In A Nutshell

The recipe for these cakes comes from the NYT cooking section; I used  these precious little pans . The key to getting the cakes out perfectly is to generously spray them with Baker's Joy (and I am very specific about this particular product- trust me, I've tried different sprays). I made a few changes to the recipe (would it be cocky to say improvements?) namely swapping out butter for olive oil and reducing the amount of sugar. If you have leftover peach puree you can use it in cocktails or to make margaritas. Also, I always use weights when possible rather than dry measures as I find you typically get a much better result. Don't be tempted to peel the peaches- the skin adds beautiful colored flecks and texture. My love of alcohol may tempt me to add a bit of peach liqueur or bourbon the next time. 1 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin) 2 1/2 cups (320 grams) all-purpose flour 4 ripe, red-hued peaches (a little more than a pound), pitted 1 T fresh lemon juice 3 la

I tore this recipe out of the Chicago Tribune (10 years ago, as my husband pointed out!); I'm sad that I went for 10 years without these tasty treats but happy that I hung on to the recipe all these years. I made a few changes from the original. I would add that if the corn is not super super fresh and sweet, blanch it for about a minute before using. 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, divided 1 cup buttermilk 4 eggs, separated 2 T melted butter or bacon drippings 1 t salt 2 t baking powder 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal 1 3/4 cups flour 2 T sugar 8 slices bacon, chopped small and cooked to a crisp Puree 1/2  cup of corn along with the milk, melted butter and egg yolks in a blender until very smooth. In a large bowl, whisk flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt. Add the liquid ingredients from the blender to the dry ingredients and stir just to moisten. Fold in half  the bacon bits and remaining  1cup  of corn. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites and sugar until stiff but not d

 

The recipe comes from Saveur magazine; it was featured in an article about Georgian (the country, not the state) cuisine. The beets are absolutely delicious! I made a few little changes (namely roasting  peeled, cubed beets as well as using less oil and butter than the original recipe suggested). 4 medium beets, peeled and cubed in 1 1/2” chunks (roughly- don’t get the ruler out!) Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling on beets 1 T butter 1 T EVOO 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced 1/2 cup dried tart cherries (I used Montmorency tart cherries) 1 T lemon juice 2 T chopped cilantro 1 T chopped parsley  Preheat the oven to 400º; place the beets in a ceramic roasting dish and drizzle with EVOO; season with salt and pepper and cover with foil tightly. Roast for about 45 minutes and then remove the foil and continue roasting for another 15-30 minutes. Check on them after 15 to see if they are getting soft as well as caramel

Do you have any misfit bottles of red wine? Or one you didn’t finish in a timely fashion (admittedly a rare occurrence during a pandemic). This is the perfect way to use up unwanted red wine. I adapted the recipe for this drink from Food & Wine (and by “adapted”, I mean I changed the proportions to make it stronger). Super-delish! Red Wine Syrup: Equal proportions red wine and sugar stirred over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Since bar math can be quite difficult (at least for me), what this means is if you use 1 cup of red wine, use 1 cup sugar etc. You can store this in the fridge for some time. For the Cocktail: 2 oz. gin 1 oz. fresh lemon juice 1 oz. red wine syrup Rub the rim of an ice-filled glass with a nice fat lemon rind. Add the drink ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds (or until your arm gives out) and pour into the cocktail glass. Serve with the aforementioned generous lemon twist. A delicious variation is

Divine! 4 oz. bourbon 1.5 oz. lemon juice 1.5 oz. Créme de Pêche liqueur 1 oz. simple syrup (1:1 ratio) Add to a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds; pour over ice and add peach slice for garnish. Makes two drinks.