After reading this concise guide, I already am! I am so excited to share Notes on Cooking, A Short Guide to an Essential Craft with you, written by my sister Lauren Braun Costello and Russell Reich. Filled with advice you can’t and won’t find in any cookbook, it gives the foundation for joyous and delicious cooking. It’ll make a great hostess gift this summer! Tonight is the launch party at The French Culinary Institute. And for the first time, I’m not covering the event!
Buy it on Amazon:
This recipe is so easy, and so good! I love that it uses ingredients that I usually have in the house, and it’s the perfect way to use those last two bananas in the bunch that have gotten a little mushy. It makes a great breakfast, house gift or snack throughout the week.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 ripe (or over- ripe) bananas, mashed with a fork
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350
Combine eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix until creamy. Add banana and blend well. Add flour and baking soda. Lightly dust walnuts with flour and fold into batter. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
Bake for One Hour.
Ah… Fall. The air is crisp, the leaves change to red and gold, and pumpkin makes it’s way into our mouths. It’s in the lattés at Starbucks, and beer at Heartland Brewery. My friend Sandra loves pumpkin so much, she hosted a dinner last year to honor it!
Below is another great recipe from Lauren at Gotham Caterers. I love a bowl with a glass of mulled cider or wine. Enjoy!
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups pumpkin purée
4 cups chicken stock
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ cup toasted green pistachios
crème fraiche or sour cream and pistachio oil for garnish
Heat olive oil in a small stock pot and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes, but do not allow the mixture to color. Add the chicken stock and potatoes and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, add the pumpkin purée, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, just simmering, for an hour or until the potatoes are soft.
Remove the bay leaf and transfer the mixture, in batches, to a food processor and purée until smooth.
Return the mixture to the pot, reheat and adjust seasonings.
Pour soup into bowls and garnish with a swirl of crème fraiche, drizzled pistachio oil and some toasted pistachios.
Pistachio oil can be found in your local gourmet market. The color is as intense as the flavor. This oil is used to season, not cook.
There’s nothing like eating that first hot dog of the season post-swim,
on a breezy porch, surrounded by the ones you love.
If you want to to jazz up your ‘cue, try out these 3 marinades from
Lauren Braun Costello of Gotham Caterers:
Teriyaki: Great for all Proteins
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ginger (fresh or powdered)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
4 cloves garlic, mashed into paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Citrus: Great for Seafood and Chicken
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 orange, juiced
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Steak: Great for well- you guessed it- Steak!
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup Worcestershire
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry mustard
4 cloves garlic, mashed into paste
Happy Grilling!
Meet my sister, culinary genius, Lauren Braun Costello.
I know, I know… Using the words ’sister’ and ‘genius’ in the same sentence might put your nepotism radar on high. But once you’ve had her hand-made mini ice-cream sandwiches served on a bed of rainbow sprinkles, or her fig and goat cheese wontons, I know you’ll be singing her praises too!
Lauren is chef/ owner of Gotham Caterers here in New York, co-creator of our food-themed greeting card line, and mother to my favorite nephew in the world- Jonathan Avery.
Lucky for me, I got the Gotham treatment when Lauren threw me a surprise birthday bash a few years ago. The aforementioned dishes were on the menu, as well a twist on my favorite cocktail- a kir royale.
Instead of adding the standard créme de cassis to champagne, Lauren poured a spoonful of a simple syrup flavored with the juice of blood oranges to the bottom of every flute.
How To Make Your Own Flavored Syrup
Simple syrup is made by dissolving 2 parts sugar to one part water:
Add 2 cups of sugar to a heavy saucepan over a low heat. Add one cup of water and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar almost dissolves completely. Cover and simmer for two more minutes. Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool.
To add any citrus flavor, stir in your juice of choice. For herbs, add a bunch once the syrup is off the heat. Cover and let it stand for 20-30 minutes, or longer for a stronger flavor. Strain and discard the herbs.
Lauren’s killer spring cocktail is lemonade dressed up with Thyme simple syrup (also great spiked), and a Rosemary-infused iced tea.
Try it and let me know what you think!