I have been on a quest for some time now to create a dessert that really tastes of honey. I make many desserts that have honey as a sweetener, but the rich, earthy taste of honey is often masked by other ingredients. I mastered the honey flavored cake with my Honey Raspberry Cake, but then I tasted this amazing, almost creamy, honey tart at an afternoon tea in London. It was … [Read more...] about Salted Honey Chess Pie
Green Tomato Vanilla Cake
Over the years, I have seen a number of recipes in old school Southern community cookbooks for green tomato cake. The idea intrigued me - it sounds so old fashioned and resourceful to me. I could just imagine a cook making the most of everything in the garden to create something special, or I like to imagine that this cake is born of scarcity, a recipe that uses what’s on hand … [Read more...] about Green Tomato Vanilla Cake
Lyonnaise Style Platter Salad
On the calendar, summer is moving into fall. On the thermometer, not so much. Theoretically, we are all ready for soups and stews and pumpkin everything. But really? It’s still over 90 degrees outside here. So a hearty cold meal is still very much welcome, but one with some substance and depth. I turn here to my new favorite easy entertaining option – the platter salad. With … [Read more...] about Lyonnaise Style Platter Salad
Honey Mustard Potato Salad
I am generally a planner – I like to think about menu ideas and recipes for a while before I entertain. But I am getting better at loosening things up and learning to go with the flow. Case in point, I ran into a friend on the Friday of a holiday weekend and we realized we had not major plans so decided to get together to cook burgers and hot dogs. A trip to the farmers … [Read more...] about Honey Mustard Potato Salad
Spicy Pepper Jam and Goat Cheese Spread
Cream cheese topped with pepper jelly is a classic appetizer that carries a lot of memories for me. And I truly don’t think you can get more payoff for a simpler presentation than a block of cream cheese and a jar of good pepper jelly. Of course, over the years more and more fancy, artisan, small batch etc. pepper jellies have hit the market, and I am a big fan. Also, goat … [Read more...] about Spicy Pepper Jam and Goat Cheese Spread
