Foodie in New York

Winner of ABC's Great American Baking Show

MEET VALLERY

Hello Fellow Foodies! You may recognize me as the winner from abc's Season 3 of the Great American Baking Show! I'm a full-time foodie, traveler, attorney, and lover of life! I'm thrilled to share snippets of my life with you through this blog--from my favorite holiday recipes to exciting voyages abroad. READ MORE

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@FOODIEINNEWYORK

Sesame and Poppy Seed Bagels// First of all, wow- thank you for all the support on my previous post! Here are some homemade bagels cuz we’re having a long, cold, snowy weekend which is perfect weather for a baking project!

I have a pretty exciting announcement- I’ve been nominated to join the Board of Directors for IACP- the world’s largest organization of culinary professionals. I’m so honored to be a part of this organization and to work with the rest of the board and members. Hope to see many of you at this year’s conference in Santa Fe!

Hand-rolled Croissants. 🥐 Wondering how these would taste with a drizzle of caramel? I made caramel on IG stories this morning, so head over & check it out! But, I don’t think there’s anything more therapeutic than laminating dough— the process of folding butter into dough which gives croissants (and puff pastry!) all of those layers. Bakeries use a machine for this, but I love doing it by hand. (Plus, those machines are $$$- but I’d love to play around with one.. 😆)

Butternut squash Soup with Thyme, Hazelnuts & Pink Peppercorns// It’s hard to believe we’re already a full week into 2019! I have used the past week to reset— to make sure that my actions are intentional and align with my goals. One of those goals is to order less delivery (such an easy habit to fall into in NYC!) and cook more healthy meals—like this soup! I’m a firm believer in writing down goals and dreaming BIG! I’m so excited to share more with you all this year. #WriteItDown #DreamBIG

Wow, what a year! 2018 was one for the record books— I would have never guessed that I’d be embraced by so many wonderful people in the past 12 months. Thanks to all of YOU for following along on this journey, and especially for offering encouragement and support! I had a blast cooking up some of my favorite things on television — from Macarons to beignets. I also did some things I never thought I would: from presenting at the James Beard Awards to guest hosting on Fox, and even sharing a tiny bit of how I feel about what happened with the Great American Baking Show. I am so ready for 2019 and everything to come! Be safe and celebrate 🥂 🍾! #grateful #newbeginnings

Christmas Tree Macarons// These are the only Christmas trees in my house this year. I decided to stay put in NYC so I spent my time doing what I love most— cooking and baking. I’m so grateful to those who were eager to join me yesterday as I skipped cooking a traditional Christmas dinner & opted to cook something from my bucket list: Julia Child’s bœuf Bourguignon (check IG stories to join in on the fun). Hope your holidays have been full of peace, love and joy 🌟

Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze// Baking pound cakes in a bundt pan is a great way to turn a boring loaf cake into a festive beaut! My sister asked me to bake her a lemon pound cake, so I did as part of my family’s early Christmas celebration. I can’t say enough about how unbelievably lemony and delicious this cake was! #holidaybaking

How beautiful are these vintage ornament cookies? They are made by the talented Molly, @Kookiehouse, who was a fellow finalist on last season’s Great American Baking Show & my BBF (Best Baker Friend)! It’s so funny because on reality shows, you always hear people say “I’m not here to make friends!” My experience would not have been the same without her and some of the other contentants. It was an intense competition but we were all in it together. Swipe right to see more of Molly’s creations— including her beautiful gingerbread chicken coop that never made it to the airwaves. #holidaybaking #kookiehouse#airtheepisodes @abcnetwork

My smile here makes me happy 😊. This photo was taken in the middle of the Gingerbread House challenge— right before the wall on my “Gingerbread Harlem Brownstone” cracked in half 🙈. That was my toughest challenge and I cried for *hours* afterwards. Some of the other contestants actually made some spectacular gingerbread structures in the challenge’s 4 short hours, and I’m happy to be the one to share those in the coming days! #holidaybaking #gingerbreadhousefail #airtheepisodes @abcnetwork

I spent the morning playing my own holiday version of Nailed It in my decorating attempts of some Black & White Cookies (See Insta-stories 😂) So instead, I’m sharing my chocolate tart that’s super rich and topped with fresh raspberries, flaky sea salt & sifted cocoa powder (sifted with my tea infuser of course!) And Bon Courage to everyone who is baking this weekend! #holidaybaking

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@foodieinnewyork

Sesame and Poppy Seed Bagels// First of all, wow- thank you for all the support on my previous post! Here are some homemade bagels cuz we’re having a long, cold, snowy weekend which is perfect weather for a baking project!

I have a pretty exciting announcement- I’ve been nominated to join the Board of Directors for IACP- the world’s largest organization of culinary professionals. I’m so honored to be a part of this organization and to work with the rest of the board and members. Hope to see many of you at this year’s conference in Santa Fe!

Hand-rolled Croissants. 🥐 Wondering how these would taste with a drizzle of caramel? I made caramel on IG stories this morning, so head over & check it out! But, I don’t think there’s anything more therapeutic than laminating dough— the process of folding butter into dough which gives croissants (and puff pastry!) all of those layers. Bakeries use a machine for this, but I love doing it by hand. (Plus, those machines are $$$- but I’d love to play around with one.. 😆)

Butternut squash Soup with Thyme, Hazelnuts & Pink Peppercorns// It’s hard to believe we’re already a full week into 2019! I have used the past week to reset— to make sure that my actions are intentional and align with my goals. One of those goals is to order less delivery (such an easy habit to fall into in NYC!) and cook more healthy meals—like this soup! I’m a firm believer in writing down goals and dreaming BIG! I’m so excited to share more with you all this year. #WriteItDown #DreamBIG

Wow, what a year! 2018 was one for the record books— I would have never guessed that I’d be embraced by so many wonderful people in the past 12 months. Thanks to all of YOU for following along on this journey, and especially for offering encouragement and support! I had a blast cooking up some of my favorite things on television — from Macarons to beignets. I also did some things I never thought I would: from presenting at the James Beard Awards to guest hosting on Fox, and even sharing a tiny bit of how I feel about what happened with the Great American Baking Show. I am so ready for 2019 and everything to come! Be safe and celebrate 🥂 🍾! #grateful #newbeginnings

Christmas Tree Macarons// These are the only Christmas trees in my house this year. I decided to stay put in NYC so I spent my time doing what I love most— cooking and baking. I’m so grateful to those who were eager to join me yesterday as I skipped cooking a traditional Christmas dinner & opted to cook something from my bucket list: Julia Child’s bœuf Bourguignon (check IG stories to join in on the fun). Hope your holidays have been full of peace, love and joy 🌟

Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze// Baking pound cakes in a bundt pan is a great way to turn a boring loaf cake into a festive beaut! My sister asked me to bake her a lemon pound cake, so I did as part of my family’s early Christmas celebration. I can’t say enough about how unbelievably lemony and delicious this cake was! #holidaybaking