Ever wonder why French cuisine is the gold standard by which all professional cooking is measured? There are myriad reasons, of course: the techniques used, the way food is plated, and the complexity and richness of flavors, to name a few. But there is something else in French cuisine that happens way before anything is baked or sautéed, and it is, in my opinion, so important to the process that I would call it foundational.
PIE
I read somewhere that the average pioneer woman baked as many as twenty-one pies per week: one pie for each meal of the day. Imagine an entire day where you are encouraged, nay, expected to eat three slices of pie! These days, it would be unthinkable to make and consume dessert on that level, but I gotta say, I have mad respect for those pioneer women and their dedication to pie.
SOURDOUGH STARTER
Believe me when I tell you that you can do this. About two days into the project, you’ll doubt yourself. You’ll think, is this working? What should I be looking for? Then, around day three, you’ll start to see the change, and baby let me tell you, it will stink…literally.
LEMON FILLED CUPCAKES WITH STRAWBERRY CREAM
Strawberry shortcake is one of those summertime desserts that was a staple around our house when I was a kid. My mom made her shortcakes with Bisquick mix and topped them with fresh, macerated strawberries and a mountain of Cool Whip: they killed, every time!
SUNDAY MORNING SOURDOUGH
We all have our food weaknesses; those items we have a positive, visceral reaction to when we eat or even smell them. For me, it’s freshly baked bread. When I get a whiff of bread baking in the oven, I am overcome with warm fuzzies. My mother wasn’t a baker, yet the aroma of fresh bread makes me feel homesick.
KATHAK TWIRLS
Coming soon…
OAT RODEO COOKIES
Coming soon…
MIXED BERRY PIE
Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, check. Flaky, buttery, double crust, check. An easy-to-whip-up mixed berry pie that is sure to be the star of its show, look no further!
SUBLIME CHESS PIE
Oh how I love a chess pie! This version, made with lime and coconut, is one of my favorite things to bake between fall and winter when limes are at the peak of ripeness.
STRAWBERRY & PISTACHIO OATMEAL BARS
In figuring out how to categorize this recipe, I brought the question to my tasting crew. I asked, should I call this baked oatmeal? Coffee cake? Or my favorite, (from a category I’m not sure exists) muffin bars? A plucky ten-year-old, the fiercest of my critics, said I should identify it as, “party in your mouth bars!”