Bake with abandon!
When you do nothing to your pear tree but leave it be, you can expect trouble. And trouble came to my friend in the form of dozens and dozens and dozens of bug-free, blemishless, picture perfect pears. Her punishment? Driving some over to me. That’ll …
This is — or rather was — Aunt Hilda’s pastry board. It’s now mine and I’m hoping her tenacity and good baking karma will transfer to me through this well-loved board. Not only was Aunt Hilda a fabulous cook, she never stopped learning. After years …
This recipe is enough to make me eat my words. I don’t like marzipan, I find Emeril Lagasse’s TV persona annoying (his toothpaste commercials were the final straw for me) and I avoid pre-packaged items on principle. And yet, this recipe, which became a favourite …
My father loves lemon meringue pie. Apparently, so does a certain little black cat who lives next door. I slipped the birthday pie off my mom’s counter and onto the back porch for a clandestine photo shoot before the celebratory dinner. And within seconds got …
We have a tradition in our house. One of us usually kicks off the new year with a kitchen disaster. Last year, I discovered dried beans can, in fact, go stale. This year? I botched the pastry. Crostata no less. What else? I learned the …
The area of a circle is ∏r². This bit of high school math comes in handy when a recipe calls for a 12-inch tart pan and you go to three stores in search of one and all you come home with is a 118-pound, 5-litre …
Pastry is fickle. One day you’re rolling dough like it’s a bolt of white velvet and pull a golden, bubbling dessert from the oven. The results are so fine you briefly consider embroidering “Pie Guru” on your apron. Only you don’t know how to sew, …
Some things taste better than they look. This beige-on-beige pie is far more decadent than its monochrome colour scheme suggests. But this is what Andrew wanted, so this is what he got. Judging from the dearth of butterscotch cream pie recipes, this must be an …
Last week, Alisa Bowman asked what impressive but no-fuss meal she could serve her book club. Hungry bookworms answered with a wide range of culinary solutions: Diva Lisa jumped straight to dessert and suggested cheesecake. Lisa, you can join my book club any day. Cheri …