Cooking for her "Latte"

In 2001, Amanda Hesser shared her adventures in food and love with readers of The New York Times. In her Food Diary column, published in the Sunday magazine, she wrote about her then-emerging relationship with a man she called Mr. Latte.

He earned his nickname on their first date, when he ordered a latte after dinner - a post-prandial no-no in Hesser's view. She prefers a more sophisticated cup of espresso or a glass of Armagnac instead.

She wrote about his likes and dislikes, and the things they did and did not have in common. She wrote about their friends and families.

Most of all, she wrote about the meals they enjoyed - in fancy and not-so-fancy restaurants, in each other's apartments, while playing pool in a neighborhood bar, on trips to Europe, in their parents' and grandparents' homes, when he proposed, and when they married.

"Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Food Lover's Courtship, with Recipes" is a collection of these columns, paired with more than a dozen new essays. Appetizing and addictive, they chart the couple's connections to food as well as their increasing links to one another. They chronicle Hesser's growing affection for Tad Friend, a New Yorker staff writer, and her delight in being with him.

Sweet and sentimental, the pieces - 37 in all - provide a generous look into their personal lives. They give us reasons to root for the two of them, through thick and thin. They make us care about happily ever after.

Hesser believes in eating well. This means good food as well as good company. "(It) is about the people you share that food with," she says in her introduction, "the room you dine in, what you talk about, and the emotional hungers that you bring to the table." The idea sets the tone for the rest of the book.

When she prepares her first meal for Friend, for example, she wants to impress him. She hopes he likes the dishes - guinea hen, potatoes, a salad and dessert - she makes, that he would be comfortable in her apartment, that he would adore her very nature.

She should not have worried. "He ate heartily and had seconds of everything," Hesser tells us. "We finished the wine. I made him a latte, even."

When he decides to cook dinner for her one night, she is both flattered and flustered. "What could come out of a kitchen with a refrigerator containing only an unwrapped block of cheddar cheese, mustard, and a bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne?" she wonders.

Imagine her delight when he presents chicken roasted with sour cream, lemon juice and mango chutney; a smooth puree of peas and watercress; and a hearty and pleasantly sharp couscous with celery, parsley and red-wine vinegar.

"Where did these recipes come from?" she asks rhetorically. "How did he learn to cook so well? Why hadn't he seemed anxious about whether I would like it? Why isn't there more food in his refrigerator?"

Hesser's curiosity is piqued. She had underestimated her new beau's interest and ability all along. She was on her way to being smitten.

Despite her professional background or perhaps because of it, Hesser tends to concentrate on simple foods at home.

For the most part, the dishes featured in "Cooking for Mr. Latte" are unpretentious and healthful. Each essay concludes with at least two or three recipes, sometimes as many as six. The ingredients are accessible, the directions uncomplicated.

The crab cakes, for example, her grandmother Helen makes when Hesser visits call for crab meat, bread and cracker crumbs, Miracle Whip and little else. The lobster rolls she and Friend serve at their rehearsal dinner several months later seem just as easy to pull together.

Whether discussing stages of her relationship with the man she eventually marries or noting details about the foods they share and the ways in which their meals are prepared, Hesser keeps her readers entertained.

Her voice is genuine and sympathetic. The brief and poignant individual set pieces work in and of themselves. Taken as a whole, they also create a successful narrative arc, one that is complete and undeniably satisfying.

(A version of this review appeared originally in The Oakland Tribune.)

Lobster Rolls
from Amanda Hesser's "Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Food Lover's Courtship, with Recipes"

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1 Tbsp. sliced chives
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups steamed or poached lobster meat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 hot dog rolls
melted butter, for brushing

In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, celery, chives, parsley, mustard and half the lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper. Fold in the lobster meat and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, to let the flavors blend.

When you're ready to serve, let the lobster salad warm up for a half hour or so. Preheat the broiler. Split the hot dog rolls and toast them lightly on their cut sides. Brush with melted butter and fill each with a few spoonfuls of the lobster salad. Makes 4 servings.

Celebration pudding

The Saints are heading to the Super Bowl and we are heading to the kitchen.

Now would be as fine a time as any to break in the cookbook "Dam Good Sweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style." First up, to celebrate properly, a recipe for pudding.

Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble
from David Guas and Raquel Pelzel's "Dam Good Sweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style"

for the pudding:

5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups whole milk
3 Tbsp. banana liqueur (or 1 tsp. banana flavoring)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas

for the crumble:

1 cup vanilla wafers (about 15 cookies)
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch salt
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

To make the pudding:

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and whisk a little at a time into the egg mixture. Once the bottom of the bowl is warm, slowly whisk in the remaining hot milk.

Pour the mixture back into a clean medium saucepan (cleaning the saucepan prevents the pudding from scorching), add the banana liqueur and whisk over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 2 minutes.

Cook while constantly whisking until the pudding is glossy and quite thick, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the pudding to a clean bowl.

Add the vanilla and butter and gently whisk until the butter is completely melted and incorporated. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

To make the crumble:

While the pudding sets, heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place the wafers in a resealable plastic bag and seal (make sure there is no air in the bag prior to sealing). Using a rolling pin or a flat-bottomed saucepan or pot, crush the vanilla wafers until they're coarsely ground.

Transfer them to a small bowl and stir in the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Use a spoon to evenly stir in the melted butter, transfer to the prepared baking sheet, and toast in the oven until brown and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. (The crumbs can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or frozen for up to 2 months; re-crisp in a 325-degree F oven for 6 to 7 minutes if necessary.)

To serve:

Slice the bananas in half crosswise and then slice in half lengthwise so you have 4 quarters. Slice the banana quarters crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces and divide among 6 custard cups or martini glasses (sprinkle with a squeeze of lemon juice if you like - this helps prevent browning).

Whisk the pudding until it is soft and smooth, about 30 seconds, and then divide it among the custard cups. Top with the vanilla wafer mixture and serve.

(If not served immediately, the pudding will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, with plastic wrap intact. Sprinkle the crumbs on just before serving.) Makes 6 servings.