cod basquaise

I had a dream last week that I sat beside Eric Ripert on an airplane and brought him home to make him dinner. He played with our kids and changed their diapers. And he liked the dinner we made for him. At least he said he did.

That's the kind of chef that I love.

If you don't get Ripert's show, Avec Eric, you're missing something special. In each episode, he typically visits an artisan farmer of some sort (bee keeper, wine maker), becomes inspired, and then goes home to his Manhattan apartment and makes something based upon his inspiration. He's a chef who hasn't lost his sense of wonder about the world. His enthusiasm is infectious, and you think "I could make that, too." This is one of the best chefs in the world, and he inspires instead of intimidates. Maybe it's because he's a French Buddhist. Maybe it's because he's confident in his craft. Maybe it's because he's willing to change my kids' diapers.

So.

Be inspired.

Try this one. It's quick, incredibly easy. Tastes spectacular. There's a tiny bit of chopping, but you can handle it.

The approach comes from Basque regional cooking. Slow-cooked peppers, tomatoes, onions, ham. Pefectly cooked fish. I get intimidated by fish, but following Ripert's instructions gives me confidence.

We made some changes to the recipe:

• The "fresh" tomatoes at the market looked horrible. I used canned plum tomatoes.
• Instead of Serrano ham, we used prosciutto. It's not the same. But it tasted great.
• Instead of Espelette pepper, we used smoked paprika (maybe my favorite seasoning), but a lot less of what is called for in the recipe. Smoked paprika has an intense flavor that quickly overwhelms everything it touches. And you're using a beautiful bit of fish, so go easy.
• Speaking of fish, we couldn't get fresh cod. We used halibut. Life goes on.

This is a non-fussy dish to prepare that looks like you spent hours making it. It will take you about 30 minutes. You don't have to tell anyone.

Recipe | Cod Basquaise

grom gelato

Here's what I remember of Florence, Italy...

Taking prohibited pictures of Michelangelo's David (without flash).

Being sonically accosted by the University of Southern California marching band playing Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" in the Pitti Palace gardens.

And gelato. Perfect gelato.

In 2006, we took a trip to Italy on a whim (thank you, Expedia, for your last-minute deal). Having never visited Italy, we didn't know exactly what we wanted to do, where to go, where to stay. But we had heard about Bistecca alla Fiorentina, and that seemed like enough to build a vacation around.


In the days before our trip, we came across some advice on gelato: if the pistachio gelato is bright green, run away (food coloring); and look for the gelatario that keeps its frozen fat hidden in canisters. I have no idea if the advice is more right than wrong, but it certainly served us well. Just steps from the Duomo, we found Grom gelatario.


Nearly every night during our stay, we stopped by Grom for a fix of extra-dark chocolate (cioccolato extranoir), hazlenut (nocciola), and cream with candied lemons, oranges, and citrons (cassata siciliana). One of my favorite memories of our visit is sitting on the steps of the Duomo at sunset, loving where we were right at that moment, and finishing off another cup of Grom.


I know foodies go on and on about how important it is to have high-quality ingredients (which typically means shelling out a bunch of money, which comes off feeling snobby and elitist). But for a couple of bucks, Grom gives you a cup of perfection with quality and craft that you can really taste.

Fortunately, Grom has opened up several locations in the States. We have two here in NYC, one on the Upper West Side that I could see from my office window if they would just relocate the Hearst building. The other one is down on Bleeker. And I just looked on their website to see where else they are in the US (hello, Malibu), discovering a new shop is opening up soon in NYC. Six short blocks from my office. Pure joy.

Also on Grom's site, they give careful attention to food allergies. They have a handy chart that shows which of their flavors will work with your allergies/dietary restrictions: gluten, eggs, milk, dried fruits and nuts, and vegan.

A few weeks after we returned from Florence, we discovered we were expecting our first child. I'd give at least a little bit of credit to the Grom.