I cooked Thanksgiving here again this year, and had some great successes by doing a few things a little differently: I mostly boned the turkey and roasted it flat, fiddled with the creamed onions, and figured out how to bake a custard pie without a soggy bottom crust (and perfected a buttermilk pie while I was at it). I just wanted to write up some notes for posterity.
Recommended
Julia Child: The Way to Cook
A little dowdy, but it's a great teaching book.Lynne Rossetto Kasper: The Splendid Table
For real Italian cooking.Tish Boyle: The Good Cookie
You can never have too many cookie recipes.Francois Payard: Simply Sensational Desserts
One of my go-to books for special occasion desserts. Also has the very best recipe for tarte au citron (and I've tried a lot of them).Hilaire Walden: Sensational Preserves
Whenever I need inspiration for something new to seal in jars, I turn to Hilaire.Edon Waycott: Preserving the Taste
Wonderful recipes for my canning habit.Rick Bayless: Mexico One Plate At A Time
I'd like to thank this book for helping me to win my husband's heart. (Tamales made easy.)Anne Willan: La Varenne Pratique
This book is my culinary school.Irma S. Rombauer: Joy of Cooking
I use an older version, before it was stupidly 'modernized'. It's a fine reference for American basics, and the book I always reach for when making biscuits or pancakes.Alice Medrich: Cocolat
I've made a lot of the gorgeous desserts from this book, but I also turn to the section on component recipes for when I'm inventing.Michael Ruhlman: Charcuterie
Fun with pork.Patricia Wells: Bistro Cooking
If I could only have one cookbook, this would be it.Terrance Brennan: Artisanal Cooking
I love Brennan's straightforward approach to fine cooking.
Entries categorized "Dessert"
November 28, 2009
October 13, 2008
Apple Custard Tart
Given the current economic climate, I count myself beyond lucky to be so loaded down with work. I've even undertaken the unthinkable: training someone to take up some of the slack. This is not an easy proposition for so controlling meticulous a person; it's much simpler to do everything myself. But I've found someone with a suitable skill set, and having a helper will spare me having to let whole projects go to another supplier.
I miss blogging. And I've let inertia keep me from it more than is necessary. C'est la vie. I'll blog when I can, and hope that I still have an audience.
None of this means I've stopped cooking. It's been canning season, and I've put up plenty of good stuff from the garden. TJ and I together have been getting the hang of smoking (with the Weber Bullet), and we've had some great successes with it. And with houseguests here and gatherings there, I often enough have a requirement to make something a little special.
August 10, 2008
Portuguese Almond Tart
This lovely, simple tart has a rich, buttery base, somewhere between a butter cookie and a very dense pound cake. The topping is caramelized, crunchy and nutty. It's an excellent dessert for those who like their sweets rich but not cloying. And it pairs beautifully with some of the golden dessert wines; I’ve loved it with Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and Trockenbeeren Auslese.
