Not too many fruits come into full bloom during the winter months, but members of the citrus family do. And the least-known (but possibly the most delicious and definitely the cutest!) member of the citrus family can only be found during the winter months. Enter kumquats! They’re tiny, oval-shaped orange citrus fruits that are curiously [...]
Continue reading about On the Scrabble Board or in Muffins, Kumquats Are Fun!
Bottled coconut water cannot compare to fresh coconut water. Of course, bottled is far more convenient and doesn’t require tools, but if you’re at home and you have a few basic tools, you’ll enjoy amazingly fresh coconut water AND coconut milk AND coconut meat for what you would have paid for just the coconut water. [...]
Macaroons are the hottest thing in high-end pastry and chocolate shops right now … but when you think “macaroon,” you’re probably thinking of something different. Although classic French macaroons consist of chocolate cream sandwiched between two disks of almond meringue, when the concept was translated to the American dessert lexicon, the recipe changed. Drastically. Each [...]
It’s always fun to discover new ways of using an established ingredient, like toasting almonds before using them (they’ll have a much deeper, nuttier flavor) or running sucanat through a coffee grinder to get a more natural form of powdered sugar (which you can use in chiffon cakes and meringues and icings exactly the same [...]
Continue reading about Toasting & Baking in a Tropical Kind of Way
I’m always on the prowl for new unrefined sweeteners — not only are they a healthier alternative to heavily processed white sugar, unrefined sweeteners like maple syrup and honey have flavor instead of just being super-sweet. It’s fun to play with flavor pairings to see which sweetener you like with what. (I think honey is [...]
Not that you ever need an excuse to enjoy some good-quality chocolate, but now that the holidays are here, what better time to make your own truffles? And this version is much, much quicker to make than the traditional version, because instead of slowly heating cream and chocolate and then using molds to get a [...]
As my regular readers know, when I discover a new ingredient or a new way to use a tried-and-true ingredient, I go on a [fill in the blank] kick. This time, it’s macadamia nut butter. I started out dipping 90% dark chocolate squares into it (UNbelievable!), then made salad dressings out of it, and now [...]
Continue reading about Coconut, Banana & Macadamia All in One Glass
When I get on a kick, I get on a kick — I can happily eat the same thing for several days in a row if I like it. It’s even better when the dish/ingredient being eaten is multipurpose-able. After all, leftovers are the ultimate convenience food! Crepes are my most recent food fixation: first [...]
