I recently came across a recipe tin at my local antique shop, filled with handwritten desserts, delicate newspaper clippings, and a small bundle of stickers scripted with “from the kitchen of Mrs. Hamilton” still waiting to be used. The tin is dated 1943. Mrs. Hamilton scripted her full name and the quaint town in Massachusetts in which she resided, tucking this bit of information into the underside of the lid. It’s as if she knew this tin would find its way to someone else one day, and she offered a brief nod to the future. While it appears Mrs. Hamilton had a particular fancy for chiffon cakes, I sought her…
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Acorn squash, hinted with warm nutmeg and herbs, butter-roasted and caramelized with a dusting of parmesan until crisp and golden. Harvested in autumn and in season through winter, acorn squash is an acorn-shaped, dark green winter squash, with deep ridges that run from the tip to the base. Unlike its cousin, butternut squash, acorn squash has a sweeter flesh and a softer peel – making it the perfect squash for roasting with the peel on – far less fussy than any other winter squash.
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Your Civic Duty Never Tasted So Good. A dense, fragrant, bread-like cake recipe, dotted with boozy dried currants, mixed raisins, and warmed with spices. The history of election cake reveals an American tradition that has been mostly lost to time. Regardless of your political affiliation, reward yourself (and your right to vote!), with a hearty slice of this history-rich confection.
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Stuffed chicken with apples is my adaptation of pintade farcie aux pommes, stuffed guinea fowl with apples, from the Normandy region of France. I opted to use locally raised chickens instead and swapped out the traditional beef and pork stuffing for my butcher’s homemade sweet Italian sausage. Sausage, onions, and apples sauteed in butter and brandy fill two small, buttered and herbed chickens, roasted long and slow to perfection. Additional apples, imparting their seasonal fragrance, are quartered and sauteed until golden, adding yet another delectable layer to this comforting dish. To finish, the pan juices are simmered down to a robust essence, hinted with cream, then trickled over the stuffing,…
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“The light music of whisky falling into glasses made an agreeable interlude.” –James Joyce, Dubliners October evenings call for a whiskey sour recipe with a slow heat and a warm seasonal taste. I’ve added pure maple syrup and an aromatic, smoldering cinnamon stick as a dramatic garnish.
