During my college semester abroad in London, I was determined to visit Austria on winter break. I am not sure where this notion came from, maybe too much Sound of Music as a kid, but I set out alone to discover whether the hills were truly alive. After a trying time in Vienna, I moved on to Salzburg, a lovely place I found charming and comforting and manageable. I think it … [Read more...] about Spiced Fruitcake Bars
Sweets
Pumpkin Cream Tart
My First Thanksgiving The first Thanksgiving feast that ever I cooked was during graduate school in England. An American friend and I decided to host a holiday meal at his digs, which had a larger kitchen, for a motley crew of Americans, Canadians, South Africans and an Ecuadorian thrown in for good measure. This plan of course meant that I cooked and he, well, he ate. I … [Read more...] about Pumpkin Cream Tart
Maple Spice Crinkles
Maple Madness Maple is one of those ingredients that always makes me look. If I come a recipe in a magazine or cookbook for maple anything, I just have to read it, then usually cut it out or mark it with a post-it. Of course, sometimes I end up disappointed that these recipes only call for “maple flavoring,” which appeals to me not at all. It seems like cheating or faking. … [Read more...] about Maple Spice Crinkles
Candy Corn Mousse
That’s right. Candy Corn Mousse. I am one of those people who loves good candy corn. Only at Halloween, never at other times of the year, and never in great quantities. When the first bags start appearing at the stores, I get excited. It means fall is here and good fall food and I can start wearing sweaters and then it’s Halloween, then Thanksgiving…. I just had to try … [Read more...] about Candy Corn Mousse
Southern Pecan Pie
Tough Nut to Crack Pecans, it seems to me, are thought of as a particularly Southern nut. I cannot tell you anything about its growing condition or to what region or country the pecan is indigenous, but the trees proliferate around here. And the nuts feature prominently in Southern cooking from classic pie to divinity candy to pecan cheese straws. You rarely see pecan … [Read more...] about Southern Pecan Pie
