Comfort Foods and Indulgences

It's blueberry season. Glorious, juicy, sweet blueberry season.

If you're looking for one fabulous blueberry treat this summer, then you've got to make my Mom's Blueberry Sweet Rolls. She has been making them since I was a little girl, and my love for them has never waned.

Each bun has warm, juicy, cinnamon-sugar coated blueberries tucked inside of a pillowy soft sweet dough that is glazed with vanilla icing. There is something ambrosial about these buns: they're delicate and pretty enough for a ladies' summer tea party yet homey and comfy enough for a midday snack with a glass of milk.

So next time you go blueberry picking, save a pint of your best berries for Mom's Blueberry Sweet Rolls. Trust me, summer never tasted so good. 

There are many versions of eggplant parmesan. I probably like them all. The earthy sweetness of the eggplant and tomato sauce, the gooey mozzarella, and the sharpness of the parmesan all come together to make something delectable. Eggplant parmesan was the most satisfying vegetarian dinner I ate when I was growing up.

In some recipes the eggplant is breaded and fried. While this adds a whole extra layer of texture, I don't think it's necessary. The version I grew up with was one my mom made and perhaps it's just the familiarity of it, but I really do think it's the best. Because it isn't fried it's not greasy which is often what happens with eggplant. A hearty filling entree I wouldn't dream of serving it without spaghetti on the side.

For many years, we had always hosted the neighborhood Halloween Party. On the night of Halloween, everyone showed up in costume attire to chow down on big vats of homemade chili, corn muffins, and slaw or large trays of baked ziti, Caesar salad, garlic balls, and some sort of festive cocktail. It really depended upon my mood and how many were expected to show up.

One year, a friend of mine brought over a huge tray with a pumpkin like cake on it. I couldn’t figure out what it was. A layer of pumpkin like mousse atop some sort of crust over a sprinkling of pecans.

I took one bite and I was addicted. I can’t really call it a cake, even though it is made with a cake mix. It is kind of like a pie, but not really. Her mom called it “Pumpkin Delight” and I have to say, it is delightful. For years, I followed the recipe. Would never have thought to have changed it. But with me being conscious about what I put in the food that I make, thus what ultimately goes into my kids bodies, I decided to test this recipe using more whole ingredients.

I am an A+ eater and a B- cook.  Sad, but true – I’d be so much better off if it were the other way around.  I have a couple of A+ dishes in my repertoire, but by and large, I haven’t had the time to hone my kitchen skills.  Having to bring home the bacon and cook it too is hard work!  So I’ve eaten out as much as I’ve eaten in for the last 20 years.  Nowadays, I’m trying to reverse the trend.

I began my career in Manhattan around the same time that many famous, formal temples of gastronomy like Lutece and La Cote Basque were being replaced in the hearts and wallets of many New Yorkers by small, unpretentious, artisanal restaurants that cared more about the content than the packaging.  So I consider myself very lucky to have been there when Trattoria d’Alfredo changed the rules of the game.  Alfredo Viazzi introduced New Yorkers to simple, inventive, Italian regional cooking, as familiar to us today as spaghetti and meatballs were then.  I loved how this gracious, Savona-born, WWII partisan fighter, writer and cook presided over his flock nightly; I loved that he opened a supper club nearby where his actress/singer wife performed; and I loved the exquisite mocha dacquoise cake made daily for the restaurant by James Beard’s partner, pastry chef Gino Cofacci.