Last October, during our travels in Tuscany, Italy, my husband and I boarded a train in Florence and headed 29 miles southeast to the charming medieval town, Figline Valdarno, to take a private cooking class with one of the great chefs of Tuscany--Claudio Piantini. It was just the two of us with Chef Claudio in [...]
In the fall of 2015, my husband and I took a three-week trip of a lifetime to beautiful Italy. We started our adventure in Rome, then flew south to Sicily and north to the Piedmont region; we then journeyed east to Venice, west to the Tuscany region and concluded our extraordinary voyage in the Umbria [...]
Of all the desserts that have come out of my kitchen, Pear and Almond Tart always gets the most raves. Not only is it festive and gorgeous—it tastes even better than it looks. A golden brown, crisp pastry shell is filled with a rich and creamy almond custard, which serves as a cushion for delicately poached [...]
This is the time of year when the prevailing image is a cornucopia overflowing with the bounty of the harvest. In keeping with the concept of abundance and plenitude, stuffed meats, poultry, fruits, and vegetables are ubiquitous. A colorful medley of bell peppers, filled to the brim with brown and wild rice pilaf is the [...]
As the dog days of August morph into brisk September mornings, I am on the lookout for kid-friendly meals for our back to school issue. Also, cognizant that mom or dad does not want to be making multiple meals to cater to varied tastes and finicky eaters, I seek recipes to please the entire family. [...]
I recently made these scrumptious beauties for a family gathering. When they were gobbled up by one and all, young and old, finicky and foodie, I just knew I had to share them with my Essex Fells dessert connoisseurs Profiteroles (known to us as cream puffs) are a French dessert made from the classic French [...]
Velvety smooth, rich and creamy, this cheesecake is divine. Its decadent taste and texture belie the fact that it is relatively easy to make. Cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and sour cream are beaten together and then poured into a cake pan lined with a traditional graham cracker crumb crust. The cake is then baked in [...]
Here’s a great dish to add to your recipe repertoire, just in time for Father’s Day and grilling season. Meatball fans love meatballs any way they are prepared—fried in a pan, baked in the oven, or simmered in a sauce. But, to my mind, grilling the meatballs yields the most tasty and perfect meatballs. To [...]
Pineapple upside down cake is an old-fashioned cake that made its debut in the 1920’s, coinciding with the advent of widely available canned pineapple. So delicious and beautiful to behold, pineapple upside down cake remains popular to this day. Although it may look like a cake that requires the skills of an accomplished pastry chef, [...]
As I write this column, it is early March, and we are digging out from yet another snowstorm—the third one of the week. It’s hard to believe that spring is just around the corner. So, it is with a leap of faith and some wishful thinking that I present you with this recipe for meringue [...]