Friends, hello. This week, I spent a few days in Philadelphia for a pizza class I was teaching at The Bread Room, the recently opened bakery by Ellen Yin, the owner of Fork, where I worked many years ago. During class, we made the Neapolitan-style pizza dough from Pizza Night and topped it with four different topping combinations: 3 from Pizza Night and one with crème fraîche and persimmons, which I will write more about soon. It was a blast to be back in the city, highlights including the...

Friends, hello. As you read this, I am heading back north with my family for an early hockey game, of course. We had a wonderful few days with my sister's family, most of which included lounging and drinking coffee, with the downtime broken by brisk walks and cooking for the many little hungry mouths. Last night, my sister served chili (basically this recipe with a bag of frozen corn added) aside peasant bread, and it was everything I was craving — warm, hearty, beany, and loaded with...

Hi Friends, As noted over the weekend, tomorrow morning I'll be heading to my sister's, and in additon to the dog, a hockey bag, 6 humans, and many suitcases, the car will be transporting a bowl of rising dough, for focaccia of course, and a tub of ricotta to make the above-pictured whipped ricotta, which gets drizzled with both honey and olive oil, as well as crushed pistachios. It's exceptional. Later that evening, we'll sip on David Lebovitz’s tangerine spritzes while making resolutions in...