Is there any thing better than croissant? Je crois que non! But there is, in my opinion, an improvement on the original recipe for the quintessential French pastry, and that is to use sourdough as the leavening agent. Patience may be a virtue, but it is an absolute necessity here. I’ve written before about the …
Sourdough and the sweet smell of success
You might have been watching from the sidelines for the past year, as friends, relatives and celebrities tweeted about their sourdough bread baking. We certainly sat out the fad. But then, we're not new to baking our own bread, or attempting to coax the all-natural yeast to life. Our previous attempts at sourdough, all in …
From gluten-free to free gluten
It was baking day today, and so I decided to experiment with both ends of the gluten spectrum, which means from gluten-free (no gluten) to free gluten (added gluten at no extra charge to you). I started with the now tried-and-true ciabatta bread. This recipe is about as simple as it gets: 3.25 cups of …
Things we no longer buy at the grocery store
Surprisingly easy things to make at home instead of buying at the grocery store.
It’s a new day, a new administration, and a new recipe
It’s a blustery day here in Southern California. It’s also Inauguration Day for the United States. What better way to celebrate than to stay out of the wind and bake up a storm while glancing at the swearing in of our new president? On today’s menu: granola bars and saltine crackers. For the granola bars, …
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Harvest time, planting time
It’s winter, officially, and that means time to harvest the citrus crops in the sunnier climes of the United States. We have a lemon tree and our first orange tree. We decided to pick the sweeter fruits early, to get a jump on the wildlife that, for some reason, seems entitled to take what they …
Home-made ricotta is a snap
T'WAS A DARK AND STORMY day, the kind that requires something to be in the oven to ward off the dampness and chill. After whipping up a few batches of granola bars and bread, I began to think about what to do to keep the oven going. “How about lasagna for dinner?” I inquired. I …
Cranberries, the all-American side dish
“YOU’VE NEVER HAD CRANBERRIES?” This is my incredulous response to my Better Half, who grew up on the tropical island of Mauritius, out in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a place described by Mark Twain as “Heaven on Earth.” The tiny nation is indeed beautiful, and bountiful: mangos, coconuts, bananas (the kind that actually …
My new favorite holiday dish is …
AS A CHILD, HOLIDAY dinners were quite special. Mom was an excellent cook and baker. We dined at many of the all-American meals: turkey, roast beef, ham, chicken (with dumplings!). But hands down, my favorite meal was her spaghetti and meatballs. Sherry’s briani, with side dishes of cucumber and tomato salads. But my favorite fare …
