CREE LEFAVOUR was born into the food world and grew up working in her father's restaurants. She teaches writing at NYU and has authored several food articles with her husband, Dwight Garner, senior editor of the New York Times Book Review. Cree lives in Garrison, New York. THE AUTHOR SCOOP Do you eat your vegetables? Definitely. As you can tell from The New Steak, I love vegetables! Once I figured out how to move beyond the basics of steaming one vegetable at a time, I started eating more and more of them. Nuts, nuts oils, good vinegars, fruity olive oil and mixtures of vegetables in a range of textures make vegetables one of my favorite things to eat. Do you have a favorite dish… that your mother used to make?Despite being a terrific cook, my mom seldom gets much credit for her work in the kitchen. Thatrsquo;s what happens when yoursquo;re married to a chef. Among other things, my mom used to make outrageously good banana bread⎯with tons of dates, walnuts, bananas and whole wheat flour. I wish shersquo;d written down the recipe. Hot out of the oven and slathered with butter, my sister and I used to gobble down half a loaf after school before it had a chance to cool.Whatrsquo;s your favorite dessert? Thatrsquo;s a tough one⎯I love sweets! Vacherin ⎯ the intense combination of crisp meringue and ultra-rich vanilla ice cream⎯comes to mind. Itrsquo;s something I remember eating as a kid in my fatherrsquo;s restaurant in Aspen, The Paragon. I like a lot of other desserts, but itrsquo;s tough to compete with the foods of childhood when you start naming favorites.What do you like to make by hand?I love making pasta⎯like the oxtail stuffed ravioli I made last weekend. From cracking raw eggs right onto my marble board and using my hands to mix them with the soft flour to rolling the dough through the machine and watching it emerge in perfect sheets⎯I find the whole process deeply satisfying. Of course, sitting at the table with a glass of wine and biting into one of these elegant pockets with their rich filling is pretty great, too.
Cree LeFavour was born in Aspen Colorado. She earned her B.A. from Middlebury College and later acquired her Ph.D.in American Studies. She had a love for food and cooking which has evolved into being an author of cookbooks. Cree's relaxed kitchen style is defined by innovative combinations and the big flavors that come from whole spices, fresh herbs and lots of chiles. Cree believes anyone can cook and cook well given simple instructions and great ingredients. A longtime proponent of natural meat, seasonal produce and slow, simple cooking, Cree grew up on a ranch in Idaho with pigs, cows, chickens, rabbits, goats, and a big garden. She was also lucky enough to do her share of traveling,… with plenty of eating and drinking along the way. Her first cookbook, The New Steak (2008) focuses on skirt steak, hangar steak and all the side dishes that make cooking a steak so worthwhile. Her titles include Poulet: more than 50 Remarkable Recipes that Exalt the Honest Chicken, Who Reads an American Book?: British Reprints and Popular Reading in America, 1848-1858, and Fish: 54 Seafood Feasts.