• Lemon Tart
    Baking

    Lemon Tart

    Cheerily yellow and refreshingly tart, this classic treat will make you feel as if you’re enjoying a slice of tarte au citron from a bakery in France. I prefer my lemon filling on the puckery side and add extra sweetness on top with a full layer of powdered sugar. Each slice can be customized to the preferences of family and friends, making this sunny dessert ideal for holidays and entertaining. Ingredients Pastry 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter 1 egg yolk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons ice water Lemon Curd Filling ¾ cup fresh lemon juice Zest from…

  • Classic Doughnuts
    Baking

    Classic Baked Doughnuts

    Behind bakery case glass, rows of doughnuts sorted by flavor and color inspire everything from pop art to our senses. Chocolate glazes, pink sprinkles, and fluffy shreds of coconut look like every childhood breakfast fantasy while tags announcing berry, lemon, and maybe even maple bacon options speak to our appetite. Then there is the row of golden, cake doughnuts responsible for the scent inside the shop and sitting beneath many of the toppings and glazes. That’s the doughnut that inspired this recipe. Fresh doughnuts on a weekend morning have a distinct advantage over pancakes. They can be enjoyed the next day and the next. This recipe makes a dozen of…

  • Sun-Dried Tomato Cornbread
    Baking

    Sun-Dried Tomato and Scallion Cornbread

    When I was young, my father would fill up the kitchen with pots and frying pans as he made batches of a cornmeal recipe he had committed to memory, a fried polenta-like dish known as cornmeal mush. If you’ve been to any of my Food Traditions workshops, you may have heard me reference this as well as the butcher shop foods on my mother’s side. Recipes are lost for many reasons – the passing of a loved one, damage to a handwritten cookbook, or the simple fact of never having been written. I love working with individuals and groups to rediscover and recreate their traditions and encourage you to book…

  • Pineapple Linzer Cookies
    Baking

    Pineapple Linzer Cookies

    The first snow of the season fell outside my kitchen window as I baked these cookies, and by the time I sifted powdered sugar onto the rows of cooled tops with their cutout stars and other shapes, both sides of the pane had quite a snow globe feel. When you make these buttery linzer cookies and their pineapple filling, your kitchen will take on a festive feel regardless of view, though if you can time it right, there is nothing like a roaring oven for coziness during a snowstorm. Ingredients Cookies 2 ½ cups flour 1 cup pecan halves ¾ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 ¼ cups…

  • Candied Orange Cheesecake
    Baking

    Chocolate Orange Mini Cheesecakes

    With the holidays approaching, I start craving a touch of decadence with dessert. Candied citrus is where I turn for that luxe, almost stained glass finish on these mini cheesecakes. In a mixture of sugar and water, whole citrus slices become juicy, chewy candy that intensifies the flavor in each creamy, chocolate and orange bite. Ingredients Candied Orange Slices 1 unwaxed orange2 cups water1 cup sugar Mini Cheesecakes ⅔ cup fresh orange juice30 chocolate wafer cookies4 tablespoons unsalted butter8 oz. cream cheese (1 standard package)½ cup sour cream⅓ cup sugar2 eggs, slightly beaten½ teaspoon vanilla extractPinch salt12 cupcake liners Watching the orange slices transform is the most satisfying part of…