Bostock or brioche aux amandes is a French pastry — ‘French toast’ — that utilizes day-old brioche topped with frangipane or sweet almond pastry cream. You can use almond meal or almond flour. Almond meal is typically made from ground, raw (unpeeled) almonds, whereas almond flour is made from blanched (peeled) almonds. Thus, almond flour tends … Continue Reading

Needed a little break from blogging. Even food bloggers get tired of cooking from time to time 🙂 Thought I’d ease back in with a simple, yet tasty recipe — fatteh — a Lebanese dish of toasted pita chips topped with warm chickpeas, a yogurt-tahini-garlic sauce, toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley. Layer upon layer … Continue Reading

What happens when you cross çilbir — Turkish poached eggs over yogurt topped with chile-spiced butter — with an Indian smoky, eggplant-yogurt — baingan ka raita — and top it all with tadka, spices tempered (i.e., briefly roasted in oil or ghee) to release their essential oils, making them more flavorful and aromatic?? Well, that’s … Continue Reading

Shakshuka has become trendy in recent years. For good reason, it’s delicious — eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chiles and spices. It makes for a perfect, lazy Sunday brunch (equally good for breakfast, lunch or dinner) and completely adaptable to suit your tastes. I like mine with a good dollop of spicy harissa. … Continue Reading

Is there anything better than fresh, juicy, local berries and cherries? Perhaps, best enjoyed on their own. Or, perhaps, best enjoyed on a warm, buttery Dutch Baby Pancake (aka German or Deutsch pancake, hence the term “Dutch” Baby, thought to be invented by German immigrants) straight from the oven and topped with toasted coconut, freshly … Continue Reading