Yummy Questionnaire: Jennifer Perillo

Jennifer Perillo is the balancing act behind In Jennies Kitchen, a welcoming food blog that is filled with family recipes that Jennifer creates in her Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn test kitchen.  You can also see Jennifer’s original recipes and articles in numerous magazines.  Please welcome Jennifer this week to ThatsSoYummy.

* Sweet or Savory?

The tide may be turning on this one. I’ve had a sweet tooth most of my life, but now would choose a burger over a cupcake. Oh heck, who am I kidding. I’d have a little of both. Do I really have to take sides?

* Which ingredient(s) do you use the most?

It’s a tie between extra-virgin olive oil and all-purpose flour.

* What’s your favorite cooking smell?

Garlic sauteeing in olive oil.

* What is your most favorite cooking sound?

The sizzle of garlic sauteeing in olive oil.

* In the kitchen, what’s your most treasured possession?

My grandmother’s betty crocker cookbook. My mother recently gave it to me for my birthday. The recipes are nothing special but it connects me to a woman I’ve been told was an amazing baker. She died when I was a baby and never got the chance to know her.

* What do you look for inside a dish?

Food, of course! Seriously, I like layers of flavors. You know, the kind where a new taste is revealed with every bite of a dish.

* What is a “faux pas” in your kitchen?

I have set ways of doing things after cooking by myself for so long, but it’s important that people feel welcome in my kitchen, so I try not to sweat the small stuff—and most of it is not worth worrying about. That said, I did recently feel my heart stop when I discovered a friend who was washing dishes had left my chef’s knife on the dish drain. It ALWAYS gets washed, dried and put away after every use.

* Is there a food you will not eat?

I think if someone has gone through the effort to make you a meal, then you owe them the courtesy of tasting it, unless you’re allergic of course. Given a choice beforehand, though, I’d say no thanks to organ meat. I’ve tasted every part of a cow and lamb, so can say with conviction that the whole nose to tail trend is not for me.

* What food is your guilty pleasure?

Butter. Butter. Butter. I unapologetically hate substitutes.

* Have you ever changed how you feel towards a food?

I imagine everyone must answer yes. There are undoubtedly foods I didn’t eat at age 6 that I love now, like Brussels sprouts.

* If you could prepare a dinner for anyone, who would it be?

My dad. He died very young and never got see my love of food develop. I think he’d be proud to see I followed my dream.

* If you could choose a living or historical cook to prepare a meal for you, who would it be?

I’d like to have my aunt make her Sunday gravy (that’s red sauce for us Italian-Americans). It wasn’t made with fancy San Marzanos like I use, but oh gosh, that flavor is like a big hug inside my tummy. She suffered a stroke a few years ago and hasn’t been able to return to the kitchen.

* Which food website/ or blog would you die without?

Now you’re really asking to choose between my kids, and I just can’t do it. Some of my favorites include Dorie Greenspan, Use Real Butter, Gluten Free Girl, L.A. Fuji Mama and The Sophisticated Gourmet (I’m so jealous of Kamran knowing what he loves at only 17 years old—and being so good at it too!)

* What is your favorite food shopping experience?

I love going to the Greenmarket in the springtime. Each week it’s like seeing old friends, as my favorite fruits and vegetables come back into season after a long, cold winter.

* If you could move, which country would you move to for the food?

I’d much rather be a gypsy because life is too short to eat just one cuisine, but Italy would be my first stop.

* What’s the dress code in the kitchen when you cook?

I’m most comfortable in yoga pants and a tank top. I overheat quickly and like the freedom of no waistband for many reasons.

* What would you request on the menu if it was your last supper?

Hmm, that’s a hard choice. On second thought, see my answer to the next question.

* What food would you prepare to seduce someone?