Winner of Your Best Pancakes, Sweet or Savory

Congratulations to MeghanVK whose Ricotta Hotcakes with Maple Butter won this week's contest for Your Best Pancakes, Sweet or Savory!

1. Describe an early food experience that has influenced the way you think about food and/or cooking.

I was an incredibly picky eater for an embarrassingly long time, so my early food memories are of buttered white rice and raw green beans.  My poor parents.  I started to get interested in cooking in college and remember the first time I made marinara sauce - that was a little bit of a light bulb moment, like, what?  I thought this only came out of a jar?

2. What's your least favorite food?

Bananas.

3. What is the best thing you've made so far this year?

I recently made risotto with leftover whey instead of broth or water, and will definitely be doing that again.

4. Describe your most spectacular kitchen disaster.

When I turned 25, I had an irresponsible number of people over for dinner.  Most of it I made in advance, but for whatever reason I decided to make sauteed cabbage at the last minute, after my friends arrived.  As they oohed and ahhed over my knife skills (I live in NYC - not a lot of home cooks in the crowd), I began slicing the cabbage even faster to show off... and cut off the tip of my finger.  Fun times.

5. What is your idea of comfort food?

Potatoes plus dairy, in any form.

6. Apron or no apron?

Very rarely an apron.

7. What's your favorite food-related scene in a movie?

The sole meunière in Julie and Julia.

8. If you could make a show-stopping dinner for one person, living or dead, who would it be?

I have no idea.  

9. You prefer to cook: a) alone; b) with others; c) it depends on your mood

A. alone - but with people in the next room.

10. When it comes to tidying up, you usually: a) clean as you cook; b) do all the dishes once you've finished cooking; c) leave the kitchen a shambles for your spouse/roommate/kids to clean.

A. clean as you cook.