It's sweet as good dessert should be, but the cranberries are left whole so they pop in your mouth with you bite into them. It is the most beautiful jewel toned color - bright, shiny and festive. It's perfect in a ribbed tart shell, and makes lovely thin slices. But it's adaptable too - for parties, she often presses the crust into a cookie sheet, later cutting out small bars to be picked up with sticky fingers.
Read MoreJerusalem is just as it sounds, recipes from their hometown but based on the number of rich cultures that inhabit this one City, and the various (and often common) food traditions of each. There are beautiful pictures throughout the book, stories of their childhoods and food memories, and simple, incredibly perfect recipes. I've made a number of things from the book and am continually amazing by how all the flavors come together in the most balanced and bright way. This spinach salad is a perfect example; pretty brilliant in its simplicity. It also happens to make the perfect fall salad.
Read MoreApple cakes are a fall favorite of mine, but I can't help it. I love cakes that can hold their own, that can be taken on a picnic and eaten with just a napkin. That make forks wholly unnecessary. And very importantly, cakes that make a perfect breakfast. A dessert like this, not too sweet or gooey, is filling and pairs well with hot drinks.
Read MoreCome January, when it's cold and all I want is grilled cheese and spicy tomato soup, I am forever grateful for the cans in my pantry. Home canned tomatoes are so beyond anything sold at the grocery store and make a great holiday gift, or impressive mid-winter dinner party addition.
Read MoreThe recipe comes from my mom (who got it from her friends) and by the time the recipe got to me, it was whittled down to the very basics - not many measurements, next to no instructions. But these flavors are so good together, and the idea is simple enough, that a few extra slices of tomatoes here, a dollop of mustard there will only make it better.
Read MoreInsalata Caprese is one of my most favorite summer foods. It’s light, refreshing and involves fresh mozzarella (!). A few years ago I had it with sliced fresh peaches and it was outstanding.
Read MoreI tend to eat cherries fresh and plain, nothing to fuss with their perfect flavor and texture. Then I read about this crazy, simple cherry pitting technique while I planned a dinner party one June. With such a short season, a cherry dessert was essential. So, I wrapped the fruit in pastry dough and it tasted like pure summer.
Read MoreIn celebration of this spring crop that is ideal for our SF environment, we’ve been cooking them all week – both large and small. Any way you eat them, artichokes are a bit of work to prepare; either by steaming them whole until finally those tough outer leaves become tender, or by trimming them up and focusing all your cooking (and eating!) attention to the tender and delicious heart.
Read MoreA couple months ago I discovered this miso dressing and it has taken my rice bowls (kale salads, and roasted vegetables and tofu bits…) to a whole new level. This dressing is tangy, sweet, rich and flavorful – it seems to satisfy any and all levels of cravings and is good with anything.
Read MoreThe humble cabbage never seems to get it’s due. But some may argue, is it ever the right time to praise a cabbage?
Read MoreMy sister had made this for me once before, and I’ve never forgotten the texture or flavor. It starts off almost like a bread pudding (minus the egg and milk) but after nearly 3 hours the bread and broth have become one, sinking into each other, and becoming the most extraordinary texture. It's soft and rich and smooth and almost otherworldly.
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