[su_dropcap style=”flat”]T[/su_dropcap]his weekend, our daughter who bakes was in town. So she and Marion baked the traditional Italian cake you see here, made with ricotta, goat cheese, dried tart cherries and a mere seven tablespoons of flour. More about this cake later, but it got me thinking about ricotta. Continue reading “From dinner to dessert to breakfast: five ricotta recipes (and a surprise or two)”
No reason to tell them why this sweet, buttery caramel cake is so easy to make—just bask in the compliments. Recipe below.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]I[/su_dropcap]’m a Midwestern, urban woman—the daughter of Eastern European immigrants. The desserts of my childhood tasted of cherry, chocolate, sweet cheese, cinnamon. Some things never crossed my path and, when I first ran across them, I thought they were weird. Too sweet and oddly sticky. How could people like them, much less want them and seek them out? One of those flavors was caramel. Seriously, what? Continue reading “Too easy to taste this good: Quick Caramel Cake”
Sweet/tart russet apples and bourbon-soaked dried cherries create a fall-flavored filling for this easy, rustic galette. Recipe below.
A LITTLE WHILE BACK, WE SPENT SOME TIME IN DETROIT AGAIN, for a beautiful crisp fall weekend of visiting and hanging out and our trademark driving around looking at stuff. One morning, we drove over to Eastern Market just to see what we could see. Continue reading “Detroit memories and a perfect fall dessert: Apple Dried Cherry Galette”
Peaches, blueberries and thyme create a summery, not-too-sweet filling for this rustic, less-daunting-than-pie galette. Recipe below.
THE GUY WHO ALMOST NEVER BAKES—and certainly never bakes pies—just baked an almost pie. A rustic fruit galette. I blame my colleagues. Continue reading “Easier than pie: Peach Blueberry Galette”
Music, camaraderie and a recipe (not mine) for some decadent brownies.
THE AD AGENCY WHERE I WORK HAS A FUN COMMITTEE. Their task, which they take quite seriously, is to create events that give us even more reasons to be happy to show up every day. Last Friday, thanks to their efforts, we celebrated Record Store Day a day early. Continue reading “Celebrating Record Store Day’s Eve with vinyl and “outrageous brownies””
Mixed fresh berries and olive oil keep this cake deliciously light—for weekend guests or a treat for yourself. Recipe below.
Our Thanksgiving desserts, as ever, ranged from the delicious reliables (pumpkin pie!) to the wild and crazy throwbacks (tiny chocolate bottles filled with liqueur!) to the outrageous (chocolate tres leches cake!). But when the guests had gone, and the last loads of bedsheets and dishes were stacked and put away, and the idiot cats had emerged from their hiding places blinking into the light, I found myself wanting something easy, something simple and sweet—and something I could knock together in a few minutes, without having to go to the store or particularly think. Continue reading “Simple to make, not too sinful: Mixed Berries Olive Oil Cake”
This week, we’re featuring six recipes/ideas from the Blue Kitchen archives for entertaining, celebrating and just feeling festive.
The holidays are upon us. Time for parties, family get-togethers, intimate dinners and even being indulgent on your own. Food—and drink—play a big part in all of it. Let’s start with something to drink. Continue reading “Six recipes for eating, drinking merrier”
Ricotta, goat cheese, dried tart cherries and a mere 7 tablespoons of flour are the basis for this traditional Italian cake. Recipe below.
Since we moved, some of our boxes of cookbooks have not yet revealed themselves. The other day, I was looking for them and for some documents. I didn’t find any of that (yet), but in a box otherwise full of a jumble of office things was Italian Kitchen, by Anna Del Conte. Continue reading “Hold the cream cheese for this Italian cheesecake: Ricotta Chevre Cake”
Heavy cream, sweet condensed milk, fresh fruits or other flavorings of your choice and not much else create a luxuriously creamy, no churn ice cream. Recipe and variations below.
This whole thing started when our friend Laura Perry, one of the great home cooks we know, posted on Facebook about her success with a recipe for no churn salted caramel ice cream. I thought: huh? But sure enough, all of a sudden, I started noticing recipes for no churn ice cream all over the Internet. I was super skeptical of this whole thing—no churn? No… churn? But I have to say, as Laura notes, it is ridiculously easy and ridiculously luxurious. It just takes a bit of advance planning. Continue reading “No ice cream maker? No problem: No Churn Strawberry Nectarine Ice Cream”
Marion’s addictive Passover dessert, made with white and semi-sweet chocolates, and spicy rose sugar, makes a delicious return. Recipe and variations below.
We moved last Saturday, probably more of an evacuation than an actual move. We love our new old home, but both it and our lives are a little too chaotic right now to sensibly cook and post something new. With Passover a little more than a week away, sharing Marion’s popular Matzoh Crack seemed like the perfect idea. [Read more here…]