The Bitten Word

Orange-Scented Olive-Oil Cake with Orange Compote and Ganache

Martha Stewart Living (February 2012)

Here's something we probably don't need to tell you: Martha Stewart Living has nice photography. Great photography, in fact. 

But there's a feature in the current February issue that has such stunning, jaw-droppingly gorgeous photos, we wanted to cook something from it just so we could talk about the pictures.

Could this Orange-Scented Olive-Oil Cake with Orange Compote and Ganache possibly live up to its photo?

Warm Coconut Rice Pudding

Cooking Light (January/February 2012)

Rice pudding is easy to forget about. It's sort of a sleeper dessert. If it were an Oscar contender, it'd be The Artist. If it were a character on Downton Abbey, it'd be Edith, the middle daughter. (Yes, we're watching. And we're obsessed.) If it were a Beatle, it'd be George. (Obviously, if Ringo were a dessert he'd be something more like this.)

Rice pudding is Jan Brady.

Which, of course, isn't fair. Rice pudding is warm and comforting, and it's easy to make. Scented with cinnamon and other spices, it's the perfect treat on a chilly winter night.

And this recipe from Cooking Light has us sitting up and taking notice. More than two years ago, we asked ourselves why we weren't eating more rice pudding. But, well, we keep forgetting about it. Not any more. This rice pudding may just be our new favorite winter dessert.  

Clementine Granita

Martha Stewart Living (December 2011)

When we moved into our first apartment together and started cooking in earnest, granita quickly became our go-to, fall-back dessert.

Why? Because it's tasty and impressive -- and unimaginably easy.

If we had friends coming over but didn't have the time or moxie to make an elaborate dessert, we'd throw together some juice, water and sugar, pour it into a glass dish, and freeze it. Then we'd scrape it with a fork and pile it high in an old-school champagne glass, kind of like we did when we made Coffee Granita last year. We loved it and so did guests. (And in truth, a few times we served granita as a dessert before a more substantial dessert.)

These days, we don't make granita nearly as often, mostly because we've either already served it to just about everyone we know or we're trying out a new dessert to share with you. But we still love it, which is why we jumped at the chance to make this Clementine Granita from Martha Stewart Living.

Nigella's Chocolate Fruit Cake

We're back from China!

We just arrived home yesterday, and once we're fully unpacked and have downloaded all our photos, we'll share some tales with you. Needless to say, it was a wonderful and adventurous few weeks away. Now we're both eager to get back into the kitchen and take a break from our endless parade of noodles and dumplings and rice. 

It seems that the Christmas season exploded while we were gone. Greeting us at the airport were sparkly trees, big faux packages and holiday songs on the loudspeaker. The houses up and down our block are already done up in strings of lights and festive wreaths. 

So, mere hours back from our trip, we already have holiday cooking on the mind. And for us, holiday cooking involves one recipe that we're eager to return to each year: Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Fruit Cake.

Thanksgiving 2011: Apple Cider Cream Pie

Food & Wine (November 2011)

As we were selecting the dishes to make for our Fakesgiving, this Apple Cider Cream Pie was one of our earliest picks. Not only did it look delicious, but the recipe in Food & Wine has an accompanying essay by Samantha Bee, which is what initially got us to really focus on this recipe.

We adore Samantha Bee. Her segments on The Daily Show are hilarious. When she talks, we laugh. 

And when she said she loved this pie, we listened.  

Thanksgiving 2011: Carolina Sweet Potato Sonker

Cook's Country (November 2011)

First, we fell for "spatchcock."

Then, "sformato." 

This year, we couldn't resist "sonker."

What is it with us and the funny Thanksgiving words? 

We just had to make Carolina Sweet Potato Sonker.

Thanksgiving 2011: Salted Caramel Six-Layer Chocolate Cake

Martha Stewart Living (November 2011)

Back in October, when we first started planning our Fakesgiving/Thanksgiving menu, we each individually pored through all the food magazines, flagging different recipes on our own before comparing notes. Then we sat down and went through our lists.

Here's a verbatim account of how that conversation began:

Clay: "So. What are we thinking?"

Zach: "Well, clearly, Martha's Salted Cara--"

Clay: "I mean, obviously."

Aaaaaand, scene.

Thanksgiving 2011 Recipe Index: What the Food Magazines Are Recommending

Our Fakesgiving + Our Favorite Holiday Dishes

A little more than a week ago, we had Thanksgiving.

Or really, we had Fakesgiving, our annual tradition with friends and family where we pack as many seats as possible into our apartment, make a bunch of new dishes from November food magazines, and see what everyone likes and dislikes. This year, there were 13 of us. Zach's mom and sister came and helped cook the day before (we literally could not have done it without them), and we made 17 new Thanksgiving dishes. 

(This year's Fakesgiving crowd, minus the two of us.)

Below, you'll see the initial list of recipes we started with: more than 250 Thanksgiving recipes from 10 magazines. To be included in the index, the recipes had to be part of the magazine's Thanksgiving coverage. So this is not meant to be comprehensive -- there are many more recipes in this month's magazines. If the recipe is hyperlinked, it is available online. If not, it's not there yet. 

In preparation for this year's Thanksgiving coverage, we've also created a page of Our Favorite Holiday Recipes. There, you'll find a collection of dishes from Thanksgivings, Fakesgivings and holiday dinner parties past. We'll be updating it as we introduce new content and recipes on the site.

Enjoy the index! 

Maple Madeleines

Martha Stewart Living (September 2011)

Just two days ago, we were discussing indispensable kitchen tools -- those items that we reach for all the time in the kitchen. And we loved hearing about your go-to tools, from blenders to Dutch ovens and even cast iron woks!

Sadly, in our kitchen, our favorite tools are nearly outnumbered by the items we almost never use. They're there, within our reach, taking up space. But for the most part, they sit idly by while other tools do all the work.

We're looking at you, Ice Cream Maker. And you, too, Popover Pan.  

But they're not alone. 

For a year now we've had a Madeleine Pan. It was a lovely gift from Zach's mom, and ever since we received it, we have had the very best intentions of making madeleines. 

Well, those intentions became action this last weekend. Martha Stewart Living has a beautiful feature on making madeleines, our unused pan (still in its wrapper!) was staring us dead in the eyes, and we finally caved. 

It was time to make the madeleines. 

Devil's Food Cake with Black Pepper Boiled Icing

Bon Appétit (September 2011)

Cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen can be a challenge.

You're not sure where things are, or what equipment is on hand. When it's time to buy ingredients, you don't know what staples may already be in the kitchen. There are odd utensils, leftover spices and wondrously unusual cooking tools.

But there's also something amazingly fun about this experience, which often includes the need to improvise and often to just make do with what you've got. 

Each Labor Day, we retreat to the North Carolina coast with a big group of friends, to our friend Drew's family's beach house. It sits in a beautiful spot right on the water. There's absolutely nothing to do there, and that's why we all love it. We play Scrabble, read and stare at the water. It makes for a wonderful and relaxing vacation. 

And we eat, and eat, and eat, taking turns cooking dinner each night. There were tacos and enchiladas, and some of the best shrimp we can remember eating in a long time. This year, there was also a surprise wedding (!), but that's a story for another time.

On our night to cook, we went simple with the main event: pork tenderloin with an orange-oregano gravy, sautéed corn off the cob and fresh green beans. But we decided to go fancy with dessert, opting to make this Devil's Food Cake with Black Pepper Boiled Icing.