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Its June! The world's best looking athletes by far have congregated in South Africa and are sweating in the sun while chasing after a small checkered ball. All this gawking at the television has me wanting one thing...strawberries...and watermelon!

There's nothing like the start of summer. The pools are open (at least on the weekends), although the water is ridiculously cold and you can buy a cut up watermelon on the street. As well the New York City farmers markets are all a twitter with my favorite start of summer fruit...the strawberry.

When I grew up on Long Island, I remember the third week of June hosted a strawberry festival in my town. Strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, rides, attractions, music, merriment, people really celebrated the arrival of the strawberry. Today, I just wake up early on a Thursday or Sunday morning and head over to the market 10 blocks from my apartment and plop down my $4 ($3 later in the day if there are any left!) for a pint of the most amazing strawberries I have ever tasted...and sometimes, when I am really lucky, they sell some at Fairway.

These strawberries are amazing. Sweet, succulent and no methyl iodide here.  I'm still kvelling from the asparagus, whose season is almost over. This past weekend I got my first taste of summer zucchini and eggplant...on the grill, with lamb. Oh my god, to die for. Summer is upon us...all the best to Algeria...oh yeah and the United States/Britain who both have to play Algeria. Hope they are eating some strawberries too!
 
 
The rain might be over, the birds are chirping, I see a lot of asparagus around. Does that mean, spring is finally upon us? I am working on transitioning from the meat and root based dishes of winter to the greens based dishes of spring. I finally get to bring back my fresh greens based cassoulets, asparagus and pea soup (using fresh peas from the garden, not frozen!) and planning for summer recipes.

This week, I'm planning some fresh asparagus recipes as well as a red lentil dal with cauliflower and carrots. I saw some wonderful purple, green and white cauliflower at the farmers market last week and I wasn't sure what to do with all of it, so I put it in soup. The soup started with a few shallots and carrots (because I didn't have any celery). I added the red lentils next and swirled them around in the olive oil. I had about 2 cups of vegetable stock, so I added that with about 2 more cups of water and about 2 tablespoons of Moroccan Marrakesh curry mix (all kinds of spices - if you are Moroccan and from Marrakesh, you probably know - otherwise the usual tumeric, cumin or standard curry mix all work, the Moroccans and Marakeshites are probably cringing right now). I also added a bit of Hawaiian black lava sea salt - just a shake, not even 1/4 teaspoon.

I simmered the soup 20 minutes, until my kitchen smelled so heavenly I had to try some. Then I did, two bowls worth. Yum!

I found this great website: http://noteatingoutinny.com/category/recipes/.  I thought what a great idea, not eating out in New York. I always find it hard to follow other people's recipes exactly. My ADD runs away with me, I get a basic idea and then alter it to the things I like and it usually works out, better sometimes I think :)

I started making this chocolate cake one year based on a recipe from culinary school and I forgot the water once, forgot the sugar another time. The cake came out differently, but still good. I altered it so that I made two or three new variations on the recipe that were well, my recipes. I encourage you to do the same. Cooking is an art form, like singing or writing. It is meant to be creative, expository and at the same time you can't be afraid to take risks. If you have 6 people waiting for you and only 2 hours to cook, you might want to follow a recipe more carefully or at least do the experiment once on your own on a smaller scale, but if its just you, your partner or children waiting, give your creativity a whirl. You'll grow as a cook and its always great to be pushed to cook outside your comfort zone. Give it a try or drop me an email and I'll help.
 
 
I write today after being awoken by the distinct sound of a snowblower. Ah, I wonder what we did in the years prior to the invention of the snowblower and the truck plow. I often wonder how much time goes into strategizing how to clean up snow. We're so inpatient and paranoid that we might miss something, that we might need to spend an extra minute at home with our families (or by ourselves!) reading a book, cooking a meal or just hanging out.

I myself spent yesterday cooking dinner for my mom. It was my holiday present to her. On our menu:

Roast lamb marinated in red wine, shallot, garlic, rosemary and mint served with a mushroom sauce with the reduced marinade

sautéed kale in soy, broth and garlic

Savory buckwheat with lemon zest and walnuts  

We had mint tea for dessert. After the adrenal whirlwind of finals and the need for all of us to take better care of ourselves we forewent dessert.  Though I could have easily made some chocolate pudding or something else. It was a meal at home, the dessert seemed unneccessary.

In reading about things to do for the holiday season in Manhattan online this morning, I was saddened to read about the closing of one of my favorite Manhattan restaurants, Chanterelle.  Chanterelle was one of the first restaurant picks I made for my family for my birthday. I couldn't have been more than 22, working and living on my own in the west village for less than a year. The restaurant was divine. Tribeca was an odd part of Manhattan back then and not one I ventured to before.  But being that I had only lived a mile or two north (I get lost in lower Manhattan - but it never seemed that far), it was time to explore. My boss at the time, an irreverent foodie, concurred the choice, even though I had made the pick myself.

The space was unusual, simple, unadorned, but truly elegant. Across the street, was a three floor loft with a magnificent staircase...and oddly no window shades. A young man walked up and down the stairs. I eyed him. He waved. My mom's friend's husband said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if he came by with a rose?" Then his girlfriend/wife showed up, dressed and ready to go. The lights went out. We enjoyed the rest of our dinner, each element, each course more divine than the next. I had never experienced synchronized service before. The dinner choices were odd as I remembered. We decided against the tasting menu for some reason I can't remember. There were four of us. Two shared a monkfish (something neither had tasted or heard of before) the other two chose steak with some sort of tarragon mustard sauce with Gruyère. Three tastes I have used in my cooking ever since. I believe I fell in love with tarragon at that meal and have since not stopped using it.

Chanterelle closed its doors this August for "renovations" and announced a few weeks back that they would be closing permanently. I am sure that there are several New Yorkers that share my pain and feelings of loss as a piece of their life, a truly memorable evening and dining experience died along with Chanterelle. I fondly remember my evening and its possibilities as well as the divine food and truly exceptional service. As a long time Manhattan resident, I have not experienced service on that caliber since. These days, I'd most rather eat in than dine out unless I feel someone can truly treat me better than I could treat myself, isn't that what dining out is all about?