A tomato tart done right is a culinary feat for the eye and the palate, and the best time to make one is during the summer when tomatoes are at their peak. This tart boasts a homemade tart shell that is golden and flaky, but you can save some time with a premade shell—just follow [...]
It’s July! While we’re thinking in red, white and blue, we want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen and to keep it cool. Here are a trio of appetizers in red, white and blue that are healthy, no bake and quick and easy to make. The fresh tomato and basil topping [...]
Here is a tasty recipe for a quiche-like vegetable pie that lends credence to the saying “easy as pie.” Once you’ve prepped all the ingredients, you simply place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth. The mixture is then poured into a prepared pie plate [...]
A cheese ball is a real crowd pleaser and the perfect appetizer/snack to have on hand for the holiday season. Place it on your open house holiday table; bring one along to a potluck dinner; serve it as an appetizer on New Year’s Eve. This festive, tasty cheese ball will even tide you over to [...]
Asparagus mimosa is a simple dish of blanched asparagus, sprinkled with the sieved yolks and whites of eggs and drizzled with a lemony mustard vinaigrette. This dish gets its name from the bright yellow of the sieved egg yolks, which is reminiscent of the beautiful yellow mimosa flower. To make the asparagus vase, use a [...]
During the dog days of summer the last thing we want to do is prepare food in a hot kitchen over a hot stove. We seek fare that requires little or no cooking and that can be prepared early in the day, cooled, and then served chilled directly from the refrigerator. Watermelon gazpacho comes together [...]
Here are some fun and creative recipes to enliven your July festivities. Pigs in blankets—hot dogs wrapped in puff pastry—add a delicious gourmet touch to the common hot dog in a bun. For those in a red, white and blue state of mind—the fruit kebabs and potato salad will be sure to please. To make [...]
Here’s a tasty, fun and colorful recipe for salmon cakes with a melon salsa that may get some of your most finicky fish eaters on board. What I love about this recipe is its versatility and simplicity. For those who find salmon too strong, you can substitute a milder whitefish such as cod or halibut. [...]
It is spring and we are delighted to observe life renewing itself in the little green shoots pushing their way up through the soil, in the incipient buds on the trees and bushes, in the newborn baby animals. Here in Essex Fells, some of us may even be fortunate enough to spot a newborn fawn [...]
Caponata is a classic Sicilian eggplant relish. It has a delightful medley of flavors—sweet and sour, salty and nutty--and is refreshing and delicious especially when it is served during the hot and hazy days of summer. There are as many variations of this dish as there are cooks and recipes may include such ingredients as [...]