For many years, I taught a cooking class called Holiday Baking for Smart Cookies. I’d forgotten about this until Pem McNerney of Shore Publishing asked me for some cookie baking tips. Like most time-pressed cooks, I follow a few steps to avoid the holiday baking frenzy. Breaking down the work into short bursts of activity helps me avoid last-minute frenzy. Even if you only bake a couple different types of cookies, I hope some of
Chocolate Diabolo Thumbprint Cookies
The flavors of Mexican hot chocolate inspired these Chocolate Diabolo Thumbprint Cookies. They are my riff on the holiday cookie tray staple, the chocolate snowball. If you love surprises, this cookie might be for you. It’s got warm spices and a kick from cayenne pepper. The trick is to build flavor at each step. Use quality dark cocoa powder such as Ghirardelli. And use fresh spices. Toasting the nuts before adding them to the dough
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Memories of Restaurant du Village at Gateway Community College
Once upon a time there was a tiny piece of France in Chester, Connecticut called Restaurant du Village. On November 28, 2018 at Gateway Community College in New Haven we will turn the clock back and remember some of the dishes we served at Restaurant du Village in the 1980’s. The three-course meal will be prepared by students in GWCC’s Culinary Arts Program with a little help from me. The proceeds benefit the Gateway Foundation, which
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"Let no man fancy he knows how to dine Till he has learnt how taste and taste combine."
-Horace, Satires, 2.4