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 [...]
A braised brisket of beef is just what the doctor ordered for a cold and dreary late winter’s eve. This recipe demonstrates a braising technique, which yields a toothsome and tender piece of meat that melts in your mouth. A special cut of brisket is first seared and then slow-simmered in a tomato/wine broth seasoned [...]
Ratatouille is a classic French vegetable stew with origins in the city of Nice located in the Provencal region of southern France. It almost always contains a savory mélange of garlic, onions, eggplant, peppers and zucchini, which are first sautéed in olive oil and then simmered together with tomatoes and an aromatic blend of Provencal [...]
I recently brought this cookie platter to a dinner party. From left to right, the cookies are vanilla chocolate chip biscotti, chocolate macadamia nut biscotti, pumpkin pecan cookies with powdered sugar, checkerboards and chocolate drizzled pumpkin pecan cookies. The cookie platter was a big hit, but hands down, the favorite cookie was the chocolate macadamia [...]
I must confess—I am not a big fan of the roasted whole turkey. At a time when I need as much oven space as possible for the multitude of dishes that I serve on Thanksgiving, the huge whole turkey monopolizes most of my oven space. I also find it impossible to get the whole turkey [...]
Elegant and festive, these deep ruby red beauties are the perfect seasonal dessert to have on hand, especially when you’re craving lighter fare. The pears are prepped and then poached in a sumptuous red wine elixir. I just love the intoxicating aroma of Beaujolais and warm spices that permeate the house while the pears are [...]