Coconut Macaroons
Macaroons have a blurry history, as many old recipes do, but according to The Nibble magazine and some culinary historians, this cookie’s history can be traced back to an Italian monastery. The recipe for this meringue-like cookie, originally made with egg whites and ground almonds, evolved over time to include food colorings and various fillings [...]
Chocolate Cranberry Bark
Chocolate Cranberry Bark is an easy, yet always impressive treat to make and share during the holidays. For candy that will be eaten within a few days, it can be made simply by melting as much chocolate as you like, and adding as many pieces of fruit and nuts as you like (or even M&Ms [...]
Chocolate Mendiants
Mendiants are a French confection that are popular at celebrations or given as gifts around Christmas time. They were traditionally studded with nuts and dried fruits chosen to represent the robe colors of the four monastic orders, or mendicants, of the church: raisin for the Dominicans, hazelnut for the Augustinians, fig for the Franciscans and [...]
Pumpkin, Rosemary, Sour Cherry Muffins
We originally made these muffins only as an excuse to bake something in chique square parchment papers, but they turned out to be such a great treat we’ll be making them a lot more often. Lorraine Pascale’s recipe from her adorable show Simply Baking was the inspiration, but I made some customizations and added sour [...]
Seared and Poached Apples
This recipe required 15 pounds of apples. Only two apples are needed for cooking, but it took picking 15 pounds of apples at one of our local Bucks County orchards to challenge us to find literally bushels of unique and good-looking apple recipes. Seared with a coating of ground almonds, candied ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and [...]
Grilled Peaches with Rosemary & Balsamic Vinegar
We recently went on a Bucks County Food Tour and were introduced to quite a few local Pennsylvania farms we’d never visited before. One memorable stop was Manoff Market Gardens where you would have to be completely crazy to leave without at least a dozen ripe, gorgeous peaches or without petting Hale, their Public Relations [...]
Prunes in Armagnac (Pruneaux à l’Armagnac)
Prunes in Armagnac (Pruneaux à l’Armagnac), where have you been all our lives? We were only just introduced to this classic dessert from the southwest of France on our last trip to Paris. Starving from a day’s walking all over the city, and prepping for an evening finding the best views of the Eiffel Tower, [...]
Chocolate Mousse – A Labor of Love
Chocolate Mousse – another of Mr. Bartholomew’s culinary obsessions that I benefit greatly from as his shoot assistant and taste tester. For the past few years he’s been on a mousse mission to recreate his experiences that he’s had on each of his trips to France. His first authentic French mousse was in Franche-Comté at le Château [...]
Biscotti
Biscotti have a history of being the biscuit of choice for long voyages as their shelf life of up to 6 months is quite impressive. Over the centuries, sailors, soldiers, fisherman and shopaholics have relied on these spoil-resistant and quite often nutritious cookies as a source of sustenance. Meaning “twice baked,” Biscotti get their crispy [...]
Popovers
Popovers are often described as an Americanized version of Yorkshire Pudding. Earlier versions call for the batter to be baked in roasted beef or pork drippings, but more frequently these days you’ll find less meaty recipes drawing attention at restaurants, bed and breakfasts and effortlessly levitating in domestic home ovens. I had my first introduction [...]
Red, White and Blue Berry Tart
This colorful treat is always a winning dessert for Memorial Day, Independence Day or any day you just need to have an excellent, creamy, cool berry tart. It’s both luxurious and light with a filling of low-fat greek yogurt blended with Neufchâtel cream cheese and a hint of maple syrup. The graham cracker crust [...]
Drunken Apricots
I originally saw this made with peaches but the apricots were looking better at the market. I find the color of apricots to be one of my favorites and they look great for photos. Making this is simple, just cut up some apricots or peaches and put them in a small glass of Chianti with [...]
