“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens wrote in A Tale of Two Cities. And that pretty much sums up this pie. My Apple Chess pie was the best of pies and the worst of pies. Don’t get me wrong. It is an absolutely delicious pie. Lovely slices of apple are nestled in a not-too-sweet, custardy filling. All baked in a buttery crust. But I made my Apple Chess Pie in two cities. I started the pie in my home in Charlotte, in a kitchen filled with everything I need to make a beautiful pie. I assembled and baked the pie in Asheville, in a kitchen ...
Baking
PEAR ALMOND CAKE
PEARS: THE FORGOTTEN FRUIT OF FALL I saw a version of this Pear Almond Cake made with apples and I thought the almond flavor really called for pears more than anything else. The cake is similar to an apple cake I used to make for tea when my British and Australian friends would bring their children over for a play date. This variation was a natural for me to pursue. It uses almond paste instead of the more usual almond flour, resulting in a lighter cake. And the pears are a sweet break from the fall onslaught of apples. It is important to use just barely ripe pears that will hold their ...
PUMPKIN SWISS ROLL WITH CINNAMON TOFFEE ICING
FALL CAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: ENGLISH PUMPKIN SWISS ROLL Based on the fact that my family was getting tired of apple cakes, and in celebration of a new season of the Great British Baking Show, this week’s cake is a Pumpkin Swiss Roll with Cinnamon Toffee Icing. I don’t know exactly why the Swiss Roll is an English favorite. It’s something to do with Queen Victoria, no doubt! Other countries have their versions of rolled sponge cakes filled with icing but to me there is something very British about a slice of light, icing-filled sponge cake. In honor of the season I choose to ...
GREEK HONEY APPLE CAKE
FALL CAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD My first cake was from France, rich in butter and milk, visually appealing and sophisticated. My second cake is from Greece. It's a modest apple cake. The local products of honey, olive oil and yogurt create layers of flavor, oh-so-light in texture, while a simple glaze of honey, cinnamon and cider tops it off. The key to this Greek Honey Apple Cake is to use the best honey and finest olive oil you can find! It starts with a mixture of honey, cider, and cinnamon which is reduced to a syrup. Part of this will be set aside to glaze the cake and the rest ...
FALL CAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: FRENCH DISAPPEARING APPLE CAKE
All over the world people love apples! And is there any way better to celebrate the changing seasons than with an Apple Cake in the Fall? This Disappearing Apple Cake is a uniquely French approach which is easy to make and makes a real apple statement! Apples are one of the oldest and most loved fruits out there. Almost every country in the Northern hemisphere has cakes and desserts centered around apples. And now is the best season for apples. They are fresh, crispy and the varieties are endless. I have shared with you an Australian Apple Cake in the past and now I am traveling back to ...
CHOCOLATE RICE KRISPIE BARS: A HALLOWEEN TREAT!
Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats take the original classic to another level. Made with 3 Musketeer Candy Bars and decorated with candy corn, they are scary delicious with all the flavors of Halloween in a single bite! Did you miss me? I have been so busy that I haven’t had time to think about baking or new recipes, much less to write about them. Things have slowed down now, and I am able to get back in the kitchen. It’s cooled off a lot (thank goodness!) and the holidays are just around the corner. And holidays mean baking!! So here we go— First up, Halloween. I know it’s still 6 ...
FOR THE LOVE OF PIE: TOMATO AND CORN PIE
“You’ve never had a tomato and corn pie?” I said, barely able to keep the amazement out of my voice. “No” said my tomato-loving Southern Husband. How was this possible? I never had a tomato pie before I moved South. However, by now, I have had many and made many more. How did this happen? It needed to be fixed. So, I threw the whole pie at him: fresh tomatoes and corn in a pimento cheese filling. And bacon, just because. The thing I love about tomato and corn pie, you can be as purist as you want or take the easy shortcuts. It’s always good. Start with the pie crust. You can ...
PEACHY KEEN: PEACH TART WITH GINGER AND ALMOND
Peaches are in short supply this year. This recipe delivers big peach flavor but uses just four to five peaches. The no-roll pastry is an easy start to my Peach Tart paired with Ginger and Almond. Peach season came late this year. We were at the beach over the Fourth of July and the farm stands, usually overflowing with yellowy-pink globes of sticky sweetness, were replete with berries and tomatoes but no peaches. So going home, when we passed a peach stand off the highway, we stopped and bought a small basket full. It was expensive! Not having an over-abundance of peaches but still ...
Sweet Zucchini Pie
A big zucchini calls for a big idea. How about a pie? Flavored with cinnamon and ginger, it is like an Apple Pie. But not. It's a Sweet Zucchini Pie! If you grow zucchini then, almost without fail, at some point you will end up with an oversized fruit (more on the fruitiness of zucchini later). Then, if you are like me, you will make zucchini bread in endless iterations , stuff the zucchini, make zoodles and fritters all summer long until you don’t want to even think about zucchini. But have you ever made a zucchini pie? I have. And it was so good I am purposely letting a ...
ALMOND BERRY CAKE
The fruits of summer pair with almond to create a light cake, good for snacking and breakfast! Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. It’s a day that speaks of the hot days of Summer and long warm evenings. The days when children play outside well past their bedtimes, their shrieks and laughter mingling with the smells of smoke and grilling. Sunshine and flowers, swimming pools and beaches. You know what it does not speak of? Rain. So much rain. And cool, damp air. So much so that I am sitting at my desk wearing socks and a sweatshirt to keep warm. As any baker ...
