Stone fruits – all those voluptuous peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries and apricots! Their season is fleeting, and right NOW, so make the most of them while you can. A stone fruit cocktail feels decadent and indulgent, so it’s in the very nature of late summer that nothing should be too difficult or time-consuming. Here are recipes for three simple cocktails that use stone fruit. We could get a lot more complicated, but would you make any of these recipes if […]
Every now and then I come across a recipe that is so inspired I can only wonder how the world has gotten along without it for so long. I’ve been a fan of Donna Hay for a long time, but her newest cookbook, The New Classics, is transformative in its originality. The first recipe I had to try was the Summer Bolognese, which takes one of the more ordinary meals in the world – spaghetti with meat sauce – and […]
What would the summer be without peaches – those rich, golden orbs of luscious sweetness that spread sunshine with every juicy bite? Finding new ways to appreciate the peach is always a pleasure, and I particularly like this recipe because the filling provides a perfect showcase for the true flavor of a peach: slightly acidic, gently fragrant, and smooth on the tongue. The pine nuts give texture and substance to the filling, and the crust is just plain perfect. This […]
When you grow up on a farm you absorb things about food without realizing it, and simply take it for granted that everyone shares the same basic knowledge you do. This post grew out of a surprising conversation I had with some young people who had no idea how to buy produce. This isn’t a comprehensive guide, but more of a tip sheet to skim over before you buy. Apples: should be firm and crisp, and you shouldn’t be put […]
I love a salad that feels like a meal, but isn’t so full of heavy ingredients that it defeats the point of eating a salad. Salads served in fast food chains often have this problem; it takes extreme editing of the empty calories before digging in. My older daughter refers to this as ‘food surgery,’ and she meticulously picks out anything she considers unhealthy (or that she simply doesn’t like). There’s nothing to edit from this salad. The recipe for […]
