Don’t let the modest appearance of this cake deceive you. Like a fine pound cake, this white wine butter cake tastes of sunshine, something we all crave. You start with quality butter and fresh eggs. Then you add a little grated citrus zest. The secret ingredient is using white wine in place of milk. It adds subtle notes that balance the sweetness of this tender sweet. Although I can’t prove it, I suspect that the
Thursday, March 04
Field Report Flavors of 2021
Day 62 of 2021. A year ago, I was adjusting my schedule – radically – to the new normal. Now with the arrival of sunshine, warmer weather and the vaccine, I’m feeling a tad optimistic. We will get through this. We will see friends again. And we will need to work together to help people recover, especially friends and colleagues in the food service business. And the heroic yet weary front-line workers who have kept
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Mocha Marzipan Truffles
Thinking ahead about Easter and the treats to serve? I’m a lifelong fan of marzipan, which is made from blanched almonds, sugar and some liquid sugar to make it malleable. The combination of marzipan and dark chocolate in these Mocha Marzipan Truffles is a natural. (They look like Easter eggs from Mars, where we might fine new friends.) The rich toasted notes of good-quality bitter chocolate balance the sweet almond flavors. When spiked with a
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Wednesday, December 02
Stout Bread
The name of this bread doesn’t refer to its size or shape, but rather to the heavy, strongly flavored brew that flavors this dark loaf. This robust Stout Bread complements cheddar cheese, smoked fish and meats, stews and hearty vegetables. It’s perfect for wintertime baking. With a large percentage of wheat flour, the bread has a springy interior crumb. The flavor of the dough improves with a long fermentation and oatmeal or cracked rye on
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Tuesday, December 01
Almond Spice Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Coffee Crumbs
Each season I audition cookies to make for the holidays. My palate prefers spicy, toasty notes over pure sugar. Shortbread and these Almond Spice Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Coffee Crumbs appeal to me. A sugar cookie should be crisp, buttery and slightly sweet. Blanched almond flour adds a toasty note and warm baking spices suggest the winter holidays in these cut-out cookies. Although these cookies can be decorated with any sort of icing, the combination
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Save Artisan Cheese: Host a Remote Cheese Tasting
We hosted a remote cheese tasting for a milestone anniversary recently. It was such fun. Consider hosting your own as you plan a gathering with family or friends this holiday season. A remote cheese tasting can be simple or extravagant. You can do the work for your guests or let them take part in selecting and provisioning. And you’re contributing to a worthy cause. Globally, artisan cheese makers are suffering along with myriad businesses that
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Friday, December 04
Field Report Holiday 2020 Edition
Like many, we support artisans of all types, never more so than this year and for the holidays. Here are some items on our radar right now, call these Priscilla’s picks: Narragansett Creamery Narragansett Creamery is a new discovery for me. It makes a silky ricotta to which I an now addicted. Cannoli bakers take note. Finding Home Farms Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup Last year, a colleague introduced me to Finding Home Farms’ New York State
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Tuesday, December 01
Jacques Pépin Foundation Membership Video Cookbook
When I was 14 years old on my first trip to France, I visited Pérouges, a medieval walled city not far from Lyon and Jacques Pépin’s home town. There, I ate the famed Galette de Pérouges, a sweet yeast dough coated with a crunchy sugar, butter and lemon topping. Much later I learned to make it to serve with custard for dessert at our restaurant. You can watch me make it and get the recipe
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Monday, November 16
Oven BBQ Smoked Turkey
Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays will look a little different this year. Like many other people across the country, we’ll host a small group, maybe even just the two of us. Here’s where this recipe for Oven BBQ Smoked Turkey comes in. It makes a juicy moist bird with the flavors of outdoor BBQ. Because the turkey is split before roasting, the recipe works for a half turkey, what we’ll probably be making. To make
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Friday, November 13
I ❤ San Marzano DOP Recipe Contest
The chilly weather arrived right on schedule. And the need for COMFORT FOOD is sure a priority right now. I’m thinking rich casseroles and hearty pasta dishes. When the tomato season ends, I seek out canned tomatoes for Bolognese and Charlie’s Bright Tomato Sauce for pizza and pasta. It turns out that my favorite canned tomatoes, authentic San Marzano tomatoes grown in the region around Naples, are being celebrated this season. I’m very happy to
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"Let no man fancy he knows how to dine Till he has learnt how taste and taste combine."
-Horace, Satires, 2.4They're here!
