Chinese New Year was probably my favorite holiday growing up. It is a public holiday in Mauritius, so there would be no school and no work! On the eve, we would wake up early to "sao shiong" before going to school. It's a Buddhist religious offering of sorts to thank the gods. Mom would have …
Sourdough croissants can’t be beat
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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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 …
Gluten-free Christmas shortbread/cookies
Today’s recipe comes courtesy of sister Francine, who keeps us on our toes with her culinary creativity. Gluten-free shortbread cookies. It’s a recipe for gluten-free shortbread cookies, courtesy of The Conscious Plant Kitchen. She recommends doubling the recipe but here is the singular version: Vegan Almond flour Shortbread cookie (single recipe) 1 1/2 cups almond …
Calculating pie
I was in the mood for pie, but not in the mood for baking pie. So I compromised and whipped up a batch of cherry tarts. Standard pie crust works fine for this substitute.. These bite-size morsels give you the flavor and texture of a pie and are great as a breakfast pastry. It got …
Sherry & George 