Karen Hochman

Founder & Editorial Director, THE NIBBLE

Karen is a third-generation foodie. It’s no wonder she founded THE NIBBLE, an online magazine about gourmet and specialty food, for people who love to eat and drink the very best! THE NIBBLE features delicious recipes, product reviews, and tips and tricks for all food lovers. Learn more about Karen Hochman below, and check out THE NIBBLE for great food finds.

Website: http://www.thenibble.com

Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/thenibble.gourmet.food

Twitter: @TheNibble

What was your favorite food to eat as a child?

Cake and brownies. My mother was a terrific baker (and cook). Licking the bowl was a bonus.

Do you have children? If so, what do you like to make for them or with them?

No, but if I did, I’d sure hope that they had good palates and liked adult cuisine. I would be crushed to have a fussy eater.

What is your favorite childhood memory in the kitchen?

Watching my mother make blintzes. Her hands were magical; every fold was perfect. Alas, I didn’t inherit that dexterity.

What was your favorite recipe to help make when you were a kid?

Any pie—I loved to crimp the crust.

Fun Fact:

Other mothers took their kids to the park or the zoo. My mother heard of a new bakery or a great restaurant and wham—we were in the car and on the way.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

The Creative Kitchen loves Karen Hochman and her WONDERFUL website focusing on the best specialty foods, THE NIBBLE!  We’re big fans of THE NIBBLE, and the great information it provides our families and friends!

Karen Hochman

Editorial Director, THE NIBBLE

 Facebook Page: facebook.com/thenibble.gourmetfood

Website: thenibble.com and blog.thenibble.com

Twitter: thenibble

What was your favorite food to eat as a child?

Ice cream.

What is your favorite childhood memory in the kitchen?

Watching my mother cook, and helping by crimping pie crusts and rolling blintzes.

What was your favorite recipe to help make when you were a kid?

Brownies, because I loved “licking the bowl.”

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner.  Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children.  She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Looking for some appetizer or dessert excitement? Make verrines (vair-REEN, in French).  Verre is the French word for glass; verrine, which means “protective glass,” is an assortment of ingredients layered “artfully” in a small glass.  Verrines can be sweet or savory: The idea is to layer foods that provide delicious tastes in small bites.  In addition to serving up a variety of tastes and textures, verrines should have splashes of color for eye appeal (grape tomatoes, raspberries, herbs).  The idea has been around for a long time, but in recent years has come back to prominence in France.While specialty verrine glasses exist, you most likely have vessels at home that will do the job just fine: juice glasses, rocks glasses, shot glasses, even small wine goblets.

And you don’t have to start big—you can hold off on the foie gras mousse, cubed Sauternes gelée (Sauternes [a sweet wine] in plain gelatin) and stewed rhubarb, topped with crème fraîche, candied apricots and chopped pistachios (we made this one last week).  Instead, start by making the foods you serve every day more exciting by serving a verrine as a side. For example: