Recipes

  • Alden & Harlow: Dinner

    DoorWe’re so excited to share this one with you guys. Alden & Harlow is one of our favorite restaurants in the area, and for good reason. Owned by Chef Michael Scelfo (previously the executive chef at Russell House Tavern), Alden & Harlow takes American food to a whole new level of delicious.

    Dining RoomThe restaurant opened in 2013 in the old Casablanca space in Harvard Square, Cambridge. The style is modern blended with vintage; a lot of wood, tile and leather tied together with funky wall signs. Beyond the doors, there is the bar – adorned with beautiful light fixtures and wooden structures. Once you walk past the bar there’s the main dining area, lined with soft booths and a generous view of the kitchen. (If you love watching cooks in action, reserve the high-top tables right alongside the shelves that line the kitchen for a great view. And if you ever get to eat at the chef’s table with the real front row seats, we’re very jealous).

    MenuWhiskey Sign (more…)

  • Creamy Tomato Bisque

    Bisque Bowl

    One of the most exciting things about cooking is finding a recipe you love and then tweaking it around. Letting your intuition and taste buds guide you into new, but familiar territory. At the end of that culinary journey, you pleasantly find that your instincts have done well and created something spectacular.

    Bisque

    A lot of my recipes are developed that way – cooking through other people’s works and then undoing it for my sake. I think that’s the heart of the creative process – acquire what skills you need and then unlearn all of that to build something new. It’s so exciting this way.

    Ingredients

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  • Caramelized Onion Pasta Sauce

    pasta egg
    My absolute favorite thing to do in the kitchen isn’t just to bake or cook, or even eat (gasp!). What I truly love to do is to experiment. Sorry Mom, but I just really love to play with my food.

    Because really, creating new recipes is so much fun. It’s a chance to channel your inner mad scientist. When I’m working on a recipe, I tweak one thing, try it again, take notes, tweak another thing, take more notes, cackle victoriously, tweak tweak tweak, eat eat eat. By the end I’m usually covered in butter and ready for a nap, but hopefully I’ve at least learned something new and created something delicious. Experimenting with baking is easier to me because all the ratios of ingredients can only be changed in certain ways, so I have more control over everything.

    caramelized onions (more…)

  • Tatte Bakery & Cafe

    bakery front

    Tatte Bakery & Cafe was founded by Tzurit Or, who started by selling her baked goods at farmers markets in 2007, and opened the first Tatte in Brookline soon thereafter. We went to the Tatte on Third Street in Kendall Square, Cambridge for Sunday brunch. With a bright open space, long wooden tables, and funky chandelier, this Tatte’s rustic yet pseudo-industrial vibe fits in perfectly in Kendall Square.

    chandelier

    One wall is all about retail, showcasing their cookies, biscotti, and tarts in beautiful bags and boxes. There’s a window on the back wall that lets you peek into their pastry kitchen, which is always exciting for a couple of kitchen nerds like us. Along this back wall there’s a long pastry case and counter which are abundantly stocked with cheesecake, tarts, croissants, brioche, baguettes, and other goodies. Along with the brunch menu, with items such as Croque Monsieur and a mezze plate, the food is decidedly European with a Mediterranean bent.

    kitchen windowtatte case (more…)

  • Raspberry Meyer Lemon Loaf

    Parcel

    Leili and I are big tea drinkers. Unlike coffee, teatime can happen anytime for me. Tea is an underrated beverage – it has the unique qualities to awaken and soothe one’s spirits. Needless to say, tea is my main squeeze.

    Fruit

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  • Hot Fudge Sauce

    fudge spoonMy name is Leili, and I’m lactose-intolerant.

    The problem I have is this: I am in love with ice cream and everything that goes with it. My last meal would be this brownie sundae with Scharffen Berger hot fudge sauce from Picco. A giant bowl of smooth ice cream drenched in rich hot fudge sauce and covered in a pile of whipped cream…now that’s the good life.

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  • Pork and Shrimp Wontons

    Wontons

    How can I talk about Chinese food without mentioning my mom? I can’t. Almost everything is centered around food in our household and I really can’t complain. My mother is an amazing cook and there are some tricks I will never inherit from her.

    Ingredients

    Mis

    My mother is one of those natural talents who can potentially ruin dining out for you. At least she did for me. I’ll elaborate – people often ask me where to get the best dumplings and I usually struggle to give an honest answer. Don’t get me wrong, there are loads of places that make great food and dumplings, but my mom makes the best ones.

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  • Zesty Orange Pancakes & Tart Raspberry Jam

    pancakes and syrupBreakfast is easily the most amazing meal of the day.

    I don’t care if you disagree, it is unequivocally THE BEST. No buts about it. Pastries reign supreme, sweets are welcome (helloooo Nutella), fruit is celebrated, and savory foods hold their own so well that they’re easily eaten at any other meal of the day (egg sandwich for lunch, anyone? Steak and eggs for dinner? Have you noticed I really like eggs?).

    pancakespancake bite
    Breakfast is also my personal favorite because I love rolling out of bed on a lazy Sunday morning and slowly piecing together a nice big breakfast between bleary-eyed yawns. Gently folding together pancake batter, setting the table with all the necessary jams, syrups, and butters, and even cutting up fresh berries and whipping up some cream if I’m feeling especially domestic (which is always) is my favorite weekend ritual. Anyone who’s still in their bed trickles down the stairs at the smell of smoky-sweet bacon frying, and when everyone is gathered around the kitchen table life suddenly just feels so right. I’m telling you, the satisfaction from serving up the perfect breakfast is highly underrated.

    Or maybe I’m just a breakfast freak.

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  • Smoked Salty Almond Chocolate Cookies

    Stack

    If you’ve read our About page, you would know that Leili and I met while working at a bakery in Boston. Allow me to garnish with extra information on our delicious friendship. Leili worked back of house as a baker while I worked front of house – we quickly became friends by talking about boys and her occasionally sneaking me sweets.

    Between the two of us, Leili is the sweets and I am the salty. I have always been intimidated by baking but slowly unlearning that fear. This all changed very recently when Leili got me the Not Without Salt Cookie Mix by the great Ashley Rodriguez for Christmas.

    Mis

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  • Lady Verona {Maple Cranapple Cosmo}

    cocktail1Get ready, ‘cause we’re boozing it up today.

    Sometimes it’s nice to have a little something sweet to reward yourself with, and although I’m all for turning to a sweet snack, it’s also a good idea to have a few drink recipes in your back pocket for when you want to celebrate life’s little victories…or for the days when it’s easier to face a cocktail than reality. (more…)