Chris Nordquist
I’m a Californian, so I think it should be Spring now. In New York, though, where I spend a lot of time, it most definitely isn’t. It’s snowy (well, mostly slushy) and bitter cold, and there’s still no sign of change in the air. Winter has worn out its welcome, at least with me. Of […]
One of our favorite Saturday lunches these days is a classic diner sandwich, the tuna melt. It’s always been one of my favorites, but I’m often disappointed when I order it out. The tuna salad can be fishy or just dull, and the cheese can be rubbery or tasteless. A few weeks ago, I decided […]
The shade on the lamp over the “story chair” in Julia’s New York room was looking pretty tired. We rescued the lamp itself from our furniture graveyard in the basement in Southampton, and its simple paper shade was showing its age –a crease here, a bubble there, a faint stain or two. I was about […]
I’m getting bored with my salads. On the whole they’re pretty good, I think, but my approach follows a formula: good leaves, a seasonal accent or two, an olive oil vinaigrette. Actually, the first two variables in the equation seem, well, sufficiently variable. I think the dressing is the problem. I’m in a vinaigrut. And […]
I remember watching old movies as a kid and being intrigued by the way some impossibly suave person –Cary Grant, Ray Miland or someone like that– glided over to his home bar and poured a drink from a glittering bottle of amber liquid –removing the stopper, pouring just a splash, replacing the stopper. It seemed […]
This dish has quickly become a family favorite. Last week I gave Julia a cut-up piece for her dinner. I turned away from her high chair for a minute or two to tidy up the kitchen, and, when I turned back, it had completely vanished. I immediately suspected her of feeding it to our dog […]
For us cooks, the good news is that over the last 20 years or so good cookware has become widely available. Equipment that would have been difficult to find outside Europe when we were kids is now available in nearly any shopping mall, and mostly at accessible prices. The downside to this is that it’s […]
Ok, there’s nothing particularly environmentally responsible about this cocktail, but it’s uncommonly delicious, and it’s a beautiful celery green color. A few weeks ago my friend and mixmaster Steven sent me the recipe, and I’ve had a hard time keeping us stocked with its ingredients ever since. The recipe is simple, but the flavor is […]
When we entertain, particularly on weekends, my partner David and I usually divide up the cooking dish by dish: one takes the soup, the other the meat, and so on. This works pretty well. Responsibilities are clear, nobody feels like the other’s sous-chef (or galley slave), and it’s relatively easy to work out the timing […]
I was at our place in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, and the big old Meyer lemon tree in the garden was heavy with ripe lemons –hundreds of them. When I headed back to New York, I stuffed as many as I could in my suitcase. Whenever I have a bumper crop of […]
