I like to find recipes from former first ladies and post updated versions from time to time, and while there are a few recipes that survive from Martha Washington, there is no recipe for a cherry dessert. If she’d known how the myth of her husband admitting to chopping down a cherry tree to prove his truthfulness and integrity would grow to become a part of American folklore, I’m sure she would have left us her recipe for Tidewater cherry […]

Blueberries have a powerful flavor; the second one of these little blue miracles touches your tongue the brain shouts blueberry! – sweet and pure. What more could you want in a pie? Why, more of it – more blueberries piled as high as they go and covered with a dense rye flour crust. I love this crust because it’s not too sweet, balancing the overall taste experience so that the pie is not cloying (some blueberry pies can overwhelm with […]

Sometimes things just work out. I found blood oranges and fresh rhubarb at the market and it gave me the perfect opportunity to try a recipe I’ve been hanging on to for years, in the hope that one day rhubarb and blood oranges would be available at the same time of year. And voila! A sweet, tart confection for those of us who like their sugar in healthier, manageable doses. The sweet oranges complement the rhubarb perfectly; not too sweet […]

Here’s an old-fashioned Memorial Day dessert idea with a modern twist. Remember the days of churning ice cream on the back porch on a summer afternoon? Me neither, because I’m not that old, but I love the idea of arranging a special treat for the long weekend. Homemade froyo is something I’ve never tried before, but if you have an ice cream maker, it’s as easy as sticking the insert in the freezer for a couple of hours, dumping in […]

Local strawberries are perfect right now – luscious, bountiful,dro and full of sweet nothing-else-tastes-quite-like-it-flavor. They’re a different species from the pale versions you find at the grocery store in December. These are STRAWBERRRRRIES as God meant them to be – a delight to the sense – and there are a hundred different ways to enjoy them. This recipe for individual strawberry charlottes can be a little work or a lot, depending on whether you want to make your own ladyfingers, […]