Today has been the perfect kitchen day. It’s been snowing since yesterday, and a bit too chilly for me to want to venture outdoors (single digits). And so I happily fill my warm kitchen with the smells of comfort. I’m glad to have a window by my kitchen sink so that I can take in the wintery view. I started a batch of marmalade yesterday using the remainder of the Seville oranges we ordered last week. Marmalade is certainly a labor of love, being a three day process, but the rewarding bright flavor is worth it. Plus, the jewel-like jars make beautiful, thoughtful gifts. There’s nothing like homemade! Before you begin a long recipe such as this, read through it a few times to get an understanding of the steps. [...]

Last week my neighbors gave me a huge jug of Vermont maple syrup as a thank you for making them some pastries and I’ve been dying to use it. Mainly for pancakes. (I have been envisioning drizzling it all over a short stack for days). This morning when I woke up, I decided it was time. We had BLTs for dinner last night so I had a bunch of leftover bacon fat. And consequently the pancakes were cooked in a large pool of bacon fat. It was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made this week. The bacon fat makes the edges slightly crunchy, and imparts a delicious salty flavor. So, so good. I sprinkled a few chunks of milk chocolate on top of each pancake before it got [...]

I don’t know why, but the other day I decided to make tiramisu. Or wait, perhaps it had something to do with my freshly made batch of mascarpone cheese… Either way, we know three things: 1. Tiramisu is really good. 2. In some ways, it’s hard to mess up tiramisu when you are working with such delicious ingredients. 3. The word tiramisu translates into “pick me up” due to all those espresso syrup-soaked layers. Unless I can find a loving home for my creations, I’m the one stuck eating them (a true tragedy, I know) so I like to change things up from time to time. Instead of a normal tiramisu, I wanted to eat one of a different flavor. Perhaps something more unique, maybe a little unexpected. My mind [...]

As the season continues to warm up, the shift in produce is becoming quite apparent during visits to the grocery store. There are a lot more varieties of fruit to choose from. And it’s actually ripe. Our neighboring towns to the west aren’t ready to harvest any stone fruits just yet, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t eagerly awaiting the first pickings. When I am working with fruit desserts there are two types of dairy products that I love to utilize as well: creme fraiche and mascarpone cheese. Creme fraiche is a tangy, thick cream. It’s similar to a Greek yogurt or sour cream, but there’s just something a bit more nutty to it’s flavor. It has two ingredients- heavy cream and buttermilk. Mascarpone cheese has a magnificent buttery flavor [...]

Move over Cliff bars! Yesterday brought on my first batch of oatcakes for the season. The grey weather had finally cleared, and I was meeting up with a buddy to go for a long hike in the mountains. The night before, I whipped up a batch of oatcakes to have on hand. Most of my friends who hike with me are familiar with these goodies. Loaded with oats, seeds, dried fruit, and natural sugars, they are perfect for curbing a hunger pang or added a much-needed energy boost mid-hike. There is nothing more disappointing then being out in the mountains and having to turn around early because you are hungry! You will be very angry with yourself. Especially if you are missing out on views like this. The oatcakes are [...]

Okay, okay, another carrot recipe, I know. But going with the whole Easter theme and heading into a weekend, why not make up some doughnuts for breakfast? I used to serve a variation of these doughnuts at the restaurant. They were tossed in cinnamon sugar hot out of the fryer, and served with carrot walnut butter and raisin jam. Earthy harvest flavors on a plate. People will always order doughnuts off of a dessert menu, but I think the fact that these are a variation of cake was all the more enticing. They were a hit. I adapted this recipe to include carrot puree and ground walnuts. Doughnuts are fried for such a relatively short period of time (compared to baking a cake), that I opted not to use grated [...]

My first winter job in Colorado was crazy. I refer to it as my indentured servitude, because that’s pretty much what it felt like. One of my duties was making crepes to order. I like crepes, I really do, but I probably made hundreds of crepes that winter season. The crepe station was right by a window, so I know for a fact that I have made it into several home videos and photo albums. I remember standing there on multiple occasions, spreading a thin layer of crepe batter on the griddle, and being photographed or videotaped by awe-struck tourists. Those were curse-through-your-clenched-teeth moments. Life has improved since then. I’ve even managed to eat crepes again, on rare occasions. But I have never made a single crepe since that job. [...]