I'm Kristin and I'm a chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, and cookbook devourer based in southern California. I hope you enjoy reading the site. Please grab a snack and stay awhile. Questions or inquiries? Reach out at kfrieder@gmail.com.
All in Cookbook Spotlight
“What person doesn't like to receive the gift of unexpected marmalade?”
“this recipe can be a secret weapon to keep in your back pocket, at the ready for holidays, hostess gifts, or gatherings of any sort.”
While living in Copenhagen, I enjoyed rhubarb's status as a celebrated ingredient in the city, where it popped up in everything from pastries to compotes to sodas.
Whether on a beach or at a campground, cooking in the outdoors has become one of my favorite activities. Plus, there's nothing like offering the people at the campsite next to you a little neighborly sampling of your 4 course outdoor meal and seeing their surprised faces.
I'd like to see homemade cracker-making experience a comeback in American households. If canning and fermenting can become hip again, the from-scratch cracker certainly deserves a place at the table too.
In the book's forward, Chef Thomas Keller reminds us that cooks should have patience and "enjoy where you are while you are there." Funnily enough, when I was working my way through culinary school, my very wise mom gave me that same advice.
Danish cuisine is not widely available in southern California, so it's up to me to make my own food when a nostalgic craving hits. With an October heat wave coming our way, smoked salmon open-faced sandwiches (called smørrebrød in Denmark) seemed like an ideal no-oven cold dinner option.
Lemon bars made with gelatin give you a clean, precise slice when all is said and done. They're great for presentation. Lemon bars without gelatin are more gooey, less showy, and meant for Sunday afternoons sitting on the porch catching up with a close friend. They are completely lacking in pretension-- they may not totally hold their shape while you're trying to plate them up, so you might as well eat them right out of the pan.
Growing as a cook is all about knowing when it makes sense to adjust your recipe.
It was the book that convinced me my baking habits warranted buying the jumbo sized commercial container of sprinkles.
April's Cookbook of the Month is: Dorie's Cookies by Dorie Greenspan
Among all of my cookbooks, my Dorie Greenspan books are likely the ones I have used the most over the years. She has a very approachable way of writing, to the point that you feel she could be your cool next door neighbor who shares killer recipes at every block party, and always has a batch of excellent homemade cookie dough in her freezer* (*a personal life goal of my own.)
I will admit that like many people in my generation, I love the internet for all of its fast-paced, informative, and visually appealing food content. But cookbooks will always have a place on my shelf. Part genuine works of art and part functional kitchen tools, I will always treasure and value them.
