Butter Him Up for His Birthday!

Butter Cake
Our favorite birthday cake, a variation on a traditional strawberry shortcake, is a great way to butter up your favorite friend on his or her birthday. For his birthday this weekend, Tommy requested blueberries and bananas in the whipped cream, in addition to strawberries. I baked a rich, butter-filled cake and set it out to cool for a few hours. The frosting is heavy cream with sugar and real vanilla extract, whipped until it is almost butter! Fold in fresh blueberries, fresh sliced strawberries and sliced bananas. (Keep some of the whipped cream aside for the top of the cake.) The secret to a fabulous finish -- a double-extra helping of whipped cream with berries between the two rounds. It stands up to the cake when sliced, and makes every bite extra-moist.

Chips Ahoy, Senorita!

Cinquo de Mayo put us in the mood for easy Mexican snacks. But we wanted something better than the dried-out, preservative-filled chips off the shelf. So we made tortillas and fried them in vegetable oil, doused them with Kosher salt when they were still sizzling hot. The result, an incredibly fresh and mouth-watering tortilla chip, fit for your Margaritaville. Olé!

Let Me Call You Sweet-Tart

Lemons lemons lemons. This delectable lemon meringue pie is a perfect dessert for a filling meal, or lovely with tea in mid-afternoon. Freshly squeezed lemon juice and the zest of a million lemons are the key to loading it up with flavor. Topped with an airy and sweet meringue, the perfect foil to the tart-y lemon.

Mamma Mia!

We love perciatelli, a beautiful tube pasta, swirled with a rich and meaty Bolognese sauce. I flavor the sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, organic beef, organic parsley, spices and basil, and lots of deep red Chianti wine. It simmers on the stove for many hours, and I adjust the spices and flavorings as it cooks. The aroma of this sauce brings me back to my grandmother's kitchen, my first favorite food place. My family loves this dinner with hot Italian garlic bread and a tangy Caesar salad. It satisfies even the hungriest of appetites -- the kind of irresistible dish that you would share in a restaurant, and can't have just one bite. Good the first day, and even better a day later.

Our favorite sandwich

So simple and yet so full of flavor and texture! Roasted chicken breasts, cut into 1" squares, tossed with mayonnaise, sour cream, celery and simple spices, and plumped between two slices of La Brea whole grain bread with a few leaves of red leaf lettuce. It's hearty, filling, and works both in lunch bags and at the table. We love it with a tomato vinaigrette salad and iced tea.

Potage Poireau

This unique and savory soup is a family favorite, passed down several generations from French cook to French cook. Piping hot broth, steamy leeks, potatoes that melt in your mouth, redolent of spices. It's a full meal in itself, great for a simple dinner or a Saturday lunch. We serve with homemade croutons, salad, a sparkling cold glass of Perrier or Chablis. (P.S. Blended well and served cold, it's viccychoise.)

Cheesecake Craving

When friends and family began asking me to bring this cheesecake to their parties, or for doggie bags after my dinner parties, I began to wonder if this was possibly my best recipe. So I make it often, for friends and neighbors who do wonderful favors for us, for holiday celebrations with family, and for our son, who has intermittent "cheesecake cravings." (It's a great lure!) Not difficult to make, but takes the better part of three hours from start to finish. It also needs an hour or two (better overnight) to chill and set. So make it on a Saturday when you don't have to rush it. I serve it plain, but superb accompaniments are sweetened whipped cream and raspberry or pineapple purée. It freezes really well, too.