When I was a kid, I had chicken pox on Halloween one year. I was ensconced on the foldout couch in front of the TV covered in calamine lotion and unable to wear a costume or go trick-or-treating. That stunk. But I remember that Halloween more than all the others, not because I was itchy and alone, but because my older brother shared his candy with me, which at that point in our … [Read more...] about Homemade Halloween
Sweets
Lemon Speculoos Icebox Cake
I did not grow up on icebox cakes. And I will be perfectly honest, my first experience with the concept was the Famous Wafers and canned whipped cream version, which I must have first encountered in college, but was known to make in my early apartment days. In fact, I thought that was officially Icebox Cake. It never occurred to me that there were versions. Then I was served a … [Read more...] about Lemon Speculoos Icebox Cake
Fig, Brown Butter and Hazelnut Tart
I await fig season each summer with such eager anticipation. I get to the farmers market first thing on Saturday morning, making a beeline to my favorite fig vendor to snap up as many as there are available. My first task is making Fig, Bourbon and Vanilla Bean Jam, a favorite of my friends and family. I hold a few back to slice and eat drizzled with honey or wrapped in … [Read more...] about Fig, Brown Butter and Hazelnut Tart
Blueberry Lavender Pound Cake
Last year, I went on a little tear baking with fruit and herbs. It started when a favorite vendor at the farmers market had a proliferation of lemon balm, and it was so fragrant I couldn’t resist. That led to my Nectarine and Lemon Balm Cake. The same trip to the market resulted in a plethora of blueberries, so I turned them into this dense, rich pound cake, and with my … [Read more...] about Blueberry Lavender Pound Cake
Frozen Lemon Bisque with Blueberry Nutmeg Compote
Frozen lemon bisque is what my mother always called this lovely dessert. It was her party piece for years, served at all her dinner parties, and sometimes just for us. She always served it from a cut crystal bowl, a bowl I always think of as the lemon bisque bowl. And she always served it with a blueberry sauce, sometimes with nutmeg. I have always loved that dessert, and at … [Read more...] about Frozen Lemon Bisque with Blueberry Nutmeg Compote
