Previous Features

Please tell us about your newest cookbook, The I Love to Cook Book; Rediscovering the Joy of Cooking for Family and Friends.

My newest cookbook is a very personal expression and a real labor of love (as was my first cookbook). Although my first book was a large text book (no photos), this last one was fully illustrated and I did all the cooking and baking for the photographs at my home. This was even more exciting for me, given that my children were able to cook with me for the book. Even my dog, Rosebud, is in the book (eating my homemade dog biscuits!). The book is nine chapters and covers everything from homemade staples (items that are usually purchased but that taste much better, are more economical and are also more healthful when made at home), there's a chapter devoted to all sorts of great foods to serve guests with cocktails, then there's the chapter filled with lots of main dish salads and (because so many of my sutdents are in a real "rut" using only one favorite vinaigrette, in this chapter, I also give you recipes for twenty-three fabulous salad dressings!

How has Julia Child influenced your career?

Well, first of all, because my mother didn't cook, all my initial glimpses of how much fun the art of cooking was came from watching Julia on television. Being able to work with her in her own kitchen, in Cambridge, was more than a dream come true. I was extra fortunate because I didn't only bake for the series and accompanying cookbook, but I also got to cook savory spreads to go with my breads. I remember how special I felt, cooking all alone in Julia's kitchen, on the afternoon before we did the shooting my two episodes from the series. As I stood there, caramelizing onions for my chopped chicken liver spread, I couldn't believe where I was. Then, like clockwork, the aromas from the saute pan lured sweet Julia into "our" kitchen to ask (in her typical sing-song voice) "what smells so good?" I loved knowing that the aromas genaerated from my cooking were making Julia happy. That's what great food aromas do (to all of us), they help those we care about to gravitate toward us. Working with Julia has been a true highlight of my career.

You are an authority on American cuisine, even in Japan. Please tell us about your experience working with the Japanese.

It all started when my son, Ben, was in first grade and he came home with a new best friend, a classmate from Japan. At that time, I was already teaching cooking classes here in my home-based cooking school. So, Ben's friend got me thinking about the large number of Japanese families who were transplanted to the US for business. I decided to go to Ben's friend's mother and ask her if she would like me to help her and her friends to better understand our ingredients, our markets and how to create real authentic American cuisine. She said "yes" (well, she shook her head since she didn't speak much English). She pointed to various houses on her street where other Japanese families lived. So, I literally went door to door and assembled several daytime cooking courses exclusively designed for the Japanese woman who had recently relocated to the US. I then got asked to write a "Family Food" column in a highly circulated Japanese newspaper, read throughout the US and Tokyo. To make a long story short, these cooking classes were so successful that the New York Times (Metro Section) wrote a piece featuring them. Then, CBS This Morning had their anchor, Paula Zahn, come to my house to film a Thanksgiving class that I was teaching to my Japanese students. From there, I was contacted by Makiko Fugino (the Martha Stewart of Japan) and she put me in her American Baking Book that was published in Japan (and in Japanese), then my home and food style was featured prominently in the premiere issue of "Good House Keeping of Japan." One thing just led to another.

What trends do you see in home cooking today?

I think people are genuinely confused about how to get a meal on the table, especially with a busy schedule. And, when we're busy, that's when we're also the most needy to feel balanced by connecting with those we care about and who many times depend on us. So, when busy, the benefits multiply from making room for shared home-cooked meals. But, between all the focus on productivity (with adults and children) and with all the bombardment of convenience foods that are readily available, and because of the lack of tactile knowledge of basic cooking techniques, it takes a strong and prioritized person to make wholesome home cooking and shared meals a regular and trusted part of life. So, as someone that's not just an educator, but also a motivator, I think it's important, when trying to inspire busy people to incorporate more home cooked foods into their homes and lives that the scope of recipes need to reflect a true understanding and sensitivity to today's timing issues. As often as possible, I like to give people choices when cooking. When appropriate, I'll often give a recipe that includes instructions for conventional cooking, pressure cooking and slow cooking (cooking in a crock pot). That way, my students, readers or viewers always have a way to weave more meals that are "home cooked delicious" into their lives.

You include "Time Management Tips" with your recipes. How has the hectic pace of today's lifestyles affected the home cook?

Part of what I love to teach is how to break down recipes into manageable steps so that the cook is never overwhelmed when in the kitchen. I feel that knowing how to do this is vital to empowering the novice cook to choose to begin and also the more experienced cook to venture outside of their comfort zone, in order to deepen their repertoire in the kitchen. Many things can be done ahead of actually assembling and cooking a dimensional dish, i.e. a wonderful stew will have a meat and an assortment of vegetables and a deeply flavored and a defatted stock that compliments the choice of protein. Here, the meat can be purchased a day or two ahead (or frozen and thawed as desired), the vegetables can all be prepped a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator well covered, the stock can (and should) be made way ahead and, after chilling and removing the fat, stored in the freezer in tubs of different sizes and then brought to a boil before using. This way, when the cook goes into the kitchen to "make stew" the process becomes this well organized orchestration. Knowing how to manage one's cooking time efficiently will help even the busiest person to feel like they've got an assistant in the kitchen (only it's you!!).

What do you like about pressure cooking?

Pressure cooking can be an essential tool to getting a home-cooked meal on the table at the end of a work day. I'm glad to see that pressure cooking is being embraced more and more. What I love most about the pressure cooker is that it removes the limiting food choices of busy people, at the end of the day. Without a pressure cooker, succulent braised dishes are usually not an option for people who get home from work at five or six o'clock in the evening. Continually having to rely only on lean cuts of protein as an entree can get tiresome. Additionally, because the dishes that take a longer time to cook, conventionally, are usually the most soothing, when tired and hungry, being able to make a slow cooked dish happen more quickly, is a way to have mealtime be not just delicious but also extra healing and fortifying, thus memorable.

What are your favorite recipes to make in a pressure cooker?

I use the pressure cooker to cook things like short ribs, veal and beef shanks, beans (especially hominy, which takes FOREVER when cooked conventionally), corned beef and brisket.

What tips do you have for someone using a pressure cooker for the first time?

First, you want to heat a sauce mixture before you attach the lid to reach the desired degree of pressure. Preheating the sauce helps to bring the mixture up to pressure quicker and over a medium heat instead of high heat since things that are heat sensitive (like tomato based sauces) can scorch on the bottom. After heating the sauce to a simmer, attach the lid and turn the heat to medium (not high). Then, once the desired degree of pressure is reached, reduce the heat ot maintain correct pressure. Also, it's better to use the natural release method (especially with things like corned beef). When you cook cuts like this and then open the lid abruptly, the meat isn't allowed to settle (and relax) in the surrounding liquid, which also gives the meat a few minutes to reabsorb some of the flavor compounds that disperse when cooking.

What projects do you have in the works for the future?

In addition to being a devoted wife and mother, I'm teaching cooking classes at home, on Rikers Island, in lower income districts. I'm also hoping to deepen my ability to reach specific vulnerable groups (like single fathers) who I feel can feel better about their nurturing skills by choosing to partner with their kitchen. I have a weekly local recipe column and I'm also developing recipes for my next cook book. I continue to produce and host my "live" radio program every week, on WVOX (1460 AM) and I am also a monthly "family food" contributor to MSNBC. Additionally, I'm about to develop a line of products, including apparel, for the home cook to use and enjoy (I'll keep you posted!).