I’m thrilled to introduce you to my newest book, Cake Balls (Harvard Common Press), which will be released in about a month. Check this space often for recipes, tips & techniques, general cake ball info and some contests I will be running. Right now I have a week-long contest on my Facebook page for you […]
This always sounds like an antiquated phrase to me…”it’s a good keeper”…hailing from a time when cakes of all sorts made regular appearances in homes. The “good keepers” are the ones that stay fresh and moist for days and this one feature makes them attractive. After all, when you have taken the time to make […]
Having written two cookbooks on wedding cakes, people often assume I would rather be making something lengthy and challenging. There are times for that, but I always make sure I have a couple of easy celebration cakes up my sleeve. Birthdays, office parties and other events seem to pop up all the time – often […]
Am I being a bit dramatic? Perhaps, but it was my cousin who told me that I had justified my existence with the invention of the cake pictured above. He said if I never created another dessert in my entire life, I would still have reached my zenith of creativity and deliciousness. People ask me […]
It all started with a conversation about which candy coated chocolate mini eggs are the best. This was happening during a gym workout with my small class of ladies – you would like my gym. We work out hard and talk about food A Lot. Mary was extolling the virtues of Cadbury Easter Candy Coated […]
And more importantly, bacon IN the cookies. As promised (I know I have been teasing you via Twitter and Facebook), here are the Bacon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies I have been raving about. They are featured in the March 2012 issue of Bon Appetit and the recipe comes from Autumn Martin from Hot Cakes Confections. Make […]
As a follow up to my Oscar night cookies (shaped to re-create the key for the automaton in Hugo), I wanted to talk to you about rolled sugar cookies. Many recipes are out there and they are all pretty similar. They fall into 3 basic categories – 1. cookies with fabulous taste and texture; 2. […]
Tropical Paradise During a New England Winter…… The winter of 2011/2012 will not go down as a very serious winter, weather wise. True, we did lose power for 5 days in that freak October storm, but hey, that was officially Fall. The winter has been mild. Still, it was a fun break to be invited […]
I was stopped dead in my tracks on page 16 of the March 2012 Bon Appetit. A recipe was calling my name…We have named them Raspberry Linzer Bars in the magazine but who are we kidding – these are homemade “Pop-Tarts”! OK they are a very upscale version: almond flour in the dough puts these over […]
My dear friend Joan is vegan. She invited me to a potluck. I was determined to make a vegan dessert that was also gluten-free so as to please as many people at this party as possible. I was pretty stumped. I knew I could do a sorbet or something like that, but I wanted a […]
The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) annual Fancy Food Show is held twice a year, but the summer event is the biggie. This is where industry insiders go to see, smell and eat the trends – and several years ago salted caramels popped up all over the show – and subsequently all […]
The February issue of Bon Appetit has this luscious picture on the cover of a crunchy fried chicken leg. It looks so positively crackly and crispy that I can hear the sound. The fried chicken article is awesome and recommends the use of a cast iron pan, which I heartily agree with, but, what I […]
Back in early January I was invited to a Twelfth Night Party hosted by a friend. The invitation said desserts and libations would be provided (it was not a potluck), but the hostess said that she would never turn down a dessert from me. (Another friend of mine said my desserts were “grandfathered” at any […]
OK this recipe needs help. It has a visual image problem. We all know what pumpkin pie looks like. It aint fancy, but we know that its humble looks support a creamy, tasty classic. How about pumpkin cobbler? Well since you’ve probably never seen one before you don’t know what to expect. Look at this […]
Chocolate, dogs and cookbooks. These are my addictions and I am not sure which order to put them in. Depends on the day. Today let’s focus on chocolate – chocolate chip cookies to be precise. I am a sucker for trying out new recipes and I decided to give Alice Medrich’s recipe a spin. She […]