Lemon Posset
It’s almost impossible to believe that lemon posset, a silky soft dessert, shares a name with a medieval cure-all of hot curdled milk and ale. Prescribed as a cold remedy throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, the original posset was more medicine cabinet than dessert bowl. Thank the ingenuity of 19th-century British chefs for rescuing…
Apricot Clafoutis
When fruit is in season, there’s nothing I like better than to eat it as is…no embellishing required. However, sometimes the natural sweetness from the fruit alone isn’t enough to satisfy a craving. Dress up a fresh, in-season apricot by covering it in a simple batter and 30 minutes later, voilà, craving satisfied. Anyone can…
Polenta Sticks with Mozzarella and Salami
I love simple ingredients as they tend to work symbiotically to create great flavors. Less is more…I know this sounds cliché but it’s true and not just in the food world. The more ingredients you use the greater the risk of losing the essential flavor of your food. When the ingredients are good, they need…
Baby Eggplant with Gruyère and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
For whatever the reason, I was having difficulty planning dinner last night. My brain was all over the food road map! So instead of trying to figure of what to have I decided on a tapas-style evening of little plates of food. Tapas are appetizers enjoyed by the Spanish. It allows for everyone at the…
Carrot Marmalade
Homemade marmalade has been a long standing tradition in my family. Both my paternal and maternal grandmothers were fruit preserve queens! My mom also made her fair share, too. I’ve dabbled a bit but lost interest while we lived in Asia as storage was limited and cold rooms were non-existent. While fruit such as orange…
Black Bean Salad
Beans. They’ve been around since time immemorial and while there are thousands of varieties, only a tiny fraction are mass-produced for our enjoyment. The only beans I knew growing up was my mom’s baked beans usually made from navy beans and sometimes she’d throw in kidney beans, much to my chagrin. I really had no…
Blackberry Sorbet
It’s the subtle changes in the weather when I start to notice a shift as we slowly drift out of summer and into autumn. I know, shhh! not so loud but it’s true. The sunlight looks different as it lands in areas of the house and the air smells different. As I was rinsing the…
Baked Fontina Dip
I was on the train into the city and caught a glimpse into my future. I spotted an elderly couple who were deep in conversation. They looked so cute together; her silver hair was a bit disheveled and his white mane slicked back. Both were in great shape. He pulled out two books from his…
Caprese Salad (insalata caprese)
Insalata caprese is a tomato and mozzarella salad from the island of Capri. This simple yet delicious Italian antipasto makes perfect use of local heirloom tomatoes which are available now in grocery stores and markets. Extra-virgin olive oil highlights the sweetness of the heirloom tomatoes and is the only dressing needed. What makes this salad…
Quinoa Salad
Ancient grains…two words that conjure up something you might find in an archeological dig! They’ve been around for a millennium and include quinoa, amaranth, spelt, and kamut. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain that comes from the Andes mountains of South America and its origins dates back to that of the Inca’s. There are more…
Homemade Pesto
Almost every cuisine on our planet has found an important role for garlic and is among the oldest known horticultural crop. Egyptian and Indian cultures referred to garlic 5000 years ago and by the Chinese 2000 years ago. Pesto hails from the northern region of Liguria and is a Ligurian superstar! Pasta isn’t the only…
Easy To Make Cinnamon Rolls
As much as I enjoy making things from scratch, the truth be told there are times when I just can’t be asked! I was craving something sweet the other day and cinnamon rolls popped into my head. My mom used to make them and I have too, all from scratch. To satisfy this craving I…
Lemon Rosemary Sorbet
Want to make an easy, delicious-tasting dessert or pallet cleanser? Sorbet is simple to make and because it contains no dairy, it’s perfect for anyone who is lactose intolerant or vegan. This frozen treat knows no boundaries so use your favorite fruit or chocolate and satisfy your cravings for a frozen treat. Lemon and rosemary…