Swedish pancakes are tender, lacy, lovely creations. Finished, the delicate rounds are traditionally folded in thirds and served with lingonberry sauce as a beautiful breakfast or brunch dish. At our house, we’ve updated the presentation, folding the pancakes into little bundles we top with a dollop of sour cream, drizzle of honey, and a sprinkling of fresh red currant berries (tart, bright, dear and easier to find than fresh lingonberries!) Continue Reading…
I was delighted to get a letter from my sister-in-law Tonia that included a special gift: Nigella flower seeds to grow in my garden. Nigella sativa flowers bloom a gorgeous pale blue, followed by pretty pods full of crunchy little edible seeds. These have a unique “somewhere-between fennel and nutmeg” flavor used world-round in cooking. In fact, Tonia’s letter included memories of the nigella-sprinkled bread sticks her Armenian aunt used to make. Sometimes called black cumin, black caraway or simply “black seeds” and labeled “kalonji” in the Assyrian market near my home, nigella pairs nicely with sesame seed. I prefer crunchy thin crisps over doughy bread sticks with my salads, so I’ve made these crackers very thin. The tiny bit of yeast in the dough makes them bubble up nicely in spots as you bake them, for an even crisper crunch. Brushed with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, these are very good as a snack, or, with salad. Continue Reading…
If you’ve had the pleasure of plucking a sun-warmed, fully ripe peach from a tree and eating it right there and then, you know why peaches show up in my dreams. Velvety soft, juicy and with the most fragrant nectar, peaches are one of my favorite fruits. This old-fashioned pie is full of them. To make it, you’ll spiral peach slices over a butter crust and bake them in cream with just a hint of sugar and spice. A good dream in the making.
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Good recipes are like friends, they come and they go. Some, you may not see for a long while, so when reconnected, it’s with a flood of happiness. Some you may take for granted. Others, you wish you could see much more of. Thinking of this, I realized that in all the years I’ve written about vintage recipes, I’ve never done a post about apple pie. Iconic. American. Just apple. Pie. It seemed about time.
I do have a favorite. I’ve tweaked it over the years to make my own. It’s originally credited to a community cookbook writer’s grandmother I don’t know to name, but sure would like to thank. This pie is pure, homely and perfect. Continue Reading…
Herbs are the best thing about my garden. Lilac and sage, lemon thyme and basil, tarragon and dill greet me every morning with their fragrance. French tarragon, with its curly roots, narrow green leaves and anise-like scent is a favorite—especially good in this classic chicken salad
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Fresh picked and washed under the water spigot at edge of the orchard is undeniably the best way to enjoy handfuls of summer berries. Short of that? A cool rinse and colander-jostle under the tap at home works fine. But if you want to fancy things up for Fourth of July festivities, layer the fruit with easy-to-make vanilla custard, fresh whipped cream and tender cubes of homemade pound cake in this in this red-white-and-blue berry trifle. You can stack everything in a tall, glass bowl, or, divide it up into single-serve parfait glasses. Continue Reading…
I’ve always loved smoked salmon, so tucking it into a creamy dip with fresh herbs and lemon is always a go-to when I need to make a quick, delicious appetizer. I like to keep some of the texture of the salmon intact, so I shred the fish into small pieces with two forks, rather than pulverizing it with a processor. The dip includes a dollop of crème fraiche blended with Greek-style yogurt, plenty of fresh snipped dill and chives from the garden, and the brightness of fresh lemon juice and zest. Continue Reading…
My Father has simple tastes, and with home-grown tomatoes, simple is best. The juiciness and flavor of summer-ripened tomatoes has us eating them out of hand, in salads, or sliced onto the classic white-bread-tomato-mayo sandwich. But Dad’s forever favorite is this soup. It’s delicious plain; even better infused with herbs, and it’s very easy to make. Also a boon? Once the garden has given up its yield, this recipe works well with store-bought tomatoes, for year-round enjoyment. Add grilled cheese sandwiches made with fresh, crusty bread to put the meal over the top. Continue Reading…
Somehow our dryer, oven and dishwasher all gave up the ghost in the same week. With four guys in the house, sequestering during the Pandemic, I s’pose I shouldn’t have been surprised! On the upside, that meant the fresh scent of Spring soaked into the sheets we hung out to dry–and some creative cookery. These hand-cut fries with lemon and curry-leaf aioli were the stars of the lot. If you haven’t tried yet, making French fries from scratch isn’t difficult, just requires several steps. The result is so good, you’ll be doing it again.
Rather than ketchup, I paired the fries with this lemony aioli, infused with the pungency of fresh curry leaves. In case you haven’t cooked with them yet: Curry leaves are a fresh herb, not to be confused with curry powder, which is a different thing entirely. The leaves are essential to South Indian cooking, also used in Malaysian, Cambodian and Sri Lankan cuisine, and are available all over the Chicago area in Indian and Asian groceries. (In a pinch, Amazon also has them.) For this lovely aioli, you pulverize the leaves with some fresh cardamom seeds in a spice mill and then steep them in hot oil to release the aroma and flavor. Once cooled, you make the aioli with the fragrant oil, along with lemon juice, egg yolk, garlic and a bit of mustard. For an extra special touch? I dust the fries with lemon salt—finely grated lemon zest tossed with sea salt flakes. Continue Reading…
When you need that summer cool, creamy little something, this cheery sour cream cheesecake will do it! Swirled with a little fruit jam at the top of the batter, and baked in a pecan-graham crust, it’s six-inches of lovely. I like to serve it with fresh berries, mint and a little dollop of cream. Note: For the pecan meal, I go to Guidry Organic Farms. Continue Reading…