Happy Halloween from the pumpkin patch

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HOME-BREWED COFFEE SYRUP

I was raised a Yankee and, therefore, live my life with an undertone of frugality. Although my family wasn’t poor growing up, we preferred to stock our book cases with 25-cent garage sale paperbacks and drive each family car until it sputtered to a standstill or the rust on the undercarriage threatened to dump us [...]

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Cinnamon-Apple Caramel Sauce

Tarte Tatin is one of my favorite desserts to eat during the fall. In the French brasserie where I worked, we oftentimes made 40 or 50 individual tartes in a day. I still remember the way we arranged the caramelized apples on the bottom of the tarte tins, fanning them out around the edges and [...]

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Recipe Testing

This week I’ve spent a good amount of time developing recipes for a magazine feature. Although I’d love to tell you which magazine I’m writing for, I’m not able to disclose that information quite yet, but I will tell you that the recipes are for a vegetarian Thanksgiving feature article.
When writing for publication, I find [...]

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Pumpkin blossoms

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Mustard-Rubbed Rack of Lamb With Panko Crust

Rack of lamb is an entrée that boasts elegance. I believe it’s something about the shape—succulent morsels of rosy meat held together with graceful bones that double as handles. Fred Flintstone may have had his brontosaurus ribs, but rack of lamb is its civilized relative, more in the style of Pepé Le Pew.
If you want [...]

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I’m thinking pie

Where did I get this box of beauties? Gabriel Farm in Sebastopol. They’re organic. They’re family owned and operated. They’re the best.
U-pick Fujis, Rome Beauties, Golden Delicious, Braeburns and more.

And persimmons that are just about ready.
It’s a magical way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Hurry! Torrey at Gabriel says there’s only about a week or so [...]

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A day in the pumpkin patch

Sunday afternoon I took a drive out to Davis to get a dose of fall.
I grew up in New England, so fall naturally holds a special place in my heart. Nothing can compare to the blazing colors of a New England autumn, but here in Northern California we do get our share of October [...]

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Endive Petals with Blue Cheese, Grapes and Walnuts

So, yes, I was pulling your leg last week about the recipe-free 5-layer cake. I wouldn’t put you or myself through such a trial.
Instead, we’re going to make an appetizer that features the flavors of fall. Grapes are absolutely exquisite right now, so I made a point of including them in a client’s dinner party [...]

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My Chocolate Collection

I have a box of chocolates in my apartment. It’s not the kind that Forrest Gump picked over at the bus stop, with bite-size morsels nestled in frilly paper cups. My box is a plastic storage container stuffed with solid chocolate bars. It looks very much like an [...]

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