The Anatomy of a Cookbook I & Orange Cointreau Chiffon Cake

Sunday, December 4, 2016 2 , , , , Permalink 0

An orange on the table, your dress on the rug, and you in my bed, sweet present of the present, cool of night, warmth of my life. – Jacques Prévert As summer winds down and fades into autumn, as the stone fruits and berries turn mealy and flavorless and then disappear into memory, I begin to crave oranges. It is ...

Cognac Panna Cotta with Salted Butter Caramel

Nature bestows her own, richest gifts And, with lavish hands, she works in shifts... - Gertrude Tooley Buckingham, The Four Seasons  The summer pop-up shops are closed, windows dark and gathering dust. The streets are emptier without the tourists, and that emptiness is made all the heavier for the recent days of grey skies and intermittent rain. ...

Cocoa Molasses Chew Cookies

Fallen leaves lying on the grass in the November sun bring more happiness than the daffodils. - Cyril Connolly I simply need some comfort today. We all do. This election has left me drained, emotionally and physically. I’m shaken to my very core, chilled to my bones, and every cliché and platitude in between. Battered and bruised. I mourn for ...

French Apple Cake

Wednesday, September 28, 2016 11 , , , , Permalink 6

Let them eat cake. – Marie Antoinette While my own parents were making pies with frozen shells and canned filling or cakes from boxed mixes, my future mother-in-law was feeding her family on homemade treats. Apricot or plum halves pressed into sugary, crumbly pâte sablée or rich quatres-quart made with butter, milk, sugar and flour. Simple ...

Bye Bye Birdie

Tuesday, July 19, 2016 12 , Permalink 0

Bye, Bye, Birdie I'm gonna miss you so; Bye Bye Birdie, Why'd ya have to go? No more sunshine, It's followed you away; I'll cry Birdie, Till you're home to stay. – Lee Adams There was the story of the stolen bicycle, the story of the underwear found hanging on the chandelier, the story of the famous film producer, odd, quirky, adorable, the ...

Coffee Panna Cotta with with Bittersweet Mocha Sauce

Morning without you is a dwindled dawn. - Emily Dickinson Up at 5:30, downstairs by 6:30, that is my everyday. Fueled by coffee. Or it should be. Downstairs at 6:30, first clients begin filtering into the breakfast room at 7:15, sometimes earlier, and we jump into action as if someone has flicked on a switch. Sometimes the ...