cheese. stir until sauce is smooth, then add brie, and keep stirring until melted and smooth, then add cheddar, and just stir to incorporate cheddar, but not melt it all the way. add nutmeg, salt and pepper. drain pasta into a baking dish and pour sauce over it. place in a preheated oven at 375, uncovered. bake until sauce is thicken and the edges of the dish are bubbling and light brown patches start to form on the top of the macaroni (about 45 min i think). it is a good idea to try to stir mac & cheese every 15 min or so. but this can be a pain, so i think it would be ok just to let it bake, just make sure you stir the sauce in with the pasta before you put it in the oven. let cool for 15 min before serving.


* the cheese monger at bedford cheese shop was the best at helping me pick the cheeses that went into that mac & cheese, the perfect balance of creamy, salty, soft, tart, and buttery. there wasn't even one noodle left after dinner. to those who got to have the original, consider yourself the lucky few. i truly think mac & cheese like that only comes around once. or maybe i just feel that way about that mac & cheese, which is fine. mac & cheese is definitely a personal thing.




i also made quinoa stuffed golden acorn squash (purchased at green market) and a green salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. i followed a recipe for the squash, and that can be found in Joy of Cooking under quinoa stuffed acorn squash. i will make it again, just as it was written...it was good!

we had icecream cake at the gutter.