Seasonal, Adventurous Home Cooking
Who says Guinness is just for St. Patrick’s Day. This moist and flavorful chocolate cake makes use of Guinness to add a distinct flavor and delicate crumb. Combined with cocoa-flavored French buttercream, this cake is perfect for year round occasions!
I have been on a lifelong search for the perfect blueberry muffin, testing and retesting dozens upon dozens of recipes. I can now state with certainty that I have at long last cracked the code for the perfect Blueberry Muffins. I use a combination of …
First things first… what is Bostock? Bostock dates back to 1930s France, where a genius patisserie combined day-old brioche or challah, sweet almond frangipane, fruit, and a generous dusting of confectioner’s sugar to make an ideal brunch or dessert pastry. Somewhere between French toast and …
I first heard of tisanes from my favorite fictional detective Hercule Poirot who made use of the herbal infusions to stimulate the ‘little grey cells.’ While true tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, tisanes are water-based infusions of herbs and spices. This Orange and …
This Spring Fruit Tart may just be the prettiest thing that I’ve ever made. It’s beautiful in its simplicity as it highlights seasonal fruit, including sweet berries and tropical kiwi, as well as luscious vanilla-bean pastry cream, and almond-flour-infused tender tart crust. Make this tart …
For a traditional Irish Tea befitting St. Patrick’s Day, I decorate my kitchen table with my green and white fine china. I also found several cake stands in various shades of green. Though the plates and cake stands don’t match exactly, they provide a beautiful …
I first tried making Irish Soda Bread during a year-long course studying the Irish Gaelic language. In an attempt to capture the full Irish cultural experience, I baked up Ina Garten’s recipe for Soda Bread with golden raisins, buttermilk, and orange zest. While this isn’t …
Remember that lovely little Chocolate, Pear, and Walnut Tart I shared from Molly Wilkinson’s French Pastry Made Simple last month. Well, I thought it was such a wonderful base recipe that I decided to change it around a bit to create these mini chocolate heart tarts for …
I recently purchased Molly Wilkinson’s cookbook French Pastry Made Simple which contains beautifully photographed French-inspired desserts which are accompanied with step-by-step instructions making French baking less intimidating to home bakers. I was immediately enraptured by her Chocolate, Walnut, and Pear Tart made with her signature pâté sucrée …
I adore these cookies. They look like perfect little snowballs and are fitting both at Christmas and all winter long! Just as there is debate as to the name and origin of these delicate confectioners’ sugar enveloped cookies, there is debate in my family as …