FRIDAY LINKS | 5.1.15 #BEA15 Edition

BEA Power Readers' Day in 2013

In 26 days -- Wednesday May 27th, 3pm -- I’m doing my very first book signing at BookExpo America… the largest book industry event in the US and one of the most important book conferences in the world. WHOA. If you're around, come to Table 14 for a galley, an autograph, and a special goodie! 

I’ve been to BEA twice -- both as a reader, not an author. The first time I went on Power Readers’ Day, which was basically like the industry days, but open to the public. The second year Power Readers’ Day was replaced with BookCon, the book industry’s version of ComicCon (it’s produced by the same people). The latter is an event studded with both Hollywood and book-world stars (this year will have Mindy Kaling, John Green, Julianne Moore, Rainbow Rowell, Aziz Ansari, Candace Bushnell, Elin Hilderbrand). Last year was insane -- like, get-me-out-of-here insane. I was not alone in that sentiment and the organizers are said to have made some changes this year. I guess we’ll see!

Anyway, I will be there on a quieter, more industry-y day, and that makes me pretty happy. As a debut author, there’s no way I could compete with the shiny names. Ostensibly, I’ll be able to chat with people, get to know them, sign their books, take pics. I’m really looking forward to it.

I’ve also done a flurry of research to psych myself up. Here’s what’s buzzing about #BEA15.

First, what is BEA? It’s a trade show for book sellers, agents, editors, book PR and marketing people, librarians, press, film producers, book manufacturing/distribution professionals, book bloggers… anyone who is interested in seeing what’s coming up in the world of books. This year, it’s at Javits Center, NYC’s spot for massive conferences where the world converges over cars, design, books, whatever.

The book blogger community is already super-tight, enthusiastic, and supportive, but this really comes out in the months before BEA. 

Ashley at NoseGraze wrote this tutorial on rocking BEA. Tips: Research, organize, prioritize.

Hannah at the Irish Banana made this hilarious story in gifs about the emotional phases of BEA.

Krista at Krista’s Dust Jacket is doing a 5-part series on getting prepared.  

The BookExpo America GoodReads group is amazingly active and comprehensive. I’ve been checking in everyday. The members are super quick to jump on any announcements from BEA or individual authors. These BEA 2014 recap posts really got me in the mood (This one from QuillCafe shows authors with Quillbert, a stuffed hedgehog. John at Bookish Antics highlighted “the amazing frenzy” of jumping from event to event.)

If you'll be at BEA on Wednesday 5/27, I'd love to meet you! I'll me at Table 14. If you're using the BEA show planner, you can add me to your schedule here. And if you're a book blogger and can't make it, you can request a galley here. 

Happy weekend! 

Poached Egg and Purple Rice in a Collard Green Cup

Do you remember Fatty Crab in its hey day? Now Zak Pelaccio is cooking in Hudson, NY at Fish + Game (been there too, but very different), but back in the day, man that food was good.

nasi lemak at Fatty Crab (photo by travelchictv)

At Fatty Crab he had this insane nasi lemak -- coconut rice, chicken curry, slow poached egg, spicy pickles, deep-fried shallots, dried anchovies, various sambals. It remains one of the best restaurant dishes I've ever tasted. So much texture and funk and heat. Salty, sour, sweet, smooth, spiky. It was all there, a riot of bright, alpha flavors somehow sharing the stage in this dish. 

This is a bit of my homage... a petite chamber orchestra compared to Pelaccio's carnival. The depth comes from caramelized shallots, tucked in the sticky and sweet purple rice. Add a poached egg and a dash of salt, and you have a slippery savory little bite. Could it use some pickles, sambals, dried fish, fried garlic slices, etc? Yes, indeed. This is just a start.

RECIPE: 

Caramelize shallots by sautéing with olive oil and salt on low for 30 minutes (I had them from another recipe so it wasn't so bad). Make sticky purple rice according to instructions (The one I used was about 75% white rice that the purple rice stained. Best to stick with your rice's instructions since rice ratios may change).

Lay collard green leaves in the bottom of a poach pod. Mix shallots with rice and add to the bottom of the pod. Crack an egg into a shallow bowl, then add to top of poach pod. Gently place poach pod into a small pot of boiling water, making sure that water doesn't reach the top of the poach pod. If your poach pod is slanted because of uneven weight distribution, prop it up with a random kitchen utensil. I used a spoon. Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Remove pouch from poach pod, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve. 

How to Write a Query Letter for your Novel

First, there are so many great posts on this, including this, this, and this.

But if you’re like me… you want to see variety. Just like there’s no such thing as a college essay that’ll guarantee you admission, there’s no such thing as a sure thing query letter. The best thing you can do is research and read what has worked for one person in one moment in time.  

One important caveat as you send your baby into the world: much of your acceptance is outside your control... The agent has a full plate and isn’t taking new clients. She just took on a very similar author and doesn’t want to be redundant. He’s changing careers and handing his authors off. Or perhaps… the manuscript is great but it’s just not the right fit. You don’t want an agent who’s only lukewarm on your work.

That being said, there are some things that -- in my estimation -- are best practices and give you the best possible chance of succeeding.  

But first, numbers. Since I started writing seriously six years ago, here are my stats:

• 2 literary agents who have represented me (a YA agent and an adult fiction agent)
• 7 offers of representation
• 30 full manuscript requests
• 110+ queries sent

That means that I have a 6.3% acceptance rate. That might seem low, and it is low. But that’s the reality and just means that you have to work harder, smarter, and have the stomach for a lot of waiting and rejection.

Okay. Here’s the query letter that got me five offers of representation in 2014.

Some things to keep in mind:

• At the time, the book was called DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU EAT

• The main character Tia was 18, not 22 as she is now. I was pitching it as a new adult title, but now it’s a full adult title.

• Stevie is now named Elliott

Here’s the email in full, but then we’ll unpack it:  

Hi AGENT NAME,

I'm writing to you about my new adult novel, DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU EAT, the story of an 18-year old girl who secretly writes the New York Times restaurant review.

I'm excited about the emergence of new adult as a category, and would love to work with a versatile agent like you. [SOMETHING PERSONAL DEPENDING ON AGENT]

Tia Monroe is no ordinary foodie…so why is she stuck in coat check? Tia is going to NYU for one reason: to intern for her longtime idol, food world visionary, Helen Lansky. But things don't work out as planned and now Tia is stuck in a closet, instead of a kitchen!

But the restaurant offers more than Tia expects, including one guest with a devastating, career-ending secret: Michael Saltz, the New York Times restaurant critic. Michael can no longer taste, and now he wants Tia to be his food-savvy accomplice. Tia can eat at any restaurant, order the most expensive dishes, and shop for whatever clothes catch her eye. All she needs to do is write his reviews, and after a few months, he promises to get her a job co-authoring a cookbook with Helen Lansky.  

But there's a catch. Tia must keep her life with Michael Saltz absolutely secret. She must lie to her parents, who saved every last penny so she could study with Helen at NYU…to her high school sweetheart, Stevie, who has supported her love of food every step of the way...and especially to Pascal Fox, the hotshot chef who takes a suspicious liking to Tia, particularly when it's about time for his new restaurant to be reviewed.

It's hard enough being an 18-year old, but Tia's life gets even more complicated with last-minute 4-star lunches, fresh truffles on the house, and designer clothing delivered to her dorm room lobby. And with Michael Saltz taking all the credit for her wittier, sharper, more evocative reviews, is he really giving her the chance of a lifetime…or holding her back from pursuing her own dream? The whole world reads Tia's tasty reviews, but no one knows what's rotting underneath.

I graduated Yale University in 2006 with a degree in English and a Certificate in Fiction Writing. At Yale, I was the restaurant critic and food columnist for the Yale Daily News Magazine. I've published four children’s books for the doll series, Lei Lei, sold exclusively at FAO Schwarz. I'm currently the Community Director at HowAboutWe, an experience-driven web company that helps people fall in love and stay in love. I also blog at www.jessicatom.com.

I'd love for you to give the manuscript a read! The first two chapters are pasted below and the complete 88,000-word manuscript is available upon your request.

Thanks so much and looking forward to hearing from you.

All best,

Jess
[PHONE NUMBER]
[WEBSITE]

Okay, ready? Let’s dissect this.

THE INTRO

Hi AGENT NAME,

I'm writing to you about my new adult novel, DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU EAT, the story of an 18-year old girl who secretly writes the New York Times restaurant review.

I'm excited about the emergence of new adult as a category, and would love to work with a versatile agent like you. [SOMETHING PERSONAL DEPENDING ON AGENT]

• MAKE SURE YOU SPELL THE AGENT’S NAME RIGHT. If you follow literary agents on Twitter, you’ll see this is a common gripe. If you can’t spell a person’s name right (or get it wrong altogether because of a sloppy mail merge), it sets a bad tone. Why should they pay attention to you if you didn’t pay attention to them?

• Start with the one-line hook. Only one line. Cut out all flab.

• Use the second paragraph as the “this is why I think you’re great/ why we could be a good fit”. Research the agent online. Publisher’s Marketplace is a great resource and you can drop astute industry knowledge, like “congrats on the XYZ deal! I’m excited to read it”.

THE SUMMARY

Tia Monroe is no ordinary foodie…so why is she stuck in coat check? Tia is going to NYU for one reason: to intern for her longtime idol, food world visionary, Helen Lansky. But things don't work out as planned and now Tia is stuck in a closet, instead of a kitchen!

But the restaurant offers more than Tia expects, including one guest with a devastating, career-ending secret: Michael Saltz, the New York Times restaurant critic. Michael can no longer taste, and now he wants Tia to be his food-savvy accomplice. Tia can eat at any restaurant, order the most expensive dishes, and shop for whatever clothes catch her eye. All she needs to do is write his reviews, and after a few months, he promises to get her a job co-authoring a cookbook with Helen Lansky.  

But there's a catch. Tia must keep her life with Michael Saltz absolutely secret. She must lie to her parents, who saved every last penny so she could study with Helen at NYU…to her high school sweetheart, Stevie, who has supported her love of food every step of the way...and especially to Pascal Fox, the hotshot chef who takes a suspicious liking to Tia, particularly when it's about time for his new restaurant to be reviewed.

It's hard enough being an 18-year old, but Tia's life gets even more complicated with last-minute 4-star lunches, fresh truffles on the house, and designer clothing delivered to her dorm room lobby. And with Michael Saltz taking all the credit for her wittier, sharper, more evocative reviews, is he really giving her the chance of a lifetime…or holding her back from pursuing her own dream? The whole world reads Tia's tasty reviews, but no one knows what's rotting underneath.

• Make it snappy. Looking back on this, I think it was a little long. If I were to do it again, I’d tighten it by about 30% and wouldn’t include any names besides Tia Monroe and Michael Saltz. Think of a back cover blurb. You don’t need to get into every storyline,  just the juiciness of the matter -- which in my case is food, fashion, deceit and disguises.

THE BIO

I graduated Yale University in 2006 with a degree in English and a Certificate in Fiction Writing. At Yale, I was the restaurant critic and food columnist for the Yale Daily News Magazine. I've published four children’s books for the doll series, Lei Lei, sold exclusively at FAO Schwarz. I'm currently the Community Director at HowAboutWe, an experience-driven web company that helps people fall in love and stay in love. I also blog at www.jessicatom.com.

• Include your writing credentials and anything else that bolsters your authority in writing this book. (My position at HowAboutWe is a bit of a stretch here… but at the time, I thought that my working at a dating site made me an “expert” on love).

• Don’t try to overinflate yourself. Think of it this way: if you’re hiring someone (a manager, assistant, babysitter, lawyer, etc), it’s a big turn-off if the person makes themselves out to be the best thing on Earth. Be real, be you. And at the end of the day, unlike non-fiction, fiction depends more on your writing than your platform. So toot your horn at its appropriate sound level, and don’t sweat it too much.

THE CLOSING

I'd love for you to give the manuscript a read! The first two chapters are pasted below and the complete 88,000-word manuscript is available upon your request.

Thanks so much and looking forward to hearing from you.

All best,

Jess
[PHONE NUMBER]
[WEBSITE]

• FOLLOW THE AGENT’S SUBMISSION DIRECTIONS. If they want two chapters pasted in the email, do that. If they want 50 pages, do that. If they want no pages, do that. Pay attention to their specs -- they’re there for a reason and you would be doing yourself and your work a great disservice if you didn’t respect that.

• Include the total word count and mention that the manuscript is finished. For a debut novel, the manuscript has to be finished. I think it’s worth mentioning that the novel is complete, so the agent doesn’t have to worry about loving something that ends up being incomplete (and therefore, frustratingly unacceptable).

• End with your phone number and website. I’ve never received a phone call right after a query… but to me I think it subtly signals that you are a real, reachable person who would love to take the conversation further than their sure-to-be-slammed inbox.

I’m not saying this is a magical formula. But it worked for me...and maybe will work for you, too.

Lemon Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins and Madeleines

I couldn't live without them. One thing -- two ways. 

The blush/lip stain. The work-to-cocktail cami. The primer-color-top coat (actually, not sure this exists?). The more things you can put into one thing, the better. 

It's true, things will get lost in translation. When I was a kid, I thought I could make my own Pert Plus, and mixed shampoo and conditioner. Why not? 

Well, it doesn't always work that way. You'll have to adapt a little. Add some bronzer along with the cheek stain. A blazer with the cami. 

And so it was with this lemon-blueberry-cornmeal batter. I made the madeleines first -- cakey and plush, something not-too-sweet to have as a snack. The muffins have more of a golden crackle to them.

Or think of it this way: the muffins are like a bread's crust and the madeleines are the fluffy inside. Both the same thing, and conveniently, pleasingly different.

RECIPE: (adapted from this Epicurious recipe)

Note: I used whole wheat flour and very coarse cornmeal for this recipe. If you want something less of-the-Earth, you can use all-purpose flour and a finer-grained cornmeal. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt 1/2 stick butter and cool. In a large bowl, mix 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 cup coarse yellow cornmeal, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. 

In another bowl, mix melted butter, 1/2 cup almond milk, and 2 large eggs. Add to flour mixture and whisk until well blended. With a rubber spatula, gently add 3/4 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries.

For madeleines: Butter and flour your pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are just slightly golden on the top. 

For muffins: Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spoon batter into muffin tin and sprinkle top with turbinado sugar. Bake for 20 minutes (for small muffins... larger ones will need more time).

Book Buzz || Library cats, Pasadena dreaming, babysitter power

Every weekday, Publisher’s Marketplace emails the latest publishing deals in print, digital, audio and foreign sales (over 200 deals/week). Here are some of my favs -- not necessarily the biggest names or the buzziest deal… but the ones that piqued my interest for one reason or another.

LITTLE FLOWER: THE BAKING BOOK by Christine Moore, Cecilia Leung and Staci Valentine
Editor: Colleen Dunn Bates at Prospect Park Books
Description: Recipes for rustically beautiful sweet and savory baked goods

Little Flower is one of those places that I’ve admired from afar: small, focused, well-loved. Until I make it to Pasadena, I’ll be cooking from this cookbook.

THE TRUE TAILS OF BAKER AND TAYLOR: A MEMOIR OF LIFE WITH THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS LIBRARY CATS by Jan Louch
Agent: Scott Mendel at the Mendel Media Group
Editor: Peter Joseph at Thomas Dunne Books
Description: The story of a couple of Scottish fold cats with funny ears who just happened to live in a library, and who not only became the much-loved representatives of a multinational corporation, but also helped bring together a small town in the midst of social change and economic uncertainty and, along the way, helped one not-so-mild-mannered librarian find a new kind of happiness.

Famous cats before the age of famous cats. Baker and Taylor became the official mascots of Baker & Taylor Books in 1988 and were the world’s most famous “library cats”. Bodega cats, sure, but do library cats still exist? Note: must visit more libraries. 

A BABYSITTER’S GUIDE TO MONSTERS by Joe Ballarini
Agent: Alyssa Reuben at Paradigm
Editor: Maria Barbo at Katherine Tegen Books
Description: A tween girl who is thrust into a secret society of monster-fighting babysitters after her charge gets kidnapped by the monsters who really do live under his bed.

As a book-loving child of the 90s, I love any book relating to babysitting. Way before Lean In, Ann Martin’s Babysitter’s Club were the first books that taught me about entrepreneurship. (Related: I wish the What Claudia Wore blog was still in action.) 

THE ART OF BEING UNMISTAKABLE (1) and 1,000 WORDS A DAY (2) by Srinivas Rao
Agent: Lisa DiMona at Writers House
Editor: Stephanie Frerich at Portfolio
Description: 1) how to take risks and cross lines to create unmistakable work that stands out, and 2) an exploration of creative habits that produce rewards

The Art of Being Unmistakable was initially self-published (get it on Amazon here) and will now (hopefully) reach a much wider audience. If you’re looking for creative motivation, I highly recommend giving it a read. I finished it in one day while reading on the subway, but if you want the super abbreviated version, click here. My favorite quote -- and what I try to live by everyday:

…I believe that it is every person’s birthright to make a dent in the universe….You won’t find it by trying to be better. You only find it by being different…That’s how you reach an unmistakable path.…The system is not designed to encourage this kind of behavior, but it’s only through a bit of intentional chaos we end up letting our imagination guide us to the places we might have never arrived.

Stay weird, stay you. (And happy Monday!)

Friday Links || 4.24.15

Happy Friday! 

Made this thingy above -- vegan sausage skewered with tricolor potatoes, over a beet sauerkraut. I love German beer hall food (recently discovered and loved this place), but for home, I like something a little more low-key.

The sausage is by Field Roast, and is made with "grain meat", eggplant, fennel, red wine, garlic and sweet peppers. It's...not a sausage. But it is tasty on its own merit -- chewy, "meaty", and well-seasoned. I mellowed out 1 lb of sauerkraut by adding three grated beets and simmered it all for about 5 minutes. Talk about a MESS. But it was all quite delicious. We were just missing beer :( 

Here's some other stuff I'm into this week...

One of my best friends is in town to be honored at a little conference called Women in the World (where Hillary Clinton is the headline speaker and Angelina Jolie is providing closing remarks). She and her co-founder invented the Luminaid -- maybe you saw it on Shark Tank? It's been amazing watching her company grow... and I know there's a lot more to come. 

Not a mineral... this is extremely polluted water that someone *swam* in this week.

On Earth Day, this guy swam the Gowanus Canal to raise awareness for water cleanup. At some point, he wants all people to be able to swim the canal. I live close to the Gowanus Canal -- it separates Carroll Gardens from Park Slope -- and have always been fascinated by it. However, I would not dip a toe in the Gowanus Canal. (Related: these stunning/disturbing images of the water). 

I've started doing Forrest Yoga, which this NY Times article describes as such: 

Say “Forrest Yoga” to a yogi, and the first word that comes to mind is “intense.” It is known for its long holding of positions, emphasis on abdominal core work and standing series that can go on for 20 poses on each side.

The ab work is slow, small, and torturous. That's my least favorite part. But the sustained poses really help you focus on lengthening and breathing. Just yesterday I did my first headstand on my own! (Related: This very humbling video of the creator of Forrest yoga, Ana Forrest, on the mat. I still have a verrrrrrrrrrrrrry long way to go). 

Next week, I'm starting an 8-week Fiction III workshop at the Sackett Street Workshop. Time to get cracking on BOOK TWO.

Hope you have a great weekend! 

Hoisin Beurre Blanc String Beans

It was the 5pm question. What do I have in the fridge -- and how do I want to make it? My target was a 2-lb bag of haricots verts from Costco (yes, I am a New Yorker with a Costco membership. I am blessed).

Typically I'd do a Chinese stir-fry. You know the one: blistered yet still green, its divots filled with pockets of reduced hoisin. 

But then -- these are French beans. Haricots verts. They seemed to call for a Gallic interpretation: a green beans almondine, butter. 

But that's really not me and so I compromised with this hoisin beurre blanc. A beurre blanc is basically a warm vinaigrette, made with butter instead of oil. Here, I used rice vinegar rather than the classic white wine vinegar, which is softer than its more piercing cousin.

The result? Well, there's a reason that restaurants add butter to everything. The butter flavor was imperceptible, and yet you knew something was there. A body, a base. I made one pound of haricots verts this way, and you better believe that I'm doing the same with the rest of that bag. 

RECIPE: 

Wash and trim 1 lb of haricots verts. String beans (or Chinese long beans) are fine in this case). Add to wok with 1/2 cup of chicken broth and steam, semi-covered, for 5 minutes until broth has evaporated. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Sautee until sauce is reduced and string beans are tender, about 5 minutes. Top with toasted sesame seeds.

Mushroom Thyme Jerky

Oh, beef jerky. You are delicious and nutritious. Sometimes soft, sometimes chewy. Sometimes spicy, sometimes sweet. 

Mushroom jerky? Don't worry about it. It's a different sort of beast... chewy and savory, sure. Meaty, yes. But different. 

Here I roasted and dried four types of mushrooms in a two-step process. There are shiitake, oyster, clam shell, and shimeji. You're basically sucking out the moisture so all you're left with is the mushroom's essence: the earthy, umami-ed soul of the thing. 

What's great about using a variety of mushrooms is that you can get a range of textures. The shiitake get thin and leathery. You'll have to yank at it with your teeth. The oyster mushrooms are still pillowy, but not until your teeth snap through the surface. And the clam shell and shimeji are somewhere in between: chewy on the bottom, tender on top. 

It's not beef jerky, but it's just as good.

RECIPE:

Preheat oven to 35o degrees Fahrenheit. Toss your mushrooms in olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle thyme on top. De-leaf them if you want the thyme to stick. Keep them whole if you want a lighter touch. Roast for 50 minutes then turn off the oven and leave there for two or more hours to dehydrate.

Jackfruit Boats with Chia Seed Pudding and Coconut Flakes

There are only so many foodstuffs that can be boats. Endive boats. Gravy boats. A banana boat is a thing, but not edible. 

So when I come across a potential boat, I pounce on it. Jackfruit is not easy to find in American grocery stores, but pretty easy to find in Asian ones. Jackfruits can be huge -- up to 80 lbs -- but you can buy them in pieces. 

Word to the wise: there's another large, prickly fruit in Asian grocery stores, but you do NOT want to get it by mistake. Durian -- the notorious, banned-on-public-transportation fruit -- looks very similar. A fresh durian will smell like dirty feet so you're probably not in danger of buying it by accident. But a chilled or old durian will have a mellower or non-existent smell. Jackfruit: this. Durian: that. Got it? 

Moving on... Jackfruit flesh comes out in little pouches that can be split into boats. The inside is filled with large seeds (which, by the way, can be boiled and eaten like boiled nuts), while the pouches themselves are encased in a matrix of fibers. It's rather tedious to prep, but at least you can snack while you work (as opposed to say, peeling garlic). 

The taste of jackfruit is basically a cross between a mango, pineapple and banana. It has a mango's tropical brightness to it, along with banana's tropical mustiness. (Also like a mango, it can cause some irritation in your throat). Add coconut, and you basically have a piña colada. 

RECIPE: There's really nothing to this besides making the chia pudding. Soak 1/3 cup of chia seeds with 1 1/2 cups of milk. I used almond milk, but this would be extra-amazing with a coconut-almond milk blend. I don't sweeten the pudding because I think the jackfruit is plenty sweet, but this is a matter of taste. 

Once the seeds are plump (about 4 hours), spoon into your halved jackfruit boats and sprinkle with unsweetened coconut flakes. 

Book Buzz || My main character Tia is named after...Tia Mowry, Eat in My Kitchen, Arzak

Every weekday, Publisher’s Marketplace emails the latest deals in print, digital, audio and foreign sales (over 200 deals/week). Here are some of my favs -- not necessarily the biggest names or the buzziest deal… but the ones that piqued my interest for one reason or another.

EAT IN MY KITCHEN by Meike Peters
Editor: Holly La Due at Prestel
Description: Featuring 100 seasonal recipes, like mountain buns with coriander and aniseed, Maltese pasta with lemon zest and ricotta, and rhubarb crumble cake, and showcases Meike's unique style of cooking that combines delicious comfort food with a Mediterranean palate of flavors.

Reason enough to be excited for this book. Meike’s blog post about the PM announcement was adorable and infectious in its enthusiasm.

“An exciting email from New York changed my life! Holly La Due from Prestel/ Verlagsgruppe Random House asked me if I’d be interested in writing a cookbook filled with my recipes, stories and photographs. I had to read this email twice before I ran to my boyfriend who was still in bed, it was 7 in the morning, I put the laptop on his chest and made him read the email to me again. I screamed and laughed out loud hysterically!”

No doubt this will be a stunning cookbook with unexpected, must-try recipes.

WHOLE NEW YOU by Tia Mowry
Agent: Katherine Latshaw at Folio Literary Management
Editor: Nina Shield at Ballantine
Description: Featuring the anti-inflammatory whole foods diet that helped her recover from endometriosis and chronic migraines along with tasty, accessible recipes, easy pantry switches, and mini-cleanses from foods that could be irritating your body.

Children of the 90s... aren’t you glad that Tia is still doing her thing (fun fact: my main character Tia Monroe was in fact inspired by Tia Mowry… why? I don’t know. I just connected with the name). Also, it's been great to see endometriosis making it into the mainstream with the help of some celebrity stories. Another food-related example: Padma Lakshmi co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America (and gave a talk about her medical journey at Cherry Bombe Jubilee). 

THE SECRETS OF ARZAK by Juan Mari Arzak
Agent: Jonah Straus at Straus Literary
Editor: Anne Dolamore at Grub Street
Description: Grandfather of New Basque cuisine and chef-owner of Restaurant Arzak in San Sebastián, which in 1989 was the first in Spain to be awarded three Michelin stars and is currently ranked number 8 in the world by 50 Best … an essential work on his traditions, techniques and philosophy.

DYK that the Basque region is home to the highest concentration of Michelin stars? Also add a culture of tapas and tapear, “going from bar to bar for drinks and tapas”, and you have something of a high-”low” food mecca. Thus far, I’ve only been able to experience Arzak through blogs (these from The Chic Brulee and Shelly in Real Life are great). This'll be a coffee table stunner, for sure. 

FRIDAY LINKS || 4.17.15

Hello Friday! It’ll be in the 70s this weekend and I’ll be popping by Prospect Park and farmer’s markets. Kinda wanna buy cherry blossoms, but know they’re gonna shed like mad. Hmm. And, remember those driving lessons? This weekend, we’re also picking up a new leased car.

Here’s some stuff I liked this week.

Taproot Flowers, the bloom whisperers of Crown Heights, are looking for a floral assistant. No experience necessary! (Someone do this so I can live vicariously through you.) 

The Institute of Culinary Education collaborated with Watson, IBM supercomputer, to create a cookbook developed by algorithms. It sounds kinda cringeworthy, but if you think about it, there are golden rules to all cooking. Perhaps flavor-based, like sour and sweet, nutty and fruity. Or known friends, like nutmeg and spinach, chocolate and chili. Or textural play, like crunchy and soft, buttery and al dente. I’m into it!

I’ve been eyeing these purple baby artichokes, and this recipe finally convinced me to actually buy them and make something.

I recently tried to marbleize a canvas bag with nail polish based on this Oh Happy Day! tutorial (talk about a craft FAIL). But this Italian marble paper artist… this is something else.

Have you ever had dinner here? Here’s the menu for tonight:

APPETIZER

Watermelon Radish with Sunchoke-Cauliflower Puree on a Potato Crisp; Green Apple, Carrot and Baby Kale Slaw in a Lemon Vinaigrette with Toasted Allspice Pepitas

ENTREE

Black Bean-Forbidden Rice Patty with Avocado Crema and Red Pepper-Tomato Ketchup; Sesame Seed Cracker, Pickled Onion and Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

DESSERT

Peanut Butter-Coconut Mousse and Jelly Compote Parfait with Chocolate-Phyllo Crisp

And it’s BYOB. My kind of place.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Avocado Toast with Turmeric Eggs and Sumac

Let's talk about texture and the Instagram friend that follows us all: avocado toast. 

Growing up, the only time we ate avocado was for dessert. My Madagascar-born mom made avocado mashed with coarse raw sugar and dark rum. It was pasty yet grainy, like a boozy, moisturizing exfoliant for the tongue. 

You can pretty much put anything on avocado toast: something crunchy, something sweet, something fishy, something herby, something pickled. 

But my favorite is plush-on-plush, smooth-on-smooth. Egg on avocado has an echoing sensation on your teeth. And if you're looking for more avocado (and a different texture), then you know what to make for dessert. 

RECIPE:
Turmeric-Stained Egg: Fill a 1/2-quart saucepan with water and place the egg inside. When the water has reached a boil, turn off heat and let the egg sit for 10 minutes. Remove the egg and peel it. Stir 2 heaping tablespoons of turmeric to the water (be careful --- it will stain your counter, your hands, your cutting board You can get it out, but it's a bit of a pain). Add the egg back to the saucepan and let sit for 3 minutes. 

I won't insult you with the assembly. Mash, slice, place, sprinkle (sumac and salt). Done! 

More of my avocado recipes here.

Tips on how to start AND finish your novel

When I tell people I wrote a book, they always say, “wasn’t that really hard?”

Book publishing is hard for a ton of different reasons. Rejection. Waiting. Motivation. Promotion. Life/work balance.

But writing the book? That was the easiest part for me -- not because I’m especially tapped into my muse, or I’ve a fount of stories and complex characters. It was easy because I project managed the hell out of it.

Of course, there will be some people who prefer a less structured approach. If that works for you -- go for it. But I’ve been in a situation where I’m 250 pages in, lost and despondent, torn about saving a thing that is ultimately beyond repair. It's not fun and, while not entirely a waste, can be extremely frustrating.

I’m the type of person who likes to have a plan. Who likes the feeling of checking off tasks on a to-do list. Who has a Google doc for every little thought process. If that’s how you roll (or how you want to roll), here are five ways you can fast-track your novel-writing process.

1) Develop a hook.

(Note: this applies more to commercial fiction, but I don’t think it hurts with literary fiction either)  

Something digestible and compelling, in one sentence. Some examples (all pulled from the New York Times Book Review):

GONE GIRL: A woman disappears from her Missouri home on her fifth anniversary; is her bitter, oddly evasive husband a killer?

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: A hacker and a journalist investigate the disappearance of a Swedish heiress.

even 50 SHADES OF GREY: An inexperienced college student falls in love with a tortured man who has particular sexual tastes.

What you don’t want is something amorphous. Something like, “It’s a multi-generational saga that explores issues of love and loss” (okay... and how should I go about writing that?). I’m not saying you can’t have a nuanced, complex story… but in your head you should have a clear idea of what sets your book apart. Crystallize it and flesh it out on the page.

2) Know your characters inside out.

What do they look like, sound like? Where did they grow up, what's their favorite color? Remember: character drives action. If you have a shallow understanding of your characters, they will feel like pawns in a plot game, rather than real people with their own free will. The more you know your characters, the more you can just trust them to help you move the book forward.

3) Research… but not too much.

Your writing will get bogged down if you have to stop and read up on XYZ in the XXth century. So do it up front. Get inspired and confident. (Just don’t do so much that you never sit down to write the actual thing.)

4) Outline (within an inch of its life, if you can stomach it).

Does this take the spontaneity out of your writing? Sure. Does following a detailed outline make you feel like you’re on an assembly line? Perhaps. But, to me, having that lifeline and knowing what comes next is way more important than any notion of “artistic struggle”.

Make a broad outline -- Parts I, II and III. Maybe even map out your scenes on index cards or Scrivener. Think of your outline as your scaffolding. The more detailed your outline now, the less likely you’ll be stuck on the roof with no ladder.

I know this type of efficiency might be considered uncouth in the world of letters, but think of it this way: even the world's most innovative chefs prepare their mise en place. Prepping your ingredients and equipment beforehand helps you be more present in the moment of creation.

5) Write in one go. Edit in layers.

First, write your shitty rough draft. Set an aggressive quota for yourself. I did 500 words/day on weekdays and 1,000 words on weekends (while I was commuting 3+ hours/day to Connecticut). As you write, tag the parts that need further development. If it'll take you more than 5 minutes and doesn't dramatically impact the story, save it for later. Sideline B or C plots. Personally, I can only weave one story at a time so I concentrate on your main storyline first. I use track changes for small, site-specific things, and a notebook for more global things. Do not edit as you write.

When the draft is done, go back and work on different strands, one at a time. So, my task could be, "make Emerald more sympathetic", or "lend more scientific credibility to Michael's condition". I'll sweep the entire manuscript and make those changes. Then move to the next.

If I'm feeling less ambitious that day, I'll do the smaller site-specific changes -- things that don't require a full manuscript sweep. I think of  site-specific changes as tasks on a to-do list  -- bang them out, cross them off. Character development and plot refinement require more thought and I only do them when I'm in thinking/creation mode.

If you do all five of those things -- I believe -- you could finish a book in less than a year. 

Now finding an agent? That's a whole other post...

Charred Cruciferous Veggies

One of the easiest ways to annoy D is to use a describe a body part with a medical word rather than the colloquial (and crasser word). For instance, once I said “pubic mound” with a totally straight face and he just lost it.

Cruciferous isn’t very colloquial and might sound a bit antiseptic. But I like it because it's inclusive and illuminating, like learning that Ira Glass is cousins with Philip Glass... or Amy Bloom is cousins with Harold Bloom. All of sudden, you have a deeper understanding.

What's a cruciferous vegetable? You have the sexy superstars: kale and brussels sprouts. The hall-of-famers: broccoli and cauliflower. The up-and-comers: collard greens and kohlrabi. And the uncoolest of the bunch: cabbage.

But knowing that they’re all part of the same family helps you realize that wallflower cabbage is not that different from its movie star siblings.

As Mark Twain wrote in Pudd’nhead Wilson, “cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education”.

RECIPE: This is really nothing special... just a super-hot pan, safflower oil (or some other high-smoke-point oil) and cabbage. You can choose to simply halve the cabbage and cook it in butter like this Bon Appetit recipe. I added feta for two reasons. 1) A nod to iceberg and bleu cheese dressing, and 2) sulfurous is mellowed by creaminess... like hollandaise on eggs. 

Other cruciferous vegetable recipes: 

• Cauliflower Steak from Superba (Tasting Table)
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette from Momofuku (Food52) 
• Ale Braised Collard Greens with Smoked Ham Hock (NYT Cooking)

Book Buzz || Korean Beauty, Pop Word Ethnography, 2 of my Fav Food Blogs

Every weekday, Publisher’s Marketplace emails the latest publishing deals in print, digital, audio and foreign sales (over 200 deals/week). Here are some of my favs -- not necessarily the biggest names or the buzziest deal… but the ones that piqued my interest for one reason or another.

HESITATION WOUNDS by Amy Koppelman
Agent: Andrew Blauner at Blauner Books Literary Agency
Editor: Tracy Carns at Overlook
Description: A specialist in treatment-resistant depression confronts her personal demons including a life-defining tragedy involving her talented graffiti-artist brother when her past is made present by the struggles of one of her patients.

Amy Koppelman is one of those breeds I admire: a novelist and screenwriter (others off the top of my head: Gillian Flynn, Graham Moore). Here’s an article about her screenwriting process. Also, I’m drawn to Koppelman’s writing style, which Publishers Weekly described as “understated and crackling; each sentence is laden with a foreboding sense of menace”.

THE BLUE BATH by Mary Waters-Sayer
Agent: Susan Golumb at Writers House
Editor: Elizabeth Beier at St. Martin’s
Description: Twenty years after a romantic love affair with a young painter during a student year in Paris, a woman, now married to a wildly successful but beleaguered entrepreneur, goes to a gallery opening to discover that her Paris lover has spent the last two decades continuing to paint her.

JUICY. This reminds me a bit of Courtney Maum’s I’M HAVING SO MUCH FUN HERE WITHOUT YOU in that it’s about a stressed marriage set in the Parisian art world. Also makes me think of my own romantic love affairs… if someone was using you as a muse two decades after the fact, would you be more freaked out or flattered?

THE THRIFTY TIME TRAVELER’S GUIDE by Jonathan Stokes (middle-grade)
Agent: Brianne Johnson at Writers House
Editor: Leila Sales at Viking Children’s
Description: A future time travel agency puts together affordable vacation packages to history's biggest events such as Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, and WWII.

This sounds just so delightful. Also, another novelist/screenwriter.
 

HOW NOT TO HATE YOUR HUSBAND AFTER KIDS by Jancee Dunn
Agent: Alexandra Machinist at ICM
Editor: Laura Tisdel at Little, Brown
Description: A funny and informative investigation into the complex relationship between women and their spouses, weaving together research that correlates parenthood and marital disharmony and the author's personal experience as a floundering new mom and suddenly dissatisfied wife whose marriage becomes the testing ground for couples therapies.

Girl crush alert. Let’s review Jancee Dunn’s career: MTV VJ, GQ sex columnist, Rolling Stone writer with 20 cover stories, O, The Oprah Magazine ethics columnist, GMA correspondent, memoirist, novelist, award-winning humor writer, and co-writer of Cyndi Lauper’s memoir. I’m not married and I don’t have kids, but this books sounds so relevant and I'm just in awe of Jancee.

MOLLY ON THE RANGE by Molly Yeh
Agent: Jonah Straus at Straus Literary
Editor: Dervia Kelly at Rodale
Description: A book of stories and recipes that will draw on her Chinese and Jewish heritage ...her new chosen life on a farm in...Grand Forks, North Dakota, with her husband, a fifth-generation Norwegian-American sugar beet farmer, including the cross-cultural dishes that have helped her adapt to her new environment, such as scallion sesame challah, Chinese hotdish, quinoa carbonara, sweet potato lefse, marzipan mandel bread, and rosemary funfetti cakes

I’m somewhat new to Molly blog, but I’m hooked. And those dishes! So unusual and evocative. Can’t wait for this book to come out (generally as a food lover and also as a Chinese person who's always game for a culinary culture clash).

THE IMPATIENT FOODIE COOKBOOK by Elettra Wiedemann
Agents: David Kuhn and Nicole Tourtelot at Kuhn Projects
Editor: Shannon Welch at Scribner
Description: An ingredient-driven guide to great food for impatient people

Another exciting cookbook from another great blog. What I love about Impatient Foodie is that the recipes are simplified (but not dumbed down) and it shows how cooking is actually quite flexible. Forgot butter and cream? Use coconut oil. Didn’t roll the egg omelette right? Whatever, you’re just snacking-as-you’re-cooking anyway. There's a spirit of experimentation and modesty that I find appealing (and relatable).  

Kerry Thompson

KOREAN BEAUTY SECRETS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CUTTING EDGE MAKEUP AND SKINCARE by Kerry Thompson of Skin & Tonics & Coco Park of The Beauty Wolf
Agent: Natasha Alexis of Chalberg & Sussman
Editor: Alexandra Hess of Skyhorse
Description: The ultimate guide to Korean skincare and makeup featuring photography, tutorials, and insight into the trendsetting culture of Korean beauty.

The older I get, the more I can appreciate a subtler look and beauty that comes from self-care (hydration, massage, exfoliation, high-quality creams) rather than makeup-as-paint.

WORD DROPS by Paul Jones
Agent: Andrew Lownie at Andrew Lownie Literary Agency
Editor: John Byram at University of Mexico Press
Description: A sprinkling of literary curiosities, a chain of 1,000 words...creating a fact-by-fact journey through the dictionary and the languages of the world from aardvark (which means 'earth-pig' in Afrikaans) to zenzizenzizenzic (a number raised to its eighth power).

Trivia plus words plus pop ethnography. Can’t get enough of these types of books.

THE MANUSCRIPT: Why Some Books Sell a Million Copies by Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers
Agent: Don Fehr at Trident Media Group
Editor: Daniela Rapp at St. Martin’s
Description:  Drawing on big data and computer analytics (including BookLamp data) to explain the world of major blockbuster publishing, pitched as MONEYBALL for book publishing, showing that major bestsellers are not black swans, but rather that they can be explained and predicted with 97 percent certainty (following Archer's doctoral thesis "Reading the Bestseller: An Analysis of 20,000 Novels")  

Hm. Hmmmmmm. I went to read this dissertation on ProQuest, but it’s not available because of impending book publication. Smart.

Anyway, my gut feeling is that you can’t quantify or optimize art. Anything that was cooked up by data scientists would be cold and mechanical, even if catchy (I’m thinking of pop songs that are engineered to be audio junk food: the right mix of sugar, fat and salt).

But then again, writing is a functional art. Unlike painting or sculpture, it must have inherent integrity. Typography must be legible. Architecture must be livable. Cooking must be edible. Writing -- good pieces that take you somewhere and aren’t self-involved mood or vanity pieces -- is governed by real rules. And maybe… there are subtle rules that all the bestselling books follow. And maybe… if you follow those rules you’ll be more commercially successful (whether it’s better art is probably impossible to say). 

What do you think of "MONEYBALL for book publishing"? 

Friday Links || 4.10.15

Happy Friday! This weekend I’m going to a joint bday brunch with six high school friends and to the Food Book Fair. Next week I’m also taking driving lessons (!), so gotta catch up on rules of the road (they don't come naturally to me, surprised?).

Some thingamabobs I liked this week…

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from 101 Cookbooks

Heidi from 101 Cookbooks wrote this thorough, honest post about her cookbook proposal process. As a writer who still has a lot to learn, these posts are so incredibly useful (even though she writes nonfiction and I write fiction). I realize they must be time-consuming and some people might not like sharing what goes on behind the scenes. But when it’s done, and done well, man they are invaluable. Thanks Heidi!

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This discussion got stirred up in January, but I just came across it. First, Marc Vetri wrote about the ruthless cycle of restaurant reviewing in Huffington Post. More people, with less knowledge, making superficial rulings, at a faster pace. As he says, “Instead of stories, we get inventories. Is there any other form of journalism that continually rates things, judges them and then packages them up in a neat list?” Helen Rosner directly addressed Vetri in the Eater forums and said that “There may be more noise, but there's also more signal.”

I see both sides. Definitely restaurants have had to adjust to new pressures. Everyone’s a critic. But do these people deserve to be critics? Helen says yes -- more voices, more outlets, more expression. Vetri says no -- if you’re going to review a restaurant, you should know what you’re talking about, and do it in a respectful, considered way. In an ideal world, you’d have plenty of outlets, with people who write fair reviews among all sorts of other excellent food writing. But it can’t be as tidy as that. What do you think?

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I’m going to be signing galleys at BEA this year (opening day, Wednesday, May 27th at 3pm, tentatively Table 14). I’ve actually been twice -- not as an author -- but I’ve still been researching the experience (possibly to get some ideas on how I can make my little 30-minute signing session memorable). These "So You Want to Go to BEA" posts from Octavia at ReadSleepRepeat made me smile and now I’m even more excited to meet readers!

P.S. I'm making temporary tattoos as swag. Take a look at the options and vote on your fav here.

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Not baking much these days, but am bookmarking these (plus, I’ve been loving this blog).

D and I watched the first two episodes of Better Call Saul. I liked it, he didn’t. Should we continue?

I’m so curious about this meal delivery service. But at $99… a DAY maybe not so much.

I started doing #the100dayproject -- basically, 100 days of making. I’ve committed to posting an original recipe on Instagram everyday, and a blog post every weekday. You can follow my days here and see the rest of #the100dayprojects here. As of this second, there are 28,698 posts.

(and, btw, here’s a superbly most excellent Medium article from Elle Luna who is leading #the100daysofproject on choosing must over should. Required reading, for sure.)

That’s all for now. Hope you have a great weekend!

Pistachio Mint Radish Guacamole (or avocado toast without the toast)

If you see me during the day you'll know that I hardly wear the same outfit twice. (I'm talking weekdays. Weekends are a whole other story.) The thing is, I'm obsessed with newness. There are good parts to this. I'm always experimenting. I'm almost never in a rut. When it comes to outfits, I've been told that I look like a different person every time you see me, which I take as a compliment. (Some may say that I lack a stable sense of self... but whatever.) 

But there are downsides, too. I don't have a favorite movie because I almost never rewatch them. I will reluctantly tell you my favorite book and restaurant because that's what people tend to ask me. But truth be told, I've still only read my "favorite" book and visited my "favorite" restaurant three or so times. 

I do, however, have a very small collection of "go-to" dishes, things I'll make if we get home late and I don't feel like thinking, much less "innovating". I'll make these if there's little room for error: a dinner party or a potluck. 

So here's part one of a series. I can actually only think of three go-to dishes off the top of my head, so perhaps this'll be a very short series. But here goes. 

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This was inspired by Alex Stupak's guacamole at Empellon. I love guacamole, but it can feel kind of dull after awhile, especially if you're using lackluster ingredients. Enter the most underrated nut: pistachio. 

There are also classic ingredients: lime, jalapeño. I add some chunkiness with some sliced red onions and sliced radish (not minced... more chunkiness this way). But I think the thing that really sets this apart, and perhaps brings it more into the realm of avocado toast than guacamole, is mint. It's so fresh, so unexpected. I love it. 

RECIPE: Mandolin 1/4 red onion and soak in ice water to take out the harshness. Mash two avocados in a bowl with a fork. Don't overdo it, because you'll be adding other ingredients later and you don't want to overmix it (unless you prefer pasty guac over chunky guac). Add the onions, 1 small chopped jalapeño, 5 mandolined radishes, juice of 1/2 a lime, and about 3 tablespoons of loosely packed mint. Salt to taste. When ready to serve top with 3 tablespoons of toasted pistachios. (Note: I used to add olive oil to my guac, until one time I forgot and realized that you can do without.) 

What to expect when your novel is copyedited

I’ve never been great with grammar. Even though I’m a writer, I never officially learned it. My middle school typically taught grammar in 7th grade, but right before I started, Mr. Paulsen -- the longtime grammar stickler -- was replaced by Miss Fitzgerald, who favored nature journals and dioramas over sentence mapping and proper punctuation.

Now I know grammar intuitively, but I don’t explicitly know the rules. So I didn’t quite know what to expect when I got my manuscript back from the HarperCollins copyediting team. I’m proud to say that I had minimal embarrassing gaffes, though I was surprised and enlightened by some of their other fixes. Here are some of my favorites.

1) The quirks of certain style guides (even if they go against what you’ve known all along).

HarperCollins uses the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition “in matters of spelling, punctuation, and style”. What threw me off most was the treatment of quotes.

For example, I originally wrote:

He could have been nicer, considering I was his “protégée”, not his punching bag.

But that sentence was changed to:

He could have been nicer, considering I was his “protégée,” not his punching bag.

Commas (and periods) inside the quotes. Weird, huh?

2) Consistency and continuity. 

Were you one of those kids who was really good at that “spot what’s different” game? Well, if you were a savant, then maybe you could be a copyeditor. 

A straight-forward example: I called something a “sesame-yogurt mousse”, and then later called it a “sumac-yogurt mousse”. Nope.

A more involved example: a character doesn't introduce himself with his last name, but the main character knows it a couple chapters later. (cringe)

3) Placement in space.

I’d like to think that I fully imagined these scenes, but when you get closer to the finish line, you have to really think about the physicality of scenes, like blocking actors on a stage.

I didn’t do that, so this round I ironed out a bunch of placement issues. Like, I’d say Tia was on the couch, but then two pages later, her boyfriend has his hand on the small of her back, as if standing. (How can that happen?) I said Tia and Chef Pascal were sitting across from one another, but then he puts his hand on her knee (uh, kinda hard).

In early writing rounds, I was more concerned with character, language and story. But you definitely have to think about the physical logistics, or else your story will feel unrooted in reality and therefore disorienting. 

4) Repeated words.

I tend to do this a lot. Do you? Personally, when I agonize over a sentence, it can be hard to see something very obvious. Here are actual sentences where I had to later eliminate repeated words.

She flashed a big toothy smile and took off the big men’s coat…

...sophisticated and poised, like she belonged at a place like Madison Park Tavern…

they’d always been apologetic affairs, excursions where I always felt underdressed…

Even though I just pointed these repeated words, they're not always easy to see... right? 

Other random things I learned…

5) When it comes to dialogue, the difference between a dash (cutting someone off) and ellipses (trailing off in thought).

6) Popsicle™ is trademarked by Unilever. So in my book, you’ll see "ice pop". 

7) And this was the most amusing comment, related to fact-checking:

Eggs are usually near the dairy—revise? Or is this how the LES Whole Foods is arranged?

To which I responded: 

Regular eggs are near dairy, but "exotic" eggs are near produce.

That's one thing I do know.

Endive & Orange Salad

At The Bazaar by José Andrés, you can get all sorts of food somersaults. I love me some culinary acrobatics, but for home, I prefer something a little more down-to-earth.

This came in an endive boat, but if you don't want to feel like you're at a cocktail party, just chop up the endives. It's sweet, bitter, creamy and a little piquant, depending on how many scallions you use. 

RECIPE: Slice four endives into 1/2 inch rings and place in large mixing bowl. Separate leaves. Supreme two oranges (or tangerines for a punchier fragrance) and toss with endives. Chop 1-2 scallions and add to bowl. Make a vinaigrette with olive oil, rice vinegar, the excess juice from the oranges' core and peel, and a dash of mustard. Toss with salad then add toasted sliced almonds and feta cheese, to taste. 

Brûléed Peeps

Today I lived my fantasy of brûléeing Peeps. Now I want to brûlée everything that's sugar-coated. 

The appeal is obvious -- it's crème brûlée meets s'more. Unlike a creme brûlée, the sugar on a Peep is very fine, resulting in a very thin sugar crust. Think: a film of frost rather than a hard chunk of ice. 

At first, I was a little scared to use the blow torch. It's not some frou-frou Williams-Sonoma thing -- it's the real deal to solder pipes and repair cars. I assembled a kit and was kinda scared I was gonna blow up. 

But I guess my pyro tendencies took over and I got the hang of it. FIRE!