You Dig?

See, that’s pudding cake’s scene, man. All squared off and establishment up top, just like a cake. Upright and everything. Start hanging out a while, though, and you find a softer, freeform pudding too, playing merrily within. Like a chick wearing a wedding dress with flowers in her hair. You dig? All right, enough of…

Aww, That’s So Sweet!

Chances are, if you purr these words this upcoming Valentine’s Day – or, if they’re directed to you – chocolate is involved.  Not just any variety, either, but chocolate made by the couverture method, a highly-refined Belgian technique reserved for the very finest cacao available.  With a price tag to match, too.  Though for you,…

Year of the Rabbit

Today, January 22, refreshes the Chinese lunar calendar, inaugurating 4721, the Year of the Rabbit.  Rabbits are considered to be thoughtful, friendly, and fathomless.  A pretty good description of this blog’s readers, right?  Thus, before you is a Taiwanese Lunar New Year feast, prepared in your honor Most of the dishes, including the Pork Wontons…

Warmth Amidst Iced Peaks

One of the best parts of a ski trip, don’t you think, is snuggling before a glowing fire as the snow and ice swirl among the mountains outside? Such is a pleasure unique to winter, and which Switzerland supplies in magical abundance. A perfect expression of this alpine coziness is a cookie bar enjoyed especially…

Dear Santa…

We made you a plateful of Berry Crumb Bars and we left them beneath the tree, as you can see above. We got the idea from AllRecipes magazine, which had the preparation in its October/November 2019 issue. You’ll be so proud, as it took fewer than ten ingredients to prepare these for your enjoyment. That’ll…

What the Heck is Labneh?

Confusing, for one thing. When Shape provided a recipe for Double-Lemon Labneh Cheesecake with Pistachio Crust in April 2020, the game was on. Cheesecake? Yes. Double-Lemon? How about Double-Yes? Pistachios? Nothing else compares. But what to make of this “Labneh” thing? Just what is that supposed to be? The internet provided answers, though unsurprisingly, many…

Does Mr. Presley Approve?

You better believe he would. After all, this week brings Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Banana Butter Frosting. As that very combination – PB and bananas – was one of Elvis’s favorites, this is exactly the sort of treat that’d leave the singer All Shook Up. Of course, the beguiling aroma drifts through the kitchen, and…

Capital!

What you see above is a bar of gold.  Or so was the impression a French pâtissier (pastry chef) named Lasne wished to convey when, in the late 1800s, he had baking trays specially made to resemble the shape and size of a bullion ingot.  After all, Lasne’s shop wasn’t far from the Paris Stock…

On the Vine

If you’re fortunate enough to have fresh strawberries, and your gardening has favored you with a bumper crop this year, try to keep the berries on the vine as long as possible before harvest.  In so doing, you’ll maximize the sweetness, the juiciness, and everything else which makes just-picked summer strawberries one of life’s sublime…

Just Peachy, and You?

Is it possible even to be in anything other than a great mood when peaches are enjoying their moment? Bursting forth from every basket, table and shelf, from every roadside stand and farmers’ market, the globes are filled with fifteen times their weight (or thereabouts) of juicy, sweet, tangy, summery nectar. Seems to be the…