If you’re honoring a special mother this coming Sunday with a homemade meal, try adding this glorious lemon roll garnished with fresh strawberries and mint as dessert. I first made this cake roll back in 2003 and have always loved that it can be prepared a day ahead. It needs only to be garnished at serving time.
For this special confection, a golden tender cake baked in a sheet pan is cooled, unmolded, and then Continue reading
Every year when spring has finally arrived –-typically towards the end of April where I live in New England—I switch from cold- to warm-weather cooking. Seasonal ingredients such as asparagus, fresh peas, and watercress are included, along with mint and chives from the herb garden. The recipe for Continue reading
Growing up in the South several decades ago, the only burgers I remember were made with beef. Covered with cheddar cheese, garnished with pickles and onions, they were embellished simply with dollops of catsup and golden mustard. It was years before I tasted other variations. However, by the time I entered the food world as a young cooking teacher, I began to experiment with new fillings and garnishes.
I paired beef burgers with chunky guacamole and smoked bacon, replaced cheddar with blue cheese in Continue reading
A few summers back, while renting a house on the south shore of Massachusetts, my husband and I were visiting a country-style general store when I spotted an unusual sign in the café area. It was hard to miss the catchy print on a cream-colored tin plate with a line drawing of a pig encircled with the words, “Pig and Fig Sandwiches!” When I asked about the sandwiches, I learned that they were made with fresh bread, spread with fig preserves, topped with shaved ham and sliced Brie, and served warm. I made a mental note to try a version of this tempting creation, but the thought slipped my mind. Fast forward a couple of years.
It didn’t take me long to realize that for any recipe which calls for only four items, those ingredients Continue reading
Recently, after finishing a TV cooking demo for a noontime show called “Mass Appeal” at our local NBC affiliate, the host asked me what I’d like to cook for my next demo at the end of February. Before I could answer he suggested a Mardi Gras dish since I would be on air several days before “Fat Tuesday.” I spent much of my childhood visiting New Orleans and went to college in the Crescent City, so I enthusiastically said yes and began searching my files for a Creole recipe to celebrate this special day,
What could be better to serve on Mardi Gras than an appetizer of spicy chicken wings with Creole Continue reading
If you’re curious about the origin of these brownies –the part about “from a Greek Island”– let me explain. I first tasted these extra creamy dark chocolate brownies last year during a week long stay on the Greek island of Syros. Fortunately for us since there were no food markets or groceries nearby, the seaside house we rented along with a group of friends came with a chef who turned out to be quite Continue reading
Last fall my husband and I spent a weekend in Vermont at the home of friends, who like us, love exploring new places for eating out. On our second night, they suggested that we try a new restaurant called The Left Bank at the Weston Hotel in the small southern Vermont town of Weston. Once there I marveled at the menu with its array of creative dishes prepared with seasonal, local ingredients. Among the temptations were fresh Maine oysters with two dipping sauces, a shellfish bouillabaisse served with toasts spread with rouille (Provencal mayo), and herb-brined roasted chicken with a Boursin celery root Continue reading
During the holiday season my husband and I ate with abandon. Homemade cookies and cakes arrived at our door and in the mail from friends who are talented bakers. We indulged in all manner of cheeses–Mont d’Or from France and Jasper Hill’s Harbison from Vermont were our favorites. We also assembled bountiful charcuterie boards on more than one occasion. On Christmas Day with our extended family, everyone forgot their diets and savored a beef roast with port wine, bacon, and shallot sauce served with sides that included a potato and crème fraîche gratin and sugar snaps tossed in brown butter. Now that the season of feasting is past, I am looking for recipes that are more healthy, simpler to prepare, and inexpensive. Cauliflower soup with toasted hazelnuts and Gruyère just happens to meet all these Continue reading
For many holiday cooks (myself included) one of the biggest challenges of entertaining during this festive season is figuring out what to serve overnight company for breakfast or brunch. A dish that calls for easy-to-find ingredients, can be assembled in advance, and also delivers a bit of dazzle would be perfect.This recipe for baked French toast topped with purchased eggnog plus a glorious mélange of fresh and dried fruits is such an all-in-one morning entrée.
For the toasts, you simply cut thick slices from a country or peasant loaf of bread, arrange them in a Continue reading
Although most Thanksgiving cooks will use fresh cranberries for the quintessential sauce or chutney this coming Thursday, these tart crimson berries can be used imaginatively in other courses of the day’s feast. Start your festivities by assembling sparkling Cranberry Champagne Kirs or include Cranberry Poached Pears with Vanilla Ice Cream as a sweet finale. Neither recipe is complicated and both would enhance your holiday buffet.
Champagne combined with cranberry juice cocktail concentrate (available in the freezer section of some groceries or online) and garnished with glazed cranberries, makes a colorful and festive apéritif to begin Thanksgiving dinner. The cranberries can be glazed ahead so only a quick assembly is necessary after popping the cork.
For dessert, pears are poached in a mixture of sugar, red wine, lemon juice and zest along with a spicy accent of cinnamon. Then for a glaze (yes, another glaze!), fresh cranberries are cooked quickly in some of the poaching liquid until the mixture is syrupy and a rich red wine color. Then this sauce is spooned over the poached fruit. Both the pears and the glaze can be made two days ahead.
From my table to yours, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
