Makes 24 tassies For the Pastry 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 cup all-purpose flour For the Filling 1 cup chopped pecans, divided 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 1 large egg, room temperature 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch of kosher salt 1 cup packed light brown sugar Preheat oven…
Pear and Chai Masala Jam
Growing up, I loved pears. They were one of my favorite fruits apart from the quintessential Indian mangoes. The pears in India are quite different from the ones you get here in California. I was amazed by how many different varieties of pears there are in California, like the d’Anjou pear (green and red varieties),…
Rodney Scott’s Rib Rub
For years, I seasoned my ribs on the pit just like I seasoned my hogs. But when we opened in Charleston, I rethought the rib seasoning and developed this rub. The main difference between the rib rub and the hog seasoning is the light brown sugar. It’s not much sweetness. It’s just enough and that…
Pots de Creme: The Little Black Dress of Desserts
Pots de creme are my go-to dessert. I call them the little black dress of sweets: Not only are they timelessly appealing (who can say no to a terrine of silky rich chocolate?), but they can be kept simple and understated for easy eating or dressed up with a splash of celebratory sparkle. In addition…
American Place-Names: Ties That Bind
Long ago, when I first met my sister-in-law to-be, a student in her early 20s, she asked me where I’d grown up. I told her that I’d spent my elementary school years in Boonville, North Carolina, and that we’d moved to Winston-Salem when I was in high school. She pondered my remarks for a moment,…
Photographing President Eisenhower
On a summer’s day in 1955, the stars aligned for an airman second class at the Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. This was just before the days when Camp David became the official presidential retreat, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower used a property near the base known as the “Summer White House.” Twenty-one-year-old…
Gift Books for Gardeners
If you have ever seen a hydroponic gardening system, especially a DIY project to build your own hydroponic system, you probably saw a lot of pipes and pumps. If you are not a plumber, you were probably not impressed. These systems tend to be ugly and only meant to be used in the garage or…
Smart Gifts for Gardeners
With the shipping problems across the country, many of us are looking for garden gift ideas closer to home. American-Made Outdoor Furniture If you are looking for outdoor furniture, check out Berlin Gardens LLC in Berlin, Ohio. They make a wide variety of tables, chairs, pergolas, and gazebos out of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). It is…
What Do ‘Best Before,’ ‘Use By,’ and Other Dates on Food Products Really Mean?
No doubt, you’ve noticed that some food products come with dates and codes printed on them. And who isn’t noticing this more now as food costs are skyrocketing? Do those codes and dates mean the item must be consumed by that date or just sold by that date? What about canned or packaged goods that…
Missing Wines—and How to Find Them
Winemakers often are creative people who are happiest when they can experiment to see if they can improve on tradition. Such activities, as noble and as fascinating as they are, often lead to projects that are simply not commercial. This is where wine marketing people come into play. They are typically ultra-conservative types, so-called bean…
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