The freshly dug, young ginger that I got the other week at the farmers’ market wasn’t going to last forever, so why not make crystallized ginger! It’s so adorable, with it’s sweet bite awakening cakes, cookies, juices, dessert toppings, scones, etc. It’s been on my Martha Stewart Not-So-Everyday List for 20 years. I sugared lilacs […]
Grandma’s Apple Cake
This is the only thing I ever ate of my Austrian grandmother’s cooking. Every other Sunday we spent the afternoon at Grandma’s house. At 3 in the afternoon the dining room table, permanently covered with a padded plastic tablecloth, would be set with coffee and Grandma’s apple cake. Then would commence the perpetual discussion of […]
Fresh Ginger Carrot Soup
Doylestown Farmers’ Market has such elegant veggies. With my local market already closed for the season and a free Saturday, I decided to check out this central Bucks County market. Haven’t been here in years and what a surprising variety of choices, especially my favorite – vegetables! Autumn vegetables are not only beige roots, like […]
Seckel Pear Hazelnut Frangipane Tarts
Found some adorable Seckel pears at the farm market up the road. They’re the only indigenous pear variety here in the North America. It must have been kismet that I found this antique muffin pan just one day previous. You can imagine my delight when the pears fit just so in the pan for the […]
Fresh Cranberry Beans
They are so pretty, until they’re cooked. Then the sweet speckles and swirls of cranberry-red on a cream background turn to a dull, unappetizing grey or light-brown. We’re not even going to discuss the excitement caused by the hot-pink pods. If you don’t believe me, just do some recipe/image searching and you’ll find numerous pictures of […]
Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
Slow and Easy. It really doesn’t get any slower or easier than this and the reward is greater than the expended effort (so much for physics). Many recipes for slow-roasted tomatoes have the oven temperature cranked up to 400 degrees and sugar added, both combining to create more caramelization. I prefer a lower oven temperature and […]
Plum Perfect Tart
My obsession with plums after making some green gage jam earlier this summer has remained unabated, I was so excited to find these local prune plums. Some crystallized ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla for a classic pairing, then a pinch of black cardamom and star anise added a little mystery. Going all out with not only […]
Heirloom Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomato Salad DIRECTIONS Slice tomatoes 3/8-inch thick, crosswise. Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve. VARIATION Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Garnish with basil leaves and fennel blossoms. Serve outdoors. Close your eyes while eating, focusing on the taste of summer and the buzzing of the yellow jackets. VARIATION […]