How do you like THEM apples?

That’s what I said to myself as I finished scattering toasted walnuts atop this cake, one that can only be described as GORGEOUS—wouldn’t you agree? (more…)

I grew up 45 minutes outside Manhattan (yes, a true Jersey girl, from the land of Taylor Ham sandwiches and great diner food). Where I come from the cheesecake is dense, creamy, and tangy with a bit of sour cream, riding on a shortbread cookie-style crust. I still remember the incredible silkiness of the cheesecake Mrs. Weimann brought down to the beach where I was working as a lifeguard one day, just to give us a treat. And what a treat it was. (more…)

Why are waffles on the very outside edge of the breakfast landscape?

I mean, even on the weekend, pancakes are about as fancy as you get, right? Or maybe an omelet. Or a coffeecake. All good choices, for sure. But I’ll bet waffles seldom (if ever) enter your mind. (more…)

Chocolate cake made with sourdough starter? You have GOT to be kidding.

No, ’tis true. Sourdough chocolate cake is a richly flavored, craggy textured, deep-dark chocolate cake, one you enjoy without ever suspecting its origin in a bubbling pot of sourdough starter. (more…)

“PJ, you have to do a sourdough blog.”

Halley, our Web projects manager, was cracking the whip on me. That’s what project managers do; it’s their job.

“Awwww, do I have to? I hate sourdough. It’s so…. fussy,” I said, trying to weasel out of it. “I don’t even like sourdough bread. C’mon, you don’t really want a sourdough blog, do you?”

But Halley was a rock. “Sourdough is, like, our most searched-on term. You WILL do a sourdough blog.”

“Oh, WHATEVER.” Grumble grumble grumble… (more…)

Did you know that Elvis’ favorite cake, one he enjoyed on his birthday AND at Christmas every year, was vanilla pound cake?

I grew up loving chocolate cake. Still do. But over the years I’ve also developed a great appreciation for vanilla cake, the dessert equivalent of your little black dress: simple, classic, goes with everything. And my very favorite vanilla cake is super-dense, golden pound cake. (more…)

OK, I know I teased you by mentioning zucchini in a post last week. But then I took off in another direction, extolling the virtues of fresh tomatoes and cukes, mint and onions and peppers. And poor old zucchini, the orphan of the garden, got left in the dust. (Or mud, if you’ve had the kind of summer we’ve had up here in Vermont.)

But in truth, zucchini is a happy-go-lucky vegetable: you’re happy when you find a recipe that features zucchini, and lucky when it actually works. For example, zucchini takes well to grilling (splash with soy sauce for flavor); and it’s a nice (though potentially mushy) stand-in for eggplant in cannelloni or Parmigiana. And if you’re looking to round out a stir-fry, zucchini’s bulk and mild flavor are just the ticket. (more…)

Yes, you heard it here first. Never mind waiting for those restaurant exit polls. Forget the culinary pundits.

Pie prognosticators, take a hike.

The bakers here at King Arthur Flour predict the winner of this year’s popular pie vote will be a long-time incumbent, a veteran campaigner who’ll once again beat out perennial runners-up pumpkin, chocolate cream, and cherry. (more…)

ALL HAIL ZUCCHINI!

Nah, not really. Like most of the rest of you gardeners out there, I’ve got a surfeit of zucchini. And that sneaky Zucchini Fairy is very active at this time of the year, leaving torpedo-sized zucchinis in the lunchroom at work, on my doorstep, atop my mailbox… stop with the zucchini already! The horn of plenty is now officially the Horn of Too Much. But keep reading—this post isn’t about zucchini. (more…)

Key lime pie, the smooth/creamy/tangy nirvana of tropical desserts, is a Florida restaurant cliché. You can’t travel 10 miles in the Sunshine State without finding a menu offering Key Lime Pie as a featured dessert. And why not? It’s sweet, it’s rich, and it has the ability to tickle your tongue with its assertive sour-yet-tasty flavor. Key lime pie is what would happen if you combined a margarita with Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla. (more…)