The Diva That Ate New York // Jackie cooks

Janea’s second birthday

Ja-Ja, my niece, has evolved into a little lady since her first birthday. Now double her age, she has grown into her actual name, Janea. For her second birthday I built the menu around a savory birthday cake made of macaroni and cheese. I have some decorating ideas floating in my head, but we’ll see how it evolves.

Jackie’s gone Christmas cookie crazy 2009!!!

I had a bit of spare time and a lot of extra chocolate this holiday season so I started dipping and whipping up a storm of Xmas cookies. When I finally finished and I looked back at the boxes of over twenty types of goodies I’d made, the thought did cross my mind that I might need some sort of intervention. I also decided that next year, if I am feeling cookie compelled I would get some elves —if it’s good enuf for Santa…  I shared them, I traded them, I gifted them and even had some hand delivered to Trinidad. Needless to say I spread them around and made a few folks very happy.

Recipe: Madras Chicken Curry

My mom learned this chicken curry recipe from Portuguese-Indian friends that lived next door to us on the Lower East Side in the land before time. It’s dead easy crowd pleaser.

Recipe: Green Apple Cucumber Raita

Perfect for cooling the heat of curry or as a side dish for a BBQ.  I had extra apples so I whipped up this raita recipe.

Recipe: Heavenly Hazelnut Squares

A divine, easy cookie that I made up because I had a ten pound block of gianduja (Callebaut’s hazelnut milk chocolate — like Nutella’s richer, classier and more delicious cousin) to get rid of. It’s going folks, slowly, but surely.  I may weep a little when it’s actually gone.

I made these for a friend’s birthday party after the caramel layer I was planning broke and started burning and spitting clarified butter all over the stove — very unattractive. After chucking that mess,  I rushed to whip these up and ran to the party leaving them behind!  There is a lesson in there.  I believe it is: If you forget to bring the dessert with you,  you get to keep it all for yourself. YIPPEE!!!

Recipe: Blueberry Scones

The “blizzard: made me do it! I used a couple of tricks from my Aussie catering days to make these. Using sparkling water helps to make the scones lighter and cooking the scones close together helps them rise. Twisting the cutter is a trick from the great Australian chef, author and restaurateur Stephanie Alexander, that helps scones rise to greater heights too. The dog ate my pictures…...

Recipe: Bacon Potato Pancakes w/ Granny Smith Apple & Green Tomato Chutney and Sour Cream

When life gives you chutney, you better find ways to serve it up.  I made these for Thanksgiving starters to sate the guests till the turkey is ready! I had two Thanksgivings and this was a bacon Parmesan johnny cake the first day, but they were just okay, so I whipped these up and they were stunning!

Thanksgiving 2009 Jax put the pots on!

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday! I’m so excited about Thanksgiving (read: since I don’t have my chocolate cafe weighing on me like it has the last four years) this year that I’m having it twice! For the family on Thursday and on the Friday for my friends who have to work in restaurants on Thanksgiving with a sprinkling of who were otherwise occupied on Thursday. Here is the menu as it stands now. I use a combination of dishes that that are traditional with dishes I make up to use up stuff I have too much of (read: chocolate, nuts, toffee) and a couple of things that are new and fun in the starter section.  Until I actually make dinner, there are no pictures. I will do my best to get some shots on the day!

Brooklyn Purple’s in da house: Concord Grape Chutney

Since there is nothing more interminable than slip skinning Concord grapes, every year I swear that it’s the last time I am harvesting any more than a bunch of them for munching from my garden. Yet every year the fruit lures me back with promises of chutney and maybe some ketchup or jelly and I fight the mosquitoes, spiders, birds and bees for them and set aside a day for making chutney.