From Scratch

This is certainly the time for fruit salad, although it means different things to different people. Some use a simple syrup of sugar and water, others use ginger, lime juice, sour cream, gelatin and even — ugh — that chemical cocktail called non-dairy whipped topping.
To me, fruit salad means lots of fresh […]

Humor me here, or trust me. This is a great way to serve grapes. Just as roasting intensifies the flavors of vegetables, it brings out the sweetness of grapes. So does the touch of salt, which always makes sweet things sweeter. Roasted red grapes taste much like grape juice, but without added sugar. With a dip […]

There’s nothing like a heat wave to make me crave fresh fruits and when it happens this early — it’s still officially spring — I search my recipes for something fast, light and refreshing. It was 94 degrees yesterday (34C) and even hotter in New York and Washington. More of the same is expected today.
This somewhat-unusual […]

This is one fool I’ll suffer gladly and it doesn’t have to be a raspberry fool. Strawberry fool, blackberry fool, blueberry fool are all welcome. Even red currant fool, which is why I learned to make this in the first place.
This dessert is a cousin to the trifle and goes back hundreds of years. In […]

Whenever I can devise a recipe that does double duty in my interfaith life, I am happy. This lightened-up take on a favorite worked for Easter and will work for Passover, when dairy is appropriate. In fact, I can envision this any time a plated dessert is needed.
For those not familiar with Passover dietary laws, grains are […]

When this landed in my inbox last week from Nestle, I knew I had to make it for Valentine’s Day, but my dilemma was how to make it in advance, to share here, and show the layers without cutting into it. The solution was to make it in a springform pan instead of a square […]

In my corner of the world, fresh fruit in the dead of winter often comes from Chile. Many supermarkets have Chilean promotions or “summer in January” sales, as if a bounty of fruit might trick me into forgetting I’m wearing so many layers that I’m as bulky as a teddy bear. I’m rightly skeptical about a […]

Who doesn’t enjoy a change? I am so happy to have found a good recipe for a crisp that doesn’t have the usual oatmeal in the topping. And oh my, the filling has a dab of cream cheese.
Back in August, on a really hot day, I saw Southern Pear Crisp on my cyberpal jolynna’s blog, Turkey […]

I’ve only met one person who doesn’t like cheesecake, a teenager whose idea of a good meal is a can of Spaghetti Os, so he doesn’t count. Therefore, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like cheesecake.
There’s little not to like, but it’s certainly proof that fat gives food flavor. Cheesecake is loaded with fat, and even though leftovers […]