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June 3, 2015
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Crinkled Pears with Whipped Cream

Warning: These pears are kind of ugly and yet you will hope that there are leftovers that you can eat for breakfast with a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt. I admit that they are time consuming but I make them the day before. They cook at a very low temperature and require frequent basting. I […]

April 27, 2015
At Home with Friends

2 comments

Coconut Oatmeal Ginger Cookies

I always keep homemade cookies in my freezer for friends who drop by for a cup of tea or spur of the moment dinner guests. These are not your typical oatmeal raisin cookies. They are loaded with shredded coconut, crystallized ginger and golden raisins. They are dense, chewy and perfect with fresh fruit or dish […]

April 24, 2015
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2 comments

Gratin of Pears, Blueberries and Mascarpone Cheese

In Italy, dessert is frequently fresh fruit with a bit of mascarpone cheese, some nuts and a few cookies on the side. This is my take on that tradition. This dessert is super easy and it comes together in less than 10 minutes. (You don’t even peel the pears.) Sliced pears are topped with blueberries […]

March 6, 2015
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1 comment

One-Bite Cherry Pies

I knew we had ordered a very rich chocolate vanilla cake for dessert and I wanted to make some one-bite treats to accompany the cake. I wanted something fruity and I came up with these one-bite cherry pies. The great thing about this recipe is that you can substitute any type of dried berry and […]

February 6, 2015
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2 comments

Apple Fig Crumble

Fruit crisps or crumble are one of my favorite desserts. In summer, I use luscious berries and juicy stone fruit. In fall and winter, I use apples combined with dried fruit. Usually, I make these for dessert and serve them with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream, and I make sure there is plenty […]

February 2, 2015
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Lamb Hash

Before I made this I had never eaten lamb hash. I’d eaten brisket of beef hash, corned beef hash and even turkey hash. This was a total experiment. The idea came to me when I had leftovers from this exact leg of lamb recipe. The leg of lamb was so rich and loaded with flavors, I […]

January 26, 2015
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2 comments

Blintz Souffle

As I have already said, this is my mother’s recipe. Her original called for 3 tablespoons of sugar added to the egg / orange juice mixture. Frozen cheese blintzes tend to already be very sweet, so I omitted this sugar. I think this makes them better. It’s a really simple recipe. Over the years, the […]

January 16, 2015
At Home with Friends

3 comments

Pumpkin Monkey Bread

This is a recipe I used to make years ago using store bought biscuits. I was testing it two weeks before the New Year’s Day party and it was cooling on my kitchen counter one evening when two friends stopped by for an impromptu dinner. We sat at dinner commiserating about how we had eaten […]

November 24, 2014
At Home with Friends

3 comments

Lamb Tagine with Apricots & Prunes

This is one of those typical Moroccan dishes that combine meat (lamb) with dried fruit. If you’ve never eaten this type of stew, it is far more sophisticated than simply lamb with fruit. The fork tender lamb is cooked in a sauce loaded with spices, and each bite reveals a glorious blend of sweet and […]