I have a confession to make.  Before making them myself, the only madeleines I had ever tasted were from Starbucks.  No one had ever made them for me, I’d never had a special pan to make them myself, and somehow I managed to spend a weekend in Paris once without tasting either a madeleine or a macaron—sad, but true.

I’ve always been curious about madeleines.  I mean, is there really anything special about them other than their shape?  Obviously Proust thought so.  But what makes them so magical?  And the big question—are they cookies or tiny little cakes?  Well, curiosity got the better of me one day so I bought a little package of madeleines at Starbucks.  And even though I knew that what I tasted out of that little plastic package was probably not a great representation of the classic French cookie (or is it cake?), I fell madly in love with the madeleine. Continue reading →

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Like many of you out there I have made a serious commitment to eat better and get in shape in 2010.  However, there’s always room for a little indulgence, so I have decided to share this amazing bacon and caramelized onion quiche we ate on New Year’s morning.  Healthy?  Perhaps not.  But there will be times this year when a little splurging is both necessary and deserved.  So hop on your treadmills, bikes, and elliptical machines, drink lots of water, eat lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains—but please, I’m begging you, don’t forget to eat a slice of quiche every once in a while. Continue reading →

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Wishing you a new year filled with joy, love, and wonderful food!

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From the moment I saw these sticky buns on the cover of the latest issue of Food & Wine magazine, I knew I had to make them.  It’s fairly rare that I follow an exact recipe from a magazine—or cookbook, for that matter—but every once in a while a photo calls to me in a way that I just can’t deny.  If you’ve seen the magazine cover, you know which photo I’m talking about.  The lofty, light-as-air cinnamon bun drizzled with the perfect amount of sweet and salty butterscotch sauce is like something out of a dream—if one has a tendency to dream of baked goods, that is.

But just as most dreams quickly blur then slowly disintegrate upon waking, my hopes for butterscotch sticky bun perfection were diminished as I attempted to recreate the ethereal treat in my all-too-real kitchen.  It just didn’t work.  My sticky buns weren’t lofty or light-as-air.  They were squat and dense and the brown sugar filling had bubbled up and out of the swirls, blackening and burning on the muffin tin and oven floor. Continue reading →

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The new year is about to begin and I’m determined to get back on track with The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge! I’ve fallen way behind many of my fellow BBA bakers, but the great thing about this challenge is that we each set our own pace, and even though I’ve fallen behind, I can pick right back up where I left off and continue working toward the goal of finishing all the breads in the book.  And since I am behind several of the others, there are plenty of people I can turn to for help or advice!

Today, I’m writing about the 15th bread in the challenge:  Italian Bread.  I actually baked and photographed this bread months ago, so bear with me as I try to remember the details of the process – luckily I took lots of photos.  One thing I do remember is the wonderful flavor of this bread.  I gave a loaf to my friend Caron for her birthday, and she shared a buttered slice of the still-warm bread with me in her kitchen.  There’s nothing like sharing bread and butter with a friend! Continue reading →

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Happy Anniversary, Dustin and Elisa!

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To me, nothing tastes more like Christmas than these sweet, salty and crunchy butterscotch candies.  They aren’t much to look at, but they are super simple to make, and I guarantee that your friends and family will rave about them.

For as far back as I can remember, my Nana always had a plate of these butterscotch corn flakes on the Christmas snack table.  One year, my mom got the recipe and started adding them to her plates of Christmas cookies, and so the butterscotch corn flakes got spread around to even more friends and family.  After I moved away from home, I started making them for my own friends and, after I got married, my husband’s family.  I’ve made them in Oregon, Florida, Sicily, and now southern Callifornia, and the recipe has been passed from friend to friend all across the country.   I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t love them, and if you make these for your friends, be prepared to share the recipe!

With only three ingredients, and no baking required, these are probably the simplest holiday treat you will ever make.  Enjoy!

Butterscotch Corn Flake Candy

1 package butterscotch chips (11 oz.)
3/4 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts
4 cups corn flakes cereal

1.  Pour butterscotch chips into a large microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave, checking and stirring every 30 seconds, until chips are melted.  It took about a minute and a half in my microwave.  Be sure not to cook them for too long, or the butterscotch candy will seize up.  If you prefer, you can melt the chips in a double boiler, then scrape the melted butterscotch into a large bowl.

2.  Add corn flakes and peanuts to the melted butterscotch and stir until everything is thoroughly coated.  Line a counter top with waxed paper and drop spoonfuls of the warm corn flake mixture onto the waxed paper.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Candy may be stored in an airtight container or large zippered plastic bags for two weeks.

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen pieces

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