Archive for the ‘Food For Thought’ Category

It’s the best season for hiking, biking and apple picking.

My sisters and I recently purchased a hilltop cottage surrounded by a 400 acre apple farm. In the fall, there are apples as far as the eye can see and their sweet scent is carried on the crisp October breeze.  (Did you know that apples are in the rose family?) The culinary order of the day is fresh applesauce for my baby grandson, Richard. Please check out the listing on airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18544884?s=51

Baby Richard’s Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

15 large Cortland apples (cultivated in NYS)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation:

Cut apples in half and remove core and seeds

Place flesh side down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment     

Bake for approx. 40 minutes at 350 degrees or when apples are soft to touch

Let cool and scoop out the flesh of apple from the skin. Be sure to scrape close to the skin in order to  get some of the apple’s red  color

Add and mix all ingredients in a large bowl

Scoop applesauce into 4, 12 ounce ball jars and let cool before refrigerating.

Enjoy!                            

Our take on the classic Kentucky Derby cocktail, the Mint Julep. A bourbon cupcake topped with mint and lime icing.

Once again this Easter, I continued a culinary tradition of making pizza rustica for members of my family. I bought the ingredients in many of the same shops on Arthur Avenue in The Bronx, frequented by my mother and grandmother many years ago. As a child, I remember following them around from store to store carefully selecting the ingredients. It seems that the meats and cheeses are as authentic now, as they were back then. I also recall how mom and grandma would cut thick slices of the pie and give them to neighbors and family for Easter. I am so happy that I’m able to carry on this tradition of sharing.

Original pastry wheel

A very Happy Valentine’s Day to all! It will be a cold one this year for many of us here in the Northeast, so these winter favorites are sure to keep us warm:Hot Chocolate made with French valrhona cocoa and heart shaped peppermint marshmallows. Heart shaped Florentine lasagna with a blush bechamel sauce.