Brown butter Rice Crispy Treats with Bitter Chocolate.
Fetes were such fun. School fetes, Church Fetes, Round Table fetes … we went to them all. sofaparents would give us each 50cents and tell us “now go and play” and we would drag the small kids around...
View ArticleSouffle, so good.
Sunday mornings in McG are DIY mornings. As in, the Nans have to get their own breakfast. The older two rise to the challenge and generally come up with something interesting. The little one tries to...
View ArticleHump Day Chocolate Brownies.
Every holiday has a hump day. That 'everybody is irritating the shit out of me' day. Where the allure of being away from home, on tour, on holiday, on a honeymoon or business trip has dissipated. It's...
View ArticleAll purpose chocolate ganache for when the urge strikes
Did you ever read Pinocchio when you were a child? Did your parents ever threaten your nose would grow at your first lie? And I mean the real Pinocchio, not the Disney-ized version with the cuddly and...
View ArticleA blast from the Seventies – Chocolate Peppermint Fridge Tart
I’m a huge fan of “Top Chef” – the US TV show that pits proper chefs (rather than Master Chef’s home cooks) against each other. And has other proper chefs evaluate their efforts. I coach them from the...
View ArticleWhen heartache strikes, cookies call
This started as a happy post about cookies. Cookies that found their way to C&S in a serendipitous manner. The day after I experimented with them, took photos and ate…
View ArticleApple Sharlotka and a sweet memory of Milan.
A million years ago I used to stay in a hotel called the Principe di Savoia in Milan. It was (and probably still is) a very regal, proper hotel. With the…
View ArticleGalloping down memory lane – Citrus Olive Oil Bundt Cake
Last week, I had the great pleasure of starting a brief stint in the old kitchen where I worked for eight years, a job I left right when Campari and…
View ArticleNot so sweet chocolate pecan pie
“Wait, before we hang up, butter or shortening? Which do you prefer for a pie crust?” our friend Bonnie enquired, a propos of nothing, other than Thanksgiving was approaching. I…
View ArticleChocolate cookies for grown-ups
For all my devotion to detective shows, especially of the British variety, I would have made a crappy detective. The clues were all there: my uncle complaining their Christmas lunch will…
View ArticlePissaladiere
Yesterday I walked in a restaurant kitchen for a training session and the first thing I noticed was that, among the cooks, there were no girls: a common state of…
View ArticlePortuguese custard tarts (Pasteis de Belem)
The last international trip I took on behalf of the record company I used to work for, a week before I left my job, was to Lisbon. I had never…
View ArticleOnly in L.A. ginger cake
I was going to write about my aversion to most American holiday desserts, and on the merits of the fluffy ginger bread I came up with recently, while starting to…
View ArticleChristmas dessert: any suggestions?
A few days ago, lured by a recipe I saw on goop, I found myself at the stove stirring a tapioca pudding made with almond and coconut milks and a…
View ArticleSacher torte: not so difficult, I promise
There are days when I miss the pastry kitchen. I miss coming home with my hands smelling of sugar and vanilla. I miss the collaboration of making cakes with aRead moreSacher torte: not so difficult, I...
View ArticleOlive oil and rosemary citrus bundt
I was itching for a reason to bake a cake. Since my sister left, cakes and all sweets had been put on hold as a household of two cannot justifyRead moreOlive oil and rosemary citrus bundt
View ArticleSimple walnut cake
Since I started leaning towards veganism, I have been eating more and more nuts as a source of protein. My favorite, by far, is walnut. Growing up in Italy, IRead moreSimple walnut cake
View ArticleMaking bagels (over and over) and finally getting them right
If I have to squander calories on heavy carbs, bagels come second only to pizza in my world. Italy is a late comer to bagels, where they are still prettyRead moreMaking bagels (over and over) and...
View ArticleTips for (nearly) perfect sourdough bread
Let’s make one thing clear: I excel at baking and pastries but I am not a bread guru. In fact, the two techniques stand quite apart, requiring different skills andRead moreTips for (nearly) perfect...
View ArticleTomato focaccia
While I like toying with bread making, I must confess I rarely do. It takes too long, it never comes out perfect, the dog days of Summer…I have plenty ofRead moreTomato focaccia
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