German Soft Pretzels Soft pretzels are a specialty of the Bavarian region of southern Germany. They are a popular snack item in the German beer halls throughout the year, and especially during Oktoberfest. They are traditionally boiled in a water and lye bath to create the distinctive dark brown color and chewy exterior. A safer alternative for home cooks is … Read More
Vanilla Panna Cotta & Rhubarb Strawberry Swirl Pie
Vanilla Panna Cotta & Rhubarb Strawberry Swirl Pie I love the silky texture of panna cotta and some point recently, I thought about what a nice contrast it would make with the crunch of a crust. As my mind ventured, I thought about the tartness of rhubarb and what a nice contrast that would make against the creamy richness of … Read More
Danish Puff Pastry
Mom had a cupboard full of cookbooks and those that were regularly used were always up front and stuffed full of little slips of paper. To me those shelves of cookbooks were full of wonder…reading all kinds of recipes and just imagining what each item might look and taste like was like living in a fantasy world of food. I … Read More
Here’s What’s Shakin’…
We’re Bakin’ Bacon! You betcha…no fakin’! Ah, bacon…. delicious, glorious, beautiful, crispy, crunchy pork flesh! Just thinking of it make my mouth begin to water. The smell of it could drive a dog to get it himself…if only he had thumbs! The mess it can make when cooking is another story…not so pleasant. If you’re still cooking bacon in a pan on … Read More
Sugar and Spice
The past several years I haven’t had time to do as much Christmas baking as I used to but I still enjoy trying new recipes to add to my repetoire. This year a new one is a Swiss honey spice cookie called “Basler Laeckerli” from Basel, Switzerland. I found the recipe in a past Christmas issue of the King … Read More
Biscuit Bliss
Black & Blue Biscuits Recently a friend commented that despite the fact that he was born and raised in the South, and grew up cooking with his grandmother, he was somehow shorted on the all important southern “biscuit gene”. Aren’t all southerner’s supposed to be able to whip out the flour, add some lard and 10 minutes later have biscuits … Read More
Flour Power
Are you one of those people who prefer cooking to baking? Even as professional chefs go, very few openly embrace both aspects…just watch some of the cooking competition shows on TV and you’ll very likely see the “headlights in the eyes of a deer” look from more than one contestant. “Baking is too exact…it’s a science and cooking is an … Read More
“C is for Cookie”
Who can believe that August is already here?? Yikes..it seems like spring was only yesterday and now the stores are advertising “Back to School” sales and I’m trying to get in the mindset for Christmas. Lest I come across as one of those Überorganized people who plan vacations, parties and social events two seasons ahead let me dispel that myth right … Read More