Having lived on Wall Street for the past six years, occupying before it was "Occupied" so to speak, I've been meaning to share this Financier recipe for a while. Sort of like madeleines but different, Financiers are airy little almond cakes that can be further flavored with more nuts or marmalade, as they are here. It's been said they take their name from their gold brick … [Read more...]
EXTRA LARGE SUMMER FRUIT TART HACK
Working off the same base recipe posted earlier, this XL version used tonka beans to infuse the crust with a smooth spicy taste and heady vanilla aroma. Not to worry, cinnamon still works fine. Nectarines and apricots were the fruit de jour; they're great for this tart because they don't need to be peeled. The large 11" tart pan with removable bottom allows for apricot … [Read more...]
SUMMER FRUIT TART HACK WITH PLUMS AND APRICOTS
Seems like this is the summer of recipe "hacks," the near-miraculous shortcuts that crack the code of everyday cookery. Or something like that. As there are a about million blog posts and Pinterest boards dedicated to the pursuit of the hack, the time felt right to share one of my own. Easy thing #1: This summer fruit tart recipe works well with all stone fruit -- … [Read more...]
SALTED CARAMEL PECAN CAKE
Picture #1: Salted Caramel cake as made by House Beautiful food columnist Alex Hitz. Picture #2: Salted Caramel Pecan cake as made by Spectacularly Delicious. Although these two cakes wouldn't be mistaken for identical twins they do bear more than a passing resemblance looks-wise. But down in their souls, their very essence, they are one in the same: lightly salty, … [Read more...]
PAPER SHELL PECANS
Right before Thanksgiving the New York Times warned us that "Ill-timed rain, marauding animals and a growing love affair between the Chinese middle class and the pecan has resulted in the worst pecan supply in recent memory. As a result, grocery store prices are up by about 30 percent..." (No Pecans? Thank China, rain and pigs.) Which is how we found ourselves by the side of … [Read more...]
IN PRAISE OF PUDDING / DARK CHOCOLATE PUDDING RECIPE
I'm not exactly sure when it happened but quite some time ago chocolate pudding fell from favor. Could it have been the ascendancy of fancy French chocolate mousse that rang the death knell for chocolate pudding as we knew it? Or maybe it was misguided notions like Shake-a-Pudd'n. Yes we did that. The Sullivan boys were the envy of the lunchroom. Well, I think it was … [Read more...]
BROWN BUTTER MADELEINES
More tiny cake than cookie, these Madeleines get their toasty taste from browned butter. Sure you can skip this step but I wouldn't. Just take care to not burn the butter. It'll bubble for a minute or two before starting to brown, then take if off the heat when it starts to darken. It will continue to color in the hot pan so pour it out before it burns. This recipe calls … [Read more...]
Hoshigaki: Japanese Dried Persimmon
Ever seen one of these before? Neither had I until Sean Timberlake from Punk Domestics presented me with this beauty while on a trip to San Francisco. It's hoshigaki, the traditional Japanese dried persimmon. Seems like it's a thing. I expect now we'll start seeing them everywhere. As hoshigaki is a dried fruit it's not too surprising that it tastes a little figgy. … [Read more...]
SCOTCHEROOS
Marcel Proust had his madeleines. "Cats" has its moonlight and street lamps but nothing jogs my memory more than scrumptious Scotcheroos. For Valentine's Day Mom sent me and Steve a fresh batch of these classic Rice Crispy-butterscotch-peanut butter-chocolate confections. The combination of flavors is just as intense as it was back in the '70s when they were a Sullivan … [Read more...]
CHOCOLATE MONT BLANC
If you're hankering for an opulent dessert, look no further. This Chocolate Mont Blanc recipe is an update of a post we did last year; click here for more history on this classic dessert. Chocolate Mont Blanc is a craggy peak of cocoa-infused chestnut strands studded with boulders of dark chocolate. The snow-capped summit is afloat in drifts of fluffy whipped cream. A … [Read more...]