It’s not very often that I come across a writer whose work has me forgetting to put dinner on the table, ignoring my girls (sorry Jaymi & Rachel, Mommy still loves you), and staying up way past my bedtime in order to finish their book. But such was the case when I got my copy of blogger turned Food Writer Molly Wizenberg’s book “A Homemade Life”.  When I first discovered Molly’s internationally known blog “Orangette” I was instantly hooked.  How often does one come across a blog that you enjoy so much it has you thinking I’ve got to know more?  She has a natural, easy going story-telling style with foolproof recipes and good photography to boot, and compared to the thousands of other food blogs out there today it really doesn’t get much better than Orangette.

In the book Molly opens up her world just a wee bit more giving you an inside look at life growing up and evolving into a world class epicure.  And with every great story that she tells in the book there's an equally great recipe to accompany it.  Molly’s recipes have a cult following online as does her monthly column in Bon Appetit magazine.  I recently had the great pleasure of doing an e-interview with Molly about the book, food, and just life in general.  Keep reading below to find out what she had to say along with a recipe for one of her favorite dishes from the book.

Foodie Heather: First let me say what a huge fan of your blog I am.  Your writing is just so honest and real, in many ways you really are that stereotypical girl next door.  Every recipe that I’ve tried has been a winner.  You have a celebrated blog, bestselling book, and a soon to open restaurant in the works so tell me at this moment how are you feeling?

Molly Wizenberg: Tired, to tell you the truth!  Right now, the restaurant is sort of eating us alive.  But still, it all feels pretty amazing.  I’m elated – and relieved, really – that the book has met with such a positive response.  In the weeks before it was released, I was nervous, stuck in a weird middle place between excitement and anxiety, but now I just feel a sense of relief.  And gratitude.  I feel very lucky.

Foodie Heather: I have been describing your book and writing style to friends as a delightful combination of M.F.K. Fisher and Laurie Colwin. Who are some of your favorite Food Writers and Chefs?

Molly Wizenberg: Right off the top of my head, a few of my favorite food writers are Calvin Trillin, Edna Lewis, Laurie Colwin, and M.F.K. Fisher.  I also love Nora Ephron, who isn’t really thought of as a food writer, but her book Heartburn has a good dose of food in it. And as far as chefs go, I tend to admire the quiet, understated, artisan type, the kind we might not ordinarily think of as “chefs,” per se.  The first to mind are Chris Bianco (of Pizzeria Bianco, in Phoenix) and Domenico DeMarco (of Di Fara Pizza, in Brooklyn).  I also really admire Jean-Pierre Xiradakis, chef-owner of La Tupina, in Bordeaux.  He opened his restaurant forty years ago, when he was 23 years old, and he did all of the work himself, from cooking to refilling water glasses and sweeping the floor at closing time.  He’s a bit more of a big shot now, and the restaurant has grown a lot, but his heart is still in the same place.  I met him last fall, when Brandon and I went to Bordeaux for a travel writing assignment, and he was an absolute kick.  Larger than life.  And the food at La Tupina is amazing.  Humble, and amazing.

Foodie Heather: The book is such a wonderful collection of stories that just happen to include recipes, what inspired you to go in this direction rather than write a more traditional cookbook.

Molly Wizenberg: To me, food is never just food.  When we’re eating, and when we’re cooking, we’re not in a vacuum.  There’s always some sort of context, and that’s what interests me: the people we’re with, the place where we sit, the moments that come with food.  I think that’s a large part of why we care so much about food: not just because we’re hungry and it tastes good, but because it roots us in a place and connects us to other people.  Anyway, to be perfectly honest, food doesn’t interest me very much unless it’s part of a bigger picture.  I thought about writing a straight-up cookbook, but when I sat down to do it, I found that I couldn’t only write about recipes.  And I didn’t want to.

Foodie Heather: Do you have a favorite recipe from the book?

Molly Wizenberg: I love the banana bread, and the bouchons au thon (see recipe below).  And the spring sliced salad.

Foodie Heather: What are some of your fool proof tips for getting dinner on the table in no time flat? (And you can’t say Thai Food Take-out :)

Molly Wizenberg: I am a big believer in making a big pot of soup once a week, so that’s one idea.  All you have to do is warm it up, and ta da: you’ve got dinner.  I also always keep a jar of homemade vinaigrette in the fridge. That way, it’s easy to have a good salad in no time at all.  I also do a lot of cooking with eggs, which are quick and versatile and handy to have around.  And I do a lot of roasting: potatoes, broccoli, shrimp, cauliflower, tomatoes, you name it.  Oh, and my favorite standby: on a weekend, make a double or triple batch of your favorite tomato sauce.  (I like Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce with butter and onion, from her book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.) Freeze half or two-thirds of it, and put the rest in the fridge.  It should keep for a week or so, and all you have to do is warm it and toss it with hot pasta.  And top it with Parmesan.

Foodie Heather: Tell us about your most memorable meal, if there is just one?

Molly Wizenberg: There have been lots!  But since we were talking about La Tupina a minute ago, I’ll tell you about that one.  It was at the very end of a busy trip, and both Brandon and I were tired of eating fancy, fussy food.  So he started with a simple salad, and I had a bowl of wild mushrooms cooked in butter and tossed with herbs.  Then he had scallops in a perfect beurre blanc, and I had a chicken leg roasted over the open hearth, served with potatoes fried in duck fat.  And we had a great bottle of white wine.  Then, at almost midnight, we walked back to our hotel along the quai, and since it was a warm night, there were tons of people out.  Guys in head-to-toe leather sitting on their motorcycles outside a bar, old North African men playing cards in a storefront, you name it.  The whole night felt so right.  I wish I could do it again right now.

Foodie Heather: If I was to show up at your door today, overworked mother of two, fresh off the plane from a cross country flight.  What would you make for me?

Molly Wizenberg: Probably a roasted chicken and a big bowl of fingerling potatoes with butter and fresh herbs.  And brownies.  Definitely brownies.  I am a little tiny bit obsessed with brownies.

Foodie Heather: What is next for you besides the restaurant of course?

Molly Wizenberg: I’m very, very focused on the restaurant right now, so it’s hard to see beyond it.  But I would love to write another book.  Once the restaurant is off the ground, we’ll see.

Thank you Molly for taking the time to answer our questions and we wish you best of luck with all your future endeavors, the restaurant and otherwise.  I can't wait to see what you come up with next.  One more thing, don't be surprised if I show up looking for that Roasted Chicken and potatoes, I need a vacation in the worst way. 

Bouchons au Thon

From A Homemade Life: Stories and recipes from my kitchen table by Molly Wizenberg (Simon & Schuster, 2009)

Adapted from Demarle, Inc., and my host mother

These bouchons-a crustless tuna quiche of sorts, I suppose-are delicious warm or at room temperature, with a green salad and a good baguette.

• 180 grams canned tuna in water (preferably chunk light), drained
• 3 Tbs tomato paste
• 5 Tbs crème fraîche
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup finely grated gruyère cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 Tbs finely chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
• ¼ cup minced onion

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and spray 8 wells of a muffin tin with cooking spray (unless, of course, you have a silicone muffin mold, in which case no greasing is necessary). [I've also baked the batter in a single 7-inch silicone cake mold, which essentially negates the name "bouchon" but makes for a nice variation.]

In a medium bowl, break up the tuna with a fork, smashing it to a rough paste. Add the tomato paste, crème fraîche, eggs, gruyère, a good pinch of salt, Italian parsley, and onion, and mix well. The batter should be relatively smooth.

Spoon the batter evenly into 8 wells of the muffin tin, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until set and golden around the edges. [If you choose to use a 7-inch mold as mentioned above, the baking time will be longer; bake until the batter looks set and does not jiggle.]

Serves 4 as a light meal with side dishes.

About A Homemade Life: Stories and recipes from my kitchen table

In A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, Molly Wizenberg recounts a life with the kitchen at its center. From her mother's pound cake, a staple of summer picnics during her childhood in Oklahoma, to the eggs she cooked for her father during the weeks before his death, food and memories are intimately entwined. You won't be able to decide whether to curl up and sink into the story or to head straight to the market to fill your basket with ingredients for Cider-Glazed Salmon and Pistachio Cake with Honeyed Apricots.

Available at Amazon.com

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