Some of the most beautiful fruit in the market right now are the Fuyu persimmons with their glossy skin and brilliant orange color. They’re so attractive that many people buy them just to display in bowls as part of their holiday decor.
It would be a shame, though, to let such sweet and spicy fruit go untasted. Unlike their acorn-shaped cousins, the Hachiya persimmons, which must soften to an almost jelly-like state before they become palatable, Fuyus are at their best when they’re still nearly as crisp as an apple. They’re great eaten fresh in a salad or even straight out of hand.
I never really thought about baking with Fuyus, however, until I tasted a slice of homey apple cake from a local bakery not long ago. There was a bowl of persimmons sitting in my dining room and I had been looking for something new to do with them. For the first time, I looked at Fuyus in a new light. If they have a texture comparable to apples, I thought, maybe they, too, would make a good cake. Continue reading Persimmon cake spices up holiday brunch→
When I was a child, I was perfectly happy with Cracker Jacks. Now that I’ve tasted some of the finer things in life, I have higher standards. But I still get a kick out of caramel corn.
A bag of Moose Munch – a posh version of the childhood treat, embellished with cashews, almonds and dark chocolate – finds its way into our basket whenever we shop at the Harry and David’s outlet. It’s an extravagance, though, at about $8 for a small bag, and there’s usually only a few crumbs left by the time we get home. So this year I decided I would make my own for the holidays.
Prepared with freshly popped corn and homemade caramel, this version will give you a whole new perspective on caramel corn. It’s crunchy, sweet, a little bit salty, and downright fun to eat. It’s also inexpensive to make and a great gift. I’ve been taking it to parties and even skeptics are soon happily munching away. Continue reading Caramel corn goes posh→
As far as I’m concerned you can never have too many cookbooks. My own collection spills out of bookcases in two rooms, upstairs and down.
Shelf space is at a premium, though, so I’m fairly selective about what I add to the collection these days. A cookbook has to bring something new and unique to the kitchen before I give it a home. I don’t need another compendium of Italian standards or repackaging of old cookie recipes and I’m hesitant to add a book from a cuisine I rarely cook because the ingredients are such a challenge to find.
Bakers, fire up your ovens. Cookie season is upon us.
In the coming weeks, even people who usually buy their cookies in packages will be pulling mixers out of storage and dusting off baking sheets in preparation for their annual fling with butter, flour and sugar. For some, it’s enough to recreate the chocolate chip cookies from their childhood, working from the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House package. Others will spend hours decorating fanciful shapes cut out of buttery shortbread or pressing spritz cookies onto baking sheets.
Every year, I try to add a new cookie to my repertoire. This season, it’s cucidati, elegant filled cookies originally from Sicily that I first tasted at Lupretta’s Delicatessen nearly a decade ago. At that time the family business was still located on Stevens Creek Boulevard in San Jose. It moved to the village of Saratoga a few years later but recently closed its doors. Continue reading Christmas cookies from Sicily→
Right now I’m up to my eyeballs in Thanksgiving preparations. There are groceries to buy, rolls and pies to make ahead, a turkey to dry brine a la Russ Parsons, and a thousand little details to attend to before the big meal on Thursday afternoon.
By the time all the dishes are washed, dried and put away that night, I’ll be ready to get out of the kitchen for a couple of days. I don’t know about you but I rarely have the energy or dedication to rework leftovers from the biggest culinary marathon of the year into elaborate new dishes.
I’d rather make some sandwiches and give myself time to get out on a mountain trail or off to the beach after so many hours in front of the stove. (Just the thought of shopping on Black Friday sends me into a panic.) Continue reading Turkey sandwiches for the cook’s sake→
As much fun as it is to watch the pros race from pantry to stove on shows like Top Chef, I have no desire to emulate them during the holidays.
Thanksgiving is hard enough with more people than usual in the house–all wanting to help, chat with the cook, or just stand around the kitchen. (Did I mention how small my kitchen is?) I’d plummet right over the edge if I tried to cook everything from scratch on the big day.
That’s why I look for side dishes that can be prepared ahead and finished off with just a few touches at the last minute. A beautiful salad that can be handed off to a helpful guest for final assembly is a real lifesaver when you’re trying to get the turkey out of the oven, the gravy made, the potatoes mashed and the rolls heated all at the same time.
The biggest challenge facing many cooks this Thanksgiving may well be finding a vegetarian entree worthy of the annual feast.
Particularly in California, it’s not unusual anymore to find among the guests at the holiday table relatives and friends who have forsworn meat. Often they’re left to fend for themselves, picking among the side dishes in search of something that wasn’t made with broth, bacon or gelatin. Either they leave the table still hungry or depart in a carbohydrate-induced stupor.
This elegant polenta torta, sweet with caramelized onions and creamy with roasted butternut squash and mascarpone cheese, is just the dish for omnivore hosts who want to show their appreciation for vegetarian guests. It tastes like fall on a plate and has wide appeal, unlike Tofurky and other meat substitutes.
A biochemist by training, Corriher is the author of two James Beard Award-winning cookbooks, including “BakeWise” (Scribner, 2008). Few others explain the mysteries of successful baking better.
When she began dictating a recipe for pound cake at last week’s Baker’s Dozen meeting in San Francisco, I took out my notebook. So did nearly everyone else in the room.
“This is my new favorite pound cake,” the baking expert proclaimed with trademark enthusiasm, a grin spreading across her face. It’s hard to imagine anyone getting more joy out of their work than she does. Continue reading Pound cake favorite of the expert→
Pumpkin season is upon us. From the first jack-o-lantern on the porch to the last slice of Thanksgiving pie, no vegetable is more closely identified with fall than the many varieties of Cucurbita pepo.
I’ve always loved the complex, spicy flavor of pumpkin baked with a heady blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. This year, however, I was ready for a change. I craved a light and tender cupcake with little more than a lively undercurrent of fresh ginger to highlight the pumpkin’s natural flavor. It had to taste as clean and fresh as a fall morning, not too sweet and not too spicy. Why should children get all the treats at Halloween? Continue reading Ginger pumpkin cupcakes for adult tastes→
Flu and cold season already has arrived at my house. After being laid up on the couch all weekend with a scratchy throat, aching head and the sniffles, all I wanted was a hot bowl of chicken soup.
Nothing out of a can or a box would do, and I wasn’t interested in anything from the takeout counter. I wanted homemade soup and it was up to me to make it.
Truth be told, it’s so easy I can’t imagine why anyone would buy chicken soup. Even someone as unsteady and fuzzy-brained as I was can make her own as long as there are a few staples in the pantry, some basic veggies in the fridge and chicken parts in the freezer.
If you have a food processor, you don’t even have to chop anything.
