Pollan Family Debuts Cookbook in Scarsdale

The Scott Room of the Scarsdale Library was sold out on Thursday night October 21 when the Pollan family came to town to share their new family cookbook, the Pollan Family Table. The audience may have come as much to check out this celebrated family as to preview the cookbook – but whatever the motivation, it was all good.

Corky Pollan, who wrote the Best Bets column for New York Magazine for 18 years and was the style editor for Gourmet Magazine, is the mother of an impressive brood. Her three daughters and co-authors Tracy, Dana and Lori had impressive resumes before the book was published. Tracy is a successful actress, who appeared on television, in the movies and on stage. She is the wife of actor Michael J. Fox and parent of four children, including a set of twins.

Sister Dana was a cofounder of the Pollan-Austen Fitness Center, a top rated exercise studio, and also appeared on a series of six exercise videos. She lives with her husband and three children in New York City.

Lori Pollan co-founded the Pollan-Austen Fitness Center and eventually left the working world to raise three children. She is a certified life coach who helps clients manage their fitness, nutrition and stress.

Their brother Michael Pollan, the only Pollan child who did not collaborate on the cookbook, is a prolific food writer who's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, was a national bestseller.

Corky and her three trim daughters look more like fitness buffs than chefs. Whatever they are eating appears to be keeping them healthy and trim. They say they use little in the way of processed foods and go out of their way to buy fresh ingredients. Their affection for each other and the extended family was evident in their discussion about family meals, holidays and their delight in experimenting with seasonal ingredients and developing new recipes.

A few tips:
-Chiffonade your basil leaves by rolling them up and then cutting them in strips
-Preserve fresh basil in your kitchen for weeks by putting it in a jar on the counter and covering it with a unsealed platic bag:
-Essential equipment? A cast iron pan and a set of rimmed baking sheets are musts for any serious chef.
-What else? Eat your fruits and vegetables first!

Local chef Jen Rossano cooked enough of a few of the recipes in the book so that everyone could sample the Pollan's signature salad, pasta with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and irresistible nirvana bars with chocolate chips, flaked coconut and walnuts on a graham cracker crust. It was all delicious.

Having fed us well, the four authors chatted with the long line of book buyers while signing the colorful cookbooks.

What was not revealed was Corky's recipe for raising and feeding five healthy, creative, independent and successful children while working full time. Anyone want to venture a guess?

Here's the recipe for the Pollan's signature salad:

Ingredients

For the Dressing:
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar, champagne vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:
5 to 7 ounces mesclun or mixed baby greens
1/2 cup chopped store-bought or homemade caramelized walnuts
1/2 Bosc pear (cut lengthwise), cored, and thinly sliced
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Preparation

For the Dressing:
In a glass jar with a lid or in a small mixing bowl, combine the vinegars, mustard, grapeseed oil, olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste. Shake the jar vigorously or whisk in the bowl to emulsify.

For the Salad:
Place the mesclun in a large salad bowl. Pour on half the dressing and toss the greens to coat. Add the walnuts, pear and more dressing to taste (taking care not to overdress) and toss again. Top with the Parmesan cheese shavings and serve.

Learn more about the Pollan's and their recipes here: