Three Things

Easy comfort food dinners, a twist on chocolate mousse, my new favorite mixing bowls

Oct 17, 2023

Greetings eaters and readers! Last week some friends were in town seeing Nick Cave at the Beacon, an iconic New York venue only a few blocks from our new apartment, and asked if they could swing by to say hi. This has been a regular occurrence — the “I’m in town, can I come over?” or “I’m in town, want to grab coffee?” — that I hadn’t counted on logging in the PROs column of living in the city. It almost outweighs the number one con in the CONs column: Taking an elevator to walk the dog a hundred times a day. Anyway, we made gin and tonics for our concert-going friends and I put together this fun little starter plate you see above which includes: Chili-Roasted Pistachios, figs, grapes, a hunk of Humboldt Fog, smoked trout dip (with dill instead of chives), an aged gouda, then crackers and baguette slices. Not bad, right? In other news, subscribers: This Friday I’ll be doing an Ask Me Anything thread, so if you have some burning questions for the House of DALS, get ‘em ready. And now, your Three Things…

1. I’ll Bring the Mousse

Adam Roberts (aka the Amateur Gourmet) and his husband Craig had us over for dinner last weekend, and in a moment of weakness, I replied to his very exciting invitation “Can I bring dessert?” As most of you know, I am a sweets lover of the highest order, but I have zero confidence when it comes to executing a pastry or a baked good beyond, say, one-bowl banana bread. But I figured Adam was going to go off on dinner — I was correct, he made a coq au vin feast with homemade herby egg noodles — so I decided to level up and make an old classic: chocolate mousse.

Because I was in Impress People mode, I decided to make it with some expensive chocolate from Citarella, but of course, when I melted the chocolate and whisked in the egg yolks, I somehow must’ve introduced water, because the whole thing seized, making it impossible to integrate the egg whites with the chocolate to create that crucial smooth and airy texture. This was both annoying and fortuitous because when I went back out to get another round of chocolate, this time I headed to Trader Joe’s, remembering that Queen Dorie Greenspan herself told me she was a fan of the TJ Pound Plus Chocolate. (“Good chocolate at a good price” were her exact words.) And then, as I elbowed my way through the Friday masses down the nuts and dried fruit aisle, inspiration struck! Wouldn’t it be kinda cool to top the whipped cream with those addictive freeze dried strawberries? came a voice from I’m not sure where. It would be more unexpected than chocolate shavings, and I’ve loved the combination of chocolate with tart berries ever since I was an 80s kid addicted to my Dannon carob-covered frozen raspberry yogurt bars. (Anyone? Anyone?)

I was successful on the second round, thank goodness, because the mousse needed to chill for three hours, and the clock was ticking. I usually serve mousse in individual dessert dishes, but since that was going to be tricky to transport via subway, I figured I’d just bring it in a large bowl, then add my whipped cream (also pre-made) and strawberry dust (processed in a mini food processor then added to a powdered sugar shaker) on site and serve family style. It worked and, dare I say, it was worth all the drama. Chocolate mousse, all airy and decadent, is just so damn good. Best of all, I had some chocolate left over, so I made a mini batch the next day. P.S. The whipping cream was also from Trader Joe’s, so here’s your entire shopping list when you head there next time: Pound Plus Chocolate, Heavy Whipping Cream, Freeze Dried Strawberries, Eggs. That’s it!

2. Easy Comfort Food

I’ve been in comfort food mode lately, craving warm-your-bones soups and stews, pizzas and empanadas, but I’ve had very little patience for the time commitment that can sometimes come with that comfort food. (Exhibit A: Our Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs, which takes the better part of a Sunday to make, but which instagram just told me has nearly 3000 reviews on Bon Appetit!) To that end, here is what’s in the running for dinner this week: Chicken-Apple Sausage with Onions and Cabbage (above, left), a five-ingredient dinner that all happens in one pan; Artichoke Dip Pizza (above, right), my most popular pizza from The Weekday Vegetarians; Black Bean Empanadas with Pickled Onions which are even easier if you’ve thought ahead to freeze them; and Okonomiyaki-Style crispy cabbage pancakes, the kind of dinner that emphasizes more vegetables, not just less meat.

3. Found! Perfect Mixing Bowls

When we were packing up our suburban kitchen for the move to New York, I noticed that almost all of my mixing bowls were chipped and mismatched. And even though I was trying to downsize everything, I decided to break that rule, moving the old bowls to the box marked “GOODWILL” then searching around for a new set. I wanted them to be easy to handle (not heavy), not breakable (no more chips) and fun (because of course). I landed on this three-piece melamine set from MoMA, and after six weeks of constant use, feel confident in recommending them.

P.S. What are you reading these days?

I just started The Best Minds, by Jonathan Rosen, a memoir about the author’s lifelong friendship with Michael Laudor, a promising Ivy League graduate who suffers from a devastating psychotic break. The book has gotten off-the-charts reviews (the Times called it “a pin-you-to-the-sofa” memoir) and a few weeks ago my friend and Times contributor Sara Corbett, whose every marching order I follow without question, handed it to me saying, “When I read a book this remarkable, I buy multiple copies because I just want to everyone to read it.” But I get it if you’re looking for something a little more escapist and uplifting these days. So I ask you: What pin-you-to-the-sofa books have you read lately? (As you know, I’ve read and loved two other novels recently: North Woods and The Rachel Incident.) Please share below!