Despite having grown up eating these Polish dumplings, especially around Christmas, I had to re-learn how to say their name as an adult. Two generations removed from speaking Slovak at home, we kids had transformed “pierogi” to “padokee.” And as with another popular Polish food, paczki, the word pierogi is already plural (who could eat…
Creamy Cauliflower and Pear Soup
This cauliflower and pear soup is elegant, sophisticated, and oh-so-chic! The flavor of the pear comes through as sweet but not sugary, and it blends with the cauliflower to create a delicious cream. Blending the soup until very smooth elevates it to dinner party status. I like serving it in consommé cups (those are the…
Roasted Cauliflower With Romesco
Roasting is one of the easiest yet most flavorful ways of cooking cauliflower. The flavors concentrate during the roasting, bringing out savoriness and depth of flavor with the simple addition of olive oil. I often serve roasted cauliflower just like that. It’s so easy! But to turn it into a rustic hors d’oeuvre, I serve…
Cheesy Cauliflower and Bacon Gratin
Creamy gratins are a comforting backbone of winter cooking. Using cauliflower as the base gives you a healthy-ish dish, where the florets are enveloped in a rich, luscious béchamel sauce. I love adding diced ham or bacon, but you can easily omit it if you want a vegetarian option. It can be a whole dinner…
3 Ways to Love Cauliflower
A classic winter staple, cauliflower is a hardy, healthy, low-calorie vegetable of the cabbage family (Brassica oleracea). With its mild taste and versatility—easily steamed, boiled, roasted, or fried—it can be transformed into all sorts of dishes. It’s also a huge help for those following a gluten-free or paleo diet, and today, it has become increasingly…
Chelsea Buns
Chelsea buns were sold in The Chelsea Bun House in London as far back as 1711. They may be considered the first sweet confection that people ever queued for in masses, just to get their hands on a bun or two. It might not be as modern as a cronut or a freakshake, but the…
Regula Ysewijn: Preserving the Pride and History of British Baking
Most of us can look at our lives and careers and point to something that shaped their trajectory: important, eye-opening moments, special events, influential people. For Regula Ysewijn, it was a nursery rhyme: White swans, black swans, Will you sail to England with me? England is locked The key is broken And there is no…
Bakewell Tart
In Bakewell you’ll find a bakery on every street corner, each claiming they bake the one and only original Bakewell pudding that made the little Peak District town famous. Who actually invented the Bakewell pudding? According to the most popular story, the Bakewell pudding originated around 1850 when the maid of the local Rutland Arms…
Clapcake
Clapcake, clapbread, or havercake from Cumbria, northern England, and clap scones from Scotland, resemble the thin crispbread we usually associate only with Scandinavia. “The Diary of Celia Fiennes” from 1698 tells us how these clapcakes were made in Cumbria: They mix their flour with water, so soft as to rowle it in their hands into…
The Partial Enchilada: Red Chile Sauce, a Show-Stealing Addition to Any Winter Meal
Winter is the season for red chile enchilada sauce. You can almost smell the piñon and juniper smoke drifting from the leaky wood stove, as you explore the profound depths of a good red chile sauce made from scratch. The sauce is good on potatoes, squash, and other wintry foods, keeping you warm inside and…
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