Basil Pesto

I love growing fresh basil for use all summer long.  As Fall approaches, it’s time to harvest the remaining basil and make pesto for the freezer.  Pesto is very easy to make and can be used in a variety of ways – serve it over pasta, as a sandwich spread, on pizza, on chicken, or … Read more

Wattles and Combs

The comb sits on top of the chicken’s head and the wattle hangs beneath the chicken’s bill. They are both soft, fleshy, thick, and made up of  blood-filled capillaries, which accounts for the bright red color.  While they can appear very different, wattles and combs all perform the same basic functions which are vital to … Read more

Palets aux Raisins

Called Palet for their round shape, these are buttery, delicate French cookies that have been topped with raisins plumped in rum.  You can replace with rum with water if you prefer a non-alcoholic cookie.  The finished cookie is delicate, crumbly, only slightly sweet with a crisp edge. Begin by placing 1/3 cup raisins in a … Read more

Almond-Vanilla Financiers

A small French cake, similar to a Madeleine that is baked in a small rectangular mold.  Financiers are sweet, tender and moist, and have a distinctive almond flavor.  The basis of the cake is beurre noisette (brown butter), egg whites, sugar, flour, and flavoring.  The browned butter imparts a lovely nutty flavor and crispy edge. … Read more

Rolled Cookies – Ready, Set, Roll!

Whether you are making drop cookies, shaped cookies, or rolled cookies, exact measuring and uniformity in cookie size is critical to successful baking. Many people don’t like to roll cookie dough because they struggle with getting the cookies the same thickness.  If your cookies are all uniform in size and thickness, they will have a … Read more