Early last month my talented assistant, Emily Bell, sent me a link to a New York Times story about the popularity of butter boards. The Times noted that one food writer, Justine Doiron, had had over 8.4 million views on her TikTok video that featured how to assemble a butter board. She spread softened butter on a wooden board, then sprinkled salt and lemon zest over it. Next, she added edible flowers, red onion, and a drizzle of honey along with slices of warm bread for spreading.

Within minutes my mind was teeming with ideas for butter boards, and so was Emily’s. She sent me suggestions for several while I made a list of my own. I finally decided on a recipe that I think would be perfect for serving during the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays. I seasoned softened butter with honey and cayenne, spread it in a circle on a slab of slate (marble works too), and topped it with minced fresh thyme (from my herb garden) and coarsely chopped toasted almonds. To counter the sweetness of the honey, at serving time, I drizzled some balsamic glaze over the butter.

Along with small slices of artisan bread, I arranged mounds of dried apricots and McIntosh  apple wedges around the seasoned butter. I knew my “board” was a success when several young workers who were washing windows at our home while I was testing the recipe asked if they could take a sample, and then returned for seconds and for thirds! They agreed with me that everything tastes better with butter!”

Although I have been filling my grocery cart with plenty of apples and pears—quintessential autumn staples– I’ve also purchased plenty of plums. I’ve bought these dark red to purple orbs to use in some of my favorite seasonal desserts. They are excellent in an apple and plum crisp  featured here on this blog in years past. And, I particularly like the following recipe for warm spiced plums topped with softly whipped cream, scented with honey.

Simple and delicious, these spiced plums take 30 minutes or less to prepare. You cut the plums into wedges and then sauté them until tender with sugar Continue reading →

Recently I combined two recipes—both staples of my summer cooking repertoire—into what turned out to be a delicious main course. I have often made and even included in my cooking classes Barbecued Salmon Fillets, but never have I garnished them with Fresh Peach Salsa, a condiment I usually reserve for grilled pork. However, earlier this week at the supermarket when I spotted a bag of local peaches perfectly ripe and temptingly priced, I had a eureka moment!  Why not pair that tangy peach salsa with fish such as salmon (already on my grocery list) instead of Continue reading →

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Twice this summer, I’ve served salade niçoise as an all-in-one main course, but both times I made changes to this classic salad. On each occasion my spouse and I were entertaining friends who were allergic to or did not like tuna, so I substituted sliced roast chicken (conveniently purchased from the supermarket).  Along with the usual haricots verts, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, and hard boiled eggs, I included julienned red and yellow bell Continue reading →

Soon after we arrived on the south coast of Massachusetts for our summer vacation, I invited a good friend who lives nearby to come for an impromptu supper. At a local market I picked up a ripe cantaloupe, some thinly sliced prosciutto, and fresh mozzarella balls. At home I was planning to use them to make one of my favorite appetizers—skewers of cubed melon paired with paper-thin ribbons of prosciutto and fresh mozzarella balls all drizzled with basil-scented olive oil. All was going well until I realized I didn’t have any wooden (or metal for that matter) skewers in my rental kitchen!

Within minutes, though, I had a solution. I could simply arrange cantaloupe wedges on a platter and garnish them with mounds of mozzarella balls and Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, my longtime assistant, Emily Bell, was culling her files and discovered a recipe for “Gran’s peach buckle,” a recipe she had made often for her grandchildren when they were youngsters. This simple dessert had been such a hit with her family that she shared the recipe with me.

Most cooks are familiar with crisps and crumbles, but fewer have assembled buckles. The late Richard Sax in his cookbook, Classic Home Desserts (published  in 1994) offers the best definition of these three Continue reading →

Earlier this week, when good friends came for an overnight visit, I prepared Salade Nicoise for lunch and an all-American comfort food menu for supper. The latter included pulled pork barbecue sandwiches, a corn gratin, and easy-to-make potato salad. The potato salad –a big hit with our guests–was especially simple to assemble.

The secret to its robust taste was the garlic mayonnaise, or aïoli, that I used Continue reading →