Monthly Archives

May 2017

Dinner, General Reference/Tutorial, Lunch, Sides

How to make Hollandaise

Hollandaise. That lovely creamy buttery addition used to perfect Eggs Benedict, place over white fish or summer veggies. It is pure magic if done correctly, and can be a disastrous mess if it splits on you. This is my technique for making the magic.

And why am I showing you a picture of hollandaise with asparagus, a fried duck egg and serrano ham? Well, in the month of May, Germans are absolutely crazy about their asparagus (the white kind, though white is awful in my parts of the world, as it is old, woody and generally horrible; this lovely green stuff is from the local farmers market and was harvested about 36 hours ago). Holladaise is wonderful with this dish.
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Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Rhubarb Apple Strudel

Whenever I get back from a trip that includes Austria, I have a tendency to want to make strudel. Remember last year? It was the Cherry Chocolate version. This year, I really wanted to make something with rhubarb, but the local strawberries aren’t ripe yet, and they can be a little wet. So I made this Rhubarb Apple version instead. Total deliciousness!
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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Honey Roasted Peanuts Oatmeal Cookies

Here are some quick and easy cookies that fill that peanut craving and are pretty darn healthy as they are mostly honey sweetened, with just a touch of sugar. I made these mostly because I had leftover Planter’s Honey Roasted Peanuts (yeah, I know, how does one have “leftover peanuts”, but I wanted to finish up a jar to make room in the pantry. Turned out nice with a balance of sweet and salty.
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Candy, Sweet Snacks

Salted Caramel Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark

This might be the easiest chocolately snack ever. I decided to make a few treats to take with my on my travels and decided on this “bark”. The best part about it — besides being insanely easy to make — is that is can look neat just by breaking it into irregular pieces. It’s a little messy to eat with the caramel oozing out, and I’d suggest keeping in in the fridge when not snacking \on it, but man, is it good! Continue Reading

Cookies, Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Easy Black Currant Shortbread Bars

I’ve made these before. OK, it was a variation of them, but this is one of my most versatile recipes… use currants, cherries, blueberries or raspberries (I would stay a little away from strawberries because they are too liquidy). While sometimes I make my own jam, this time I was lazy (or “made it easy”) by using store bought. Black currants aren’t exactly in season in Spring in New England! Continue Reading