When looking up a curd recipe I knew I had to go straight to the queen herself - Mary Berry, British baking legend and judge of my beloved GBBS. She did not disappoint, and her method was easier than others I had made.
Read MoreTo me, food cooked with love an intention is more than just a few tablespoons of this and a few cups of that. It's the stirring and the smelling, the slicing and the folding, the oven peaking - when all of these things done with intention, you really can taste the love.
Read MoreThe really amazing thing about this applesauce recipe, that comes from Zuni Cafe here in San Francisco, is that after peeling and coring the apples you just roast them. In their own juices. And that's it! It's so easy - no stovetop watching or food mills. Just an oven proof pan, a bit of butter, and a little time. And the smells this brought to my kitchen was an added bonus!
Read MoreThese cookies combine two holiday classics, chocolate and gingerbread, although I have never thought to put the two together. How is this possible? Why are we not adding chocolate ganache glazes to gingerbread bundt cakes, and why has it taken me so long in my life to realize this a most delicious combination?
Read MoreThis plum torte needs little introduction. It was so popular that the NY Times ran it for years every September, and when they tried to stop, were met with angry protests. Not all desserts inspire such furious devotion, especially a humble cake such as this.
Read MoreThis is a dessert - as in there is a hefty amount of good ol' white sugar and I'm gonna recommend you top this off with some softly whipped cream. While a piece of simple fruit or a wedge of dark chocolate at the end of a meal is great, I also feel strongly that a baked sweet dessert is an act of love.
Read MoreIt'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 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 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 MoreSliced apples created a pinwheel pattern on the top, and the milky batter had filled in the gaps around them, puffing then crisping up between the fruit. The batter was simple but the effect is pretty show stopping.
Read MoreAs much as I love pumpkin curry, and pumpkin soup, or diced and fried pumpkin added to most anything (salad! rice! pasta!), pumpkin really does make such a delicious dessert. I found this recipe a few years ago and love to wow people with the name. Soufflés always seemed fussy, and a little old fashioned, but I’m so glad I looked past that nonsense to make this most ultimate delight. Enjoy!
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