The Sweet Life

It's dough time! And that means I've been in the kitchen kneading and rolling, stuffing and filling. I really have to make time to make dough, if you know what I mean. It's not like other cooking methods. You have to develop a relationship with the dough, knead it, let it rest, knead it again, get your hands dirty and tune out the world. And, since I've been home a lot this week, I've had the time. Plus, it keeps me occupied and out of trouble! Last night I made pasta dough, recipe courtesy of The French Laundry Cookbook and I have to say that kneading for 15 minutes two days this week (my first batch was a, erm, tester batch!) makes for sore heels of hands, but it is one luscious dough to put one's hands on. Today I'll be using it to make agnolotti. I made the chard and ricotta filling yesterday. Late this morning I made cinnamon rolls because yesterday a friend told me he was eating one and since then, there have been subtle hints for me to make t...

I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I have to save money. This isn't easy for me, because I love food and books. I love to eat out, not because I don't like to cook. On the contrary. I love to eat, first of all, but I also like eating out because it can inspire me in the kitchen. Especially desserts. But, with the beginning of the new year, business is slow, and so hours have been cut. This whole not eating out thing sorta got me down. And I've been wanting to go to my favorite little place, Bistrot Zinc , which is only a couple of blocks away. It's the one French restaurant that I must visit when I return from Paris (sadly, might not make it this year), because of the ambiance and the food. And every time that I eat there, no matter how full I am, I have their Tarte aux Pommes. Yesterday, I had a craving that almost drove me crazy, but instead of charging a meal on my card, I cooked at home, and made a little tart of my own. It was almost like...