“So I said, “I better start thinking about having my own language in cooking.” I didn’t invent anything really. I just went down to my knees, looked around and remembered all the tools from my childhood. I looked around a bit into the mountains and saw what the natives had been doing. I grabbed all that and I started cooking with it.” —Francis Mallmann
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That’s a picture of a beautiful make ahead orange clove roll that I made for Thanksgiving. I forgot to post the picture of Hallie throwing a tantrum for the twelfth time. And the picture where I threw one too, beet red and angry. And I didn’t tell you how I threw out the stuffing before anyone could take seconds because it didn’t taste right. I bought the wrong bread. And I didn’t record the argument we had about how to best hang the garland outside either. But I did want to tell you about these make ahead orange clove rolls we consumed during those days. That cream cheese glaze, it can cover a multitude of sins. Read more
“Dutch baby”. It’s kind of a silly name for a breakfast item (which may be why it’s also known as a German Pancake). Yet, somewhere wedged in between the American pancake and the French crêpe sits this delicious Dutch breakfast delicacy. We consider the Dutch baby our second favorite baby, after Hallie of course (who is not Dutch in any way). And almost every Sunday morning when I have time to make breakfast, Hallie’s first request will be “Dutch Baby”. The blender Dutch baby takes some time and patience to perfect, but it’s really quite simple and quick to make once you get the hang of it. Read more
In another life, I’d like to have a baked donut truck. Freshly roasted baked pumpkin donuts and baked apple cider donuts would make up our entire fall line-up. We’d close with the exit of the last donut. I’m not sure what name we’d plaster to the side of the donut truck, but our tagline would be: always baked, never fried. We’d disclose that these baked pumpkin donuts were built with wheat flour and partially sweetened with honey. Though they wouldn’t believe us. These are the things of my daydreams. Read more
I have one of those market totes you’d see on the streets of Paris. It’s knit from water reeds that look like a soft wicker. The top edge is trimmed with a line of leather. It’s my co-op and farmers market bag. Walking home from the store yesterday with my tiny person in tow and a baguette and green onions poking out from the top of our tote, I realize I’m in one of those “What people think I do” collages. You know the kind that ran around the internet last year with six square images set on a black background? At first thought, I’m certain I’d appear in one of the perfectly styled initial images. Woman with well-behaved child walking home hand-in-hand from the market with a beautiful bag of produce. But as I start to break out into a run, I realize I’m not her. I chase my tiny human down praying the baguette is still intact. At least there’s a cool tote on my shoulder, even if it’s barely hanging on. There’s a picture of that in the collage too. Read more
Pineapple. A tropical fruit with a juicy yellow flesh and a thorny green skin. A DIY halloween costume. A stencil design at my grandma’s house. An upside down cake. An emoji🍍. A symbol of hospitality. The emblem Chuck Williams imprinted on his store in 1956, a store you and I know well. Williams-Sonoma. Today, October 2, is Chuck’s 100th birthday! It only seemed fitting to put a little pineapple in his cake. Read more
If ever there’s ever a s’mores dessert on a menu, I’m quick to order it. We’ve ordered a slice of s’mores tart on two separate occasions recently. And on both occasions, I bookmarked the idea for later. But it was the time it took to make marshmallows that put a halt in my home-made idea. And then I found myself with a surplus of egg whites in the fridge, an unopened box of graham crackers, a brick of chocolate, an extra 20 minutes, and a better idea. Read more
When I want a cookie, which is not every week or even every month, I want a substantial cookie. From a bakery case, not a cookie jar, but at my house. You know the kind. Remember Not Your Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookie or Big Fat Sugar Cookies? Measuring in at 3½” wide and 1½” tall, they share a thin exterior layer of crunch with plenty of soft cookie throughout, much like these bakery-style peanut butter cookies. I like my cookies epic, so epic they crack at the edges.
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