welcome

Welcome!
Come in and Stay Safe! --Sue


Sunday, December 19, 2010

Holiday Angel Cake




Just for fun: A festive angel food cake that's easy to make, with flavors of hazelnut, almond and cherry.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Panettone!





Panettone!  Tall, crisp Milanese brioches, studded with homemade glazed chestnuts, golden raisins and citrus peel.  Fragrant, tender and with a flavor you can only get by using 100% natural leavening. Perhaps the best thing I've ever baked.  I'd like to share some photos and thoughts on the project.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Alsatian Holiday Cake




This year, try making Kugelhopf, the light brioche cake from Alsace.  This yeasted coffeecake makes an excellent holiday present.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Choucroute Garni Two Ways



The joys of making your own sauerkraut, and a couple of variations on choucroute garni. This is great Winter food, whether paired with traditional pork garnishes, or smoked turkey (above).

Friday, December 3, 2010

Taint Season: Mini Cheddar Loaves





Individual loaves with sharp, clothbound cheddar in every bite!  Quick enough for a weeknight dinner, and right for any occasion.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Remains of T-Day: Turkey Fritters




How to convert Thanksgiving leftovers into Turkey Fritters.  A great way to use cooked turkey, cornbread dressing, wild rice and creamed onions! 

Friday, November 26, 2010

A Fall Breakfast Cake




For a crisp Fall morning, here is a breakfast cake featuring ingredients that might be left over from the feast!  Squash, pecans and currants enrich this brown-sugar praline-topped cake.  Nibble this while tidying up.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving: Divide and Conquer - Diagonal Split Turkey




Technique for splitting a turkey to roast white meat and dark meat separately for optimal results, then reassemble for the table.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Thanksgiving: Arkansas Cornbread Dressing





This is an old family recipe from my husband's family: real Southern skillet cornbread dressing. 

Maple Walnut Bars with Maple Fudge Icing





Here's another Grange Favorite for Fall:  Maple Bars with oats and walnuts.  Topped with my Maple Fudge Icing, they are just what you need after stacking firewood.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Mousse Cake






For this Thanksgiving, here's a new take on pumpkin:  Pumpkin Mousse Cake.  Pumpkin-enriched sponge cake with a hint of Fiori di Sicilia surrounds an ethereal Pumpkin Chiboust Cream center. Vermont maple syrup flavors the glaze.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Thanksgiving: Chocolate Walnut Tart with Crisp Walnut Crust





Here is an impressive and delicious addition to the Thanksgiving feast:  Chocolate Walnut Tart with Crisp Walnut Crust.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Whole Wheat 60-Minute Rolls






Crisp, hot, perfect whole wheat rolls; ready in one hour.  My best dinner roll recipe yet.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Autumn Linzer Cookies






Autumn Linzer Cookies, made with butternut squash and filled three ways.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

A Vermont Pissaladière






Here is a Vermont version of a classic: tender olive oil crust covered with lots of caramelized onions, Niçoise olives, buttercup squash, romano and goat cheeses.  Tastes like Fall.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Apple Coffee Cake Tatin





Tarte Tatin meets Upside-down cake, for breakfast!  Scrumptious individual cinnamon coffee cakes, topped with caramelized apples.  Truly, this is one of the best things I have ever baked, and it was Easy.
Make it today.  Please.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Cheddar Carnitas Empanadas





Cheddar Carnitas Empanadas with purple potatoes, capers and olives, baked in a sourdough puff pastry crust.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

A new Cheddar





Tonight, I opened up a wheel of my one-year clothbound cheddar, and I thought you might like to see it.  Becoming a proficient cheesemaker has been great fun, and one of the most rewarding things I've done since moving to Vermont.   Maybe I can get you interested in cheesemaking! 

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Three-Cheese Pesto Calzone





Three cheeses combine to flavor and melt over fresh pesto and ham, in a tender calzone crust.  A simple but absolutely delicious dish that goes together in about an hour.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Brioche Rolls





The Ultimate melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls.  Here's how to make them!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Southwestern Lamb Stew with Stout and Quinoa





This is an easy, hearty and delicious stew for Fall.  Chunks of lamb are simmered with chocolate stout, tomatoes, corn and quinoa for an unusual and warming dish.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

The 2010 Vermont Life Wine and Harvest Festival





On a beautiful Fall day, we visited the 3rd annual Vermont Life Wine and Harvest Festival.  Here are some pictures and impressions of the day and this very enjoyable event, which you might want to visit next year!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Crumble-Topped Apple and Currant Tart





Fall Favorite.  A crumble-topped apple and currant tart, flavored with crystallized ginger and Calvados, in an almond cookie crust. 

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Acorn Squash Bisque and Flan





When you have roasted enough acorn squash with maple syrup, and are ready for a couple of new ideas, try these: acorn bisque and flan.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Grange Favorites: Pattypan Pie




How an overgrown pattypan found happiness.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Autumn Vegetable Cobbler with Cheddar Biscuit Crust





Welcome Autumn with a savory cobbler combining roasted Summer and Fall vegetables, under a Cheddar biscuit crust.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Apple-Pear Brioche Cobbler




This apple and pear cobbler is a little more sophisticated, due to a light, cardamom-scented brioche crust.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Maple Cornbread




The last sweet corn of the summer gets a great sendoff: maple corn bread is a wonderful and warming September dish.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Buckwheat Galettes (Galettes de Sarrasin)





Thin savory buckwheat crepes, filled with homemade Gruyere, Vermont ham and fresh scallions from the garden.  Definitely one of the best things I brought back from Quebec.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Harvest, part 1




First, Tomatoes.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Cake





Here is a delicate, delicious breakfast cake using the first Vermont apples of the season.  

Friday, September 3, 2010

Ultimate Chocolate Zucchini Cake






Intensely chocolate, moist and richly delicious, you'd never know that this is a zucchini cake.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Maple Canelés





These little cakes combine the deep caramelized crunch of their shell with a light, custardy interior, flavored with Vermont maple liqueur.  Dusted with powdered sugar, they're heaven.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

A trip to Quebec




This week, I visited three fromageries while travelling the back roads between Quebec City and Montreal.  Although the cities are fascinating, their hotels luxurious, and their restaurants marvelous, in many ways this was the highlight of the trip.  Quebec has some great cheesemakers, and is really moving forward with new and renewed facilities and government support of the industry.  We found some terrific cheeses out in the country that I'd like to tell you about.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Spiced Peaches




Spiced peaches are the best condiment to serve with turkey.  Make them now and enjoy in November!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Peach Week: Part Deux


Here are a couple more ways to use fresh peaches:  Peach Almond Cake with Peach Compote, and Poached Peaches with Blackberry-Cassis sauce.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Peach Week: Peach Jam





The peaches are ripe in Vermont!  That means peach jam.  So we made a trip with Heidi to the orchard to buy this year's supply. 

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Corn and Crab Chowder





This chowder makes a quick and delicious summer dinner.  It's full of fresh summer vegetables, crab, herbs from the garden and a bit of Pernod to round out the flavor.

Dark Chocolate Gelato





This is a very dark chocolate gelato.  Two kinds of cocoa combine to give the deep, rich color and flavor.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

A letter from Italy: Pecorino Canestrato di Castel del Monte





I have a beautiful daughter, Charlotte, who is an opera singer.  Last year, she spent a lot of time singing in Italy, and this year she went back to actually enjoy the country.  She has written to me about her visit to a Pecorino cheesemaker in Puglia.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The 2010 Vermont Cheesemakers Festival



cheese from Hildene

Yesterday, we attended the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, held at the coach house of Shelburne Farms, on the shores of Lake Champlain.  I can't imagine a more delightful way to spend Sunday, than to meet 50 fascinating cheesemakers, sample countless wonderful cheeses, sip a glass of Vermont wine or microbrew, taste an array of creative local food products, and listen to the remarkable Steve Jenkins lead a panel discussion. Come with me, and I'll show you some of the highlights.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Packing a Picnic: Cheddar-Sausage Calzone and Peach Galette





Tomorrow is the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, and so it's time to pack the picnic basket.  I'll be bringing along some cheese, of course.  Here are another couple of packables to consider: Cheddar-Sausage Calzone and Peach Galette. 

Sunday, July 18, 2010

A Summer Terrine





Here is a light, cool terrine for a Summer lunch.  Chicken surrounds a central layer of vegetables and asparagus mousse.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Just for Fun: Quick Croissants




While nothing matches real croissants, in a pinch you can make a very reasonable facsimile from pizza dough.  Here's how.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Fresh Peach Gelato and Almond Peach Madeleines






Fresh peach gelato served with delicate almond-peach madeleines.  Scrumptious and refreshing, this is the perfect Summer dessert.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Risotto with Snap Peas, Vidalia Onions and Salume


 


Here's a July risotto filled with delicate peas and onions, aged salume, cheeses and of course white wine.  Tastes like Summer.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Grilled Quail Breast with Pomegranate-Maple glaze




Some of the best things are the most simple.  In this case, local Vermont boneless breast of quail is quickly charcoal grilled, then mopped with pomegranate-maple glaze.  It's a perfect combination that doesn't need any additional enhancement.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Parchment Grilled Potatoes with Chanterelles and Smoked Paprika




Idaho potatoes grilled in parchment, with chanterelles, fresh thyme and Spanish smoked paprika.  This is a subtle, smoky, delicious dish you can quickly produce on the grill.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Fresh Nectarine Tart with Almond Souffle






Fresh nectarines are one of the best things about Summer.  This tart makes good use of the ripe fruit, nestled in a delicious almond souffle filling. 

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Spring Pea Flan





This savory flan is packed with the flavor of spring peas, fresh from the garden.  Quick and easy to make, it's perfect as a first course, or paired with a salad as a light lunch.