Watermelon Gazpacho

A creative twist on tomato gazpacho inspired by Gale's college days.

Quick Pear Streusel Coffee Cake

My grandma Elsie on my mother’s side was a great baker in the Austro-Hungarian tradition. Strudels, poppyseeed cakes, coffee cakes, and cookies always seemed to be in her kitchen when we visited. I found a great apple streusel coffee cake recipe in her card files when I became the keeper of those treasures. Here it is, revived, with my little twist of using pears instead of apples.

Almond Ciabatta French Toast

A soft and tender French toast made from ciabatta.

Plum Crostata
Under the name of tarte aux quetsches, plum tart is a favorite dessert all over Alsace, especially in the fall when the purply-blue quetsch (pronounced kwetch) plums come into season.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Strawberry Mash
My husband Jimmy stops reading the dessert menu when he reaches panna cotta, a creamy, easily-made custard sometimes flecked with what I like to call vanilla “caviar,” the tiny seeds from the vanilla pod.

Vita’s Ricotta Doughnuts
My Sicilian-American mother-in-law, Vita Seidita, taught me how to make these tender-on-the-inside, crisp-on-the-outside doughnuts, which she often made for her family on Sunday mornings.

Chocolate-Almond Upside-Down Cake
This chocolate cake with a gooey-nutty topping is an upside-down cake designed for chocolate lovers.

Pleasant Ridge Reserve with Organic Honey and Pan Forte
I tasted a similar pan forte in Italy a few years ago in a little restaurant in the walled city of San Gimignano and was so enchanted I brought a few wheels home.

Honey and Lemon Tea Lollipops
Delicious lollipops infused with lemon, honey, and black tea.

Chocolate-Malted Semi Freddo with Chocolate Bergamot Paint

This recipe is all about my childhood love affair with Fudgsicles combined with my abiding affection for the flavor of malt.