I love taking classic dishes and adding a little twist, without adding a whole lot of work. Cheesecake topped with syrupy fruit is definitely a classic. In my younger years, cheesecake with strawberries, or later the more fanciful raspberry coulis, was the go to dessert for romantic dinner menus. With this recipe, you get the brilliant, creamy sweetness of a classic cheesecake, … [Read more...] about Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Red Wine Rosemary Pears
desserts
Swedish Waitress Apple Cake with Vanilla Custard
A recipe developer asks a lot of questions. It’s the best way to learn the secrets of cooking – the little tips and hints and tricks people use, things they learned from mothers, grandmothers and aunts, secrets from fathers, advice from magazines, cookbooks and the back of boxes, or lessons learned from failure. So I ask questions. In restaurants, stores, markets, from … [Read more...] about Swedish Waitress Apple Cake with Vanilla Custard
Apple Ginger Upside Down Cake
You may notice a little theme this month, though it wasn’t actually by design. As autumn rolls around, I start cooking with (and eating) a lot of apples. In season, locally-grown apples are a wonder, on par with eating seasonal, local strawberries, instead of the chemically ripened fruit flown in from miles and miles away. So I make the most of the bounty in cooking both sweet … [Read more...] about Apple Ginger Upside Down Cake
Old Fashioned Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
I’ll admit, with all the travel to share Pimento Cheese The Cookbook I did in the fall, I got a little behind on recipe planning. So I’ve had a bit of a scramble to get myself organized, get things tested and photographed and out on the blog. When I started thinking about Valentine’s Day, I racked my brain to come up with something decadent, romantic, creative and over the top. … [Read more...] about Old Fashioned Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
Portuguese Custard Tarts
A few years ago, a group of girls and I decided we needed to celebrate a landmark birthday with landmark trip. None of us were particularly concerned about the number, but it seemed like an excuse people accept for special activities. Between the four of use, we are pretty well traveled and we thought we should find some place none of us had ever been. So we landed in … [Read more...] about Portuguese Custard Tarts






