Lately I have been really into working with Japanese ingredients and raw fish. Sushi/Sashimi in the hot summer months is one of my favorite things to eat because it isn’t heavy, but it’s filling…and the Japanese flavors in various sauces is something I crave because of their complex flavor profiles. In this dish, I made (for the first time ever), Homemade Ponzu Sauce. Ponzu sauce is a citrus based brown sauce that can be served with anything from Beef to Chicken to Sashimi. Typically it can be made with a combination of lime and lemon juice, but for this recipe I focused just on lemon juice. You will also note in my recipe below that this Ponzu sauce calls for Dashi (basically the Japanese version of a classic broth). I made my own, but you can also use powdered Dashi, in which you just combine with some water to make. ...

If you're looking for the perfect, simple marinade for a Flank Steak - look no further. With ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, this marinade is the perfect combo of salty and sweet. The grill helps the honey to caramelize and the soy sauce adds that perfect amount of salty bite to the steak. The biggest note I have is to season the steak liberally with salt and pepper prior to grilling - this will help bring out all the flavors of the marinade. Try this in large batches for your next summer party - it will be a HUGE hit! Enjoy!

When my husband and I first started dating, we’d do cook-offs almost every Friday night. The cook-offs were when each of us would create a dish and then present it to the other person and enjoy them both over a great bottle of wine. Our dishes would remain a secret until the final unveiling. We haven’t done this in YEARS…..in fact, we haven’t done this since I have attended culinary school, so I felt the pressure was on for this particular cook off. My inspiration this weekend came from three of my favorite Japanese restaurants in New York City, Morimoto, Nobu and Sushi Samba. Each restaurant has it’s own unique take on Japanese cuisine – different flavors, different fusions of other cuisines, etc. I utilized my favorite elements from all 3 restaurants to create probably one of my new favorite dishes: Yellowfin Tuna Ceviche Tacos. I made my own mini ...

I love Avocado and I love Bread…so when the food trend of Avocado Toast hit it’s apex this year, I totally understood the obsession. But like most great foods, I feel like the avocado toast has become over hyped and I have refused to blog it until I made this version last night. While Avocado Toasts have been topped with everything from Poached Eggs to Smoked Salmon, I went a more Italian route and did mine with one of my favorite homemade condiments: Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes. I have been known to use these tomatoes on Pizza, Tarts and Bruschetta, and now I tried it on my own Avocado Toast. For something as simple as this dish I use REALLY GOOD ingredients (I feel like I sound like Ina Garten), but when the flavors of each ingredient are exceptionally prominent, use the good stuff: amazing Olive Oil we got from ...

I am a big fan of dinners that can be made in one pan (read: less cleanup). I had gotten these beautiful zucchini, grape tomatoes and fresh basil from the local farmer’s market and wanted to utilize them in the perfect, one pan dish that could be made in 30 minutes. The real stars of the show were the addition of the black pepper, the Pecorino Romano cheese and the fresh Basil – these ingredients just amped up this dish to the next level of flavor. I have recently been using Pecorino Romano instead of Parmesan because I think it has a more complex flavor profile and the perfect amount of salty bite. If you want to make this dish even more colorful, you can use 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash (all of which are in season in the summer!). Also, to stretch this meal, it can be served ...

One of my favorite New York City restaurants, Marchi’s, does this simple beet salad consisting of roasted beets tossed in some olive oil with salt and pepper, which I absolutely love. I decided to riff off the simplicity of that and add some bite with some raw red onion and red wine vinegar to make a simple summer salad. This is a great change up from your typical Potato Salads and Macaroni Salads for the summer months (and beets are in season!) Enjoy!