Seafood Classics

Roast Lobster Tails with Tahitian Vanilla Sauce

June 10, 2026

Using vanilla in delicious savory dishes has been a culinary trick up the sleeves of the French since the late 1800s when they started growing the luscious vanilla orchid in tropical locales. Though it’s difficult to say who first drizzled vanilla cream over roasted lobster, it was likely someone on the Comoros Islands, an archipelago between Mozambique and Madagascar. There, langouste à la vanille is the national dish. While the Comoros version uses local rock lobster for the dish, ours comes out beautifully using fresh, or high quality frozen (thawed) lobster tails.  In keeping with the tropical origins, this dish is the perfect showcase for a plump and floral Tahitian vanilla bean.

 To make the dish, we used Craig Claiborne’s 50-year-old classic recipe as our guide, modifying it only slightly to feature roast lobster tails, (rather than whole lobsters,) and to include lobster stock, rather than fish stock. Like Claiborne, we serve the lobster and sauce over a bed of quick sauteed baby spinach and cress. So good! Continue Reading…

Gluten Free

Homemade “Cheese-It” Crackers

February 4, 2026

Cheesy, crispy, buttery, and gluten-free! My kids love these homemade “Cheese-It” crackers. They require few ingredients, bake up beautifully and are happily without TBHQ (Tertiary butylhydroquinone) the nasty synthetic antioxidant used in most mass-produced store-bought cheese crackers.

To make our cheese crackers, choose super sharp white or yellow cheddar for maximum flavor. You’ll whirl this in a food processor with gluten free flour, butter, a few pinches of cornstarch and xanthan gum and (if needed) a sprinkling of water. That’s it for the dough!

And to ease the process of rolling out the dough,  place it between sheets of parchment or plastic wrap. Once you’ve thinly rolled out the dough, you’ll use a sharp knife to slice it into squares, placing each on parchment lined cookie sheets before chilling. And to make the crackers especially cute?  Use a bamboo skewer to poke a hole in the center of each before baking. Happy snacking! Continue Reading…

Soup's On!

Borlotti Bean Minestrone with Basil Walnut Pesto

February 1, 2026

My love affair with fresh shell beans started at a farm stand piled high with borlotti bean pods. Bringing sacks of them home, I split each pod open to pop out the pretty pink and white beans—about a cup’s worth for every pound of pods.

Simmered in salted water, the fresh beans took only 30 minutes to cook to creamy tenderness (!) So quick, compared with the overnight soaks and long cook times necessary with dried beans. Add to this their mildly nutty flavor and good protein content (15 grams per cup) and you’ll understand why I fill my vegetable-packed minestrone with fresh shelled borlotti beans whenever I get the chance.

Fresh shell beans are in peak season late summer through fall, but grocery stores may randomly have them fresh (and frozen) at other times of the year. Beyond borlotti (which are also known as cranberry beans,) the shell bean family includes other velvety varieties: lima, and cannellini, for example, which would also work well in this satisfyingly nutritious soup. And if you can’t find these beans fresh, canned will also work as a substitute. Continue Reading…

Curry Favor

Vegan Curry Kolkata

January 13, 2026

If you’ve pledged to eat more veg this year, try this Calcutta-style vegetable curry! Dairy-free and vegan, it’s built on an aromatic mustard oil base with loads of fresh curry leaf and other good stuff.  You’ll begin with black mustard seed that you heat ‘til it’s popping, then come the curry leaves, sweet cinnamon stick, bay leaf, clove and cardamom, plus paprika, golden turmeric, ginger, garlic, shallots, green chili, garam masala, coriander leaf & coconut milk.

And of course: The vegetables! I made mine with parsnip and carrot, oven roasted to caramelly tenderness, but this recipe would work with squash, peas, and potatoes, too –whatever your healthy heart desires. You can also vary the heat of the curry by using a hotter or milder chili pepper.

To make the dish, I peel the carrot and parsnip first, then gather and measure all the spices, (laying them out in order of usage) while the vegetables roast. When the curry is nearly done, I get a pot of long grain basmati rice going so I can be sure to serve everything as soon as it’s ready. Continue Reading…

Charcuterie

French Country Pâté

December 29, 2025

When friends come over for a festive gathering with fancy snacks, nothing goes faster than the charcuterie board. Although I’d considered it, the idea of making my own pâtés seemed just out of reach. So, I was delighted to find David Leite’s easy-to-follow adaptation of a classic country pâté like those in my vintage cooking books. Altered just a bit, our version makes two lovely 3/4-quart pâtés–plenty for your next party.

Feel free to play around with the spice blend, substituting allspice for the cloves for example, or leaving out the mace or juniper. Just be sure to keep the pepper, thyme, nutmeg and ginger in there. Serve the finished pâté with cornichons, whole grain mustard and crusty bread. Continue Reading…

Christmas

Christmas Stollen (Fruited Sweet Bread)

December 12, 2025

Everyone knows the Brothers Grimm, but there’s another pair of German brothers to thank for the origins of stollen, the rich, fruit-laden bread that’s become a holiday tradition. In medieval Germany, the Advent season was marked by fasting, and bakers were forbidden by the church to use butter–only oil was allowed. But in 15th-century Saxony, oil was scarce, expensive, and (if food historians I’ve researched are accurate) made from turnips (!) So, Prince Elector Ernst and his brother Duke Albrecht, petitioned the Pope in Rome for permission to use butter instead of oil in their Advent bread.

Their request was denied. Repeatedly. It took five popes and nearly 40 years before Pope Innocent VIII finally issued the famous “Butter Letter,” granting Saxon royals the right to use butter in their holiday bread. (The general public could only do too–but only if they paid a fee.) 

Centuries later, stollen remains a beloved holiday treat in Germany and beyond. The Saxon brothers would be pleased to see today’s recipes loaded with butter, dried fruit and even bits of marzipan. Our version makes four small, or three medium, loaves–perfect for your holiday table with enough to share. Continue Reading…

Fancy Baking

Croquembouche

December 10, 2025

Biting into one of the crispy-caramel-coated cream puffs that make up a croquembouche is very much like breaking into that first crackle-topped bite of crème brulee. So, the French title meaning “crunch in the mouth” makes total sense.  I’d seen these fairy-tower confections before, but when my kids came home from a wedding in France where croquembouche was the traditional nuptial cake, I decided to make one.

While the recipe requires patience, the result is truly worth it. To ease assembly, I made a paper cone to use as the base for the croquembouche, which helps a lot. I also made some of the puffs tiny, to fill in spaces. But the most challenging bit is working with molten sugar caramel. You’ll dip the cream puffs in this to stick them to the tower and then spin some in ethereal threads around the finished piece. Molten caramel is really hot stuff, so I used small kitchen tongs to hold the puffs as I dipped to avoid getting burned.  Because the caramel cools quickly, you may have to make a second batch to complete the entire tower. And to clean the pots, don’t panic!  Just immerse and soak in hot water—the sugar will eventually dissolve and come off. Continue Reading…

Classic Casseroles

Tamale Pie

November 17, 2025

Tamales–those luscious, portable packets of steamy corn dough and comforting fillings, originated in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Over the centuries, cooks throughout Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean developed all sorts of varieties: from the Puerto Rican green banana pasteles a baby sitter used to make when I was little, to Nicaraguan nacatamals which are wrapped and steamed in plantain leaves rather than corn husks. To replicate tamale flavors in a casserole without all the wrapping & steaming, 20th century homemakers came up with “tamale pie.” Made with easily obtainable ingredients, our version, like those vintage ones, is hearty, filling, and a true comfort classic.

You can bake this up as one large casserole, or, divide the ingredients between several smaller casseroles to deliver to shut-ins, or freeze for later use. For any tamale pies you plan to freeze? Don’t add the cheese and olives on top, be sure to cool the pies completely and wrap tightly. You’ll add the toppings after you thaw the frozen pies, before reheating in the oven. 

Continue Reading…

Vegetable Fancies

Sweet Potato Soufflé

November 13, 2025

Nothing says, “special side dish,” better than a soufflé!  To try one for one of your holiday gatherings, our classic preparation includes simple ingredients: Sweet potato, egg, milk, cheese, butter and herbs. Whipped together and popped into the oven, the mixture dramatically rises in a lofty cloud that crowns inches above its baking dish before settling back down once served.

The key to crowning glory? Be sure absolutely no egg yolks drip into the egg whites when separating the eggs. It’s also best not to prepare a soufflé on a humid day. And be sure to coat the sides of your soufflé dish with plenty of finely grated parmesan which gives the eggs something to grip as they billow upward. For another classic sweet potato dish, try our Senator Russell’s Sweet Potato Casserole. Continue Reading…

Gluten Free

Nectarine Almond Upside Down Cake

November 13, 2025

Pretty, perky and gluten-free, this one-layer darling of a cake is also versatile and quick. I’ve served it in the morning with coffee, after dinner for dessert, and delivered it to friends as an afternoon pick-me-up.  I typically top it with a swirl of perfectly ripe nectarine slices, but peaches, plums or pears work equally well.

To make it, you’ll slice and spiral the fruit into a buttered 9-inch cake pan, drizzle with sugar caramel, and then top with a batter of eggs, butter, sour cream, gluten-free all-purpose flour, and almond flour. The crumb of the cake is supremely tender, and the cake keeps well for service the next day.

 

 

 

 

 

Continue Reading…