Every year I spend an inordinate amount of my time poaching fruit. It’s usually because I’m powerless to resist all the pears in baskets at my market, and buy far more than I need. Yes, much of my sweet bounty finds its way into sorbets, cakes, ice creams, and jams. But one of my favorite ways to keep those pears around a little longer is…
For those of you wondering what the difference between ‘sorbet’ and ‘sherbet’ is, technically a sorbet has no dairy or eggs in it, and sherbet is usually made with milk or may have egg whites. If you’re avoiding milk, you could use a non-dairy alternative, such as rice, coconut, almond, or soy milk. Or if you prefer, you can water in place of the milk…
Everyone should have a great recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream in their repertoire. Here’s my favorite, which you can serve with anything, from a freshly-baked fruit pie, a warm berry crisp, cherry compote, or simply smothered with dark chocolate sauce or caramel sauce and toasted nuts. It’s said that vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream. But most people don’t know that vanilla…
I sometimes get messages from people pointing me to bargain deals they find on vanilla beans online, but I’m happy to spend a bit more on the top-quality beans that my friend Patricia Rain sources, someone who’s dedicated herself to doing the right thing for the native farmers by working to ensure that the producers she works with get their fair-share of the profits. I…
My friend, and master baker Nick Malgieri, just came out with a new book, Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs, All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving. It’s a lovely book of dessert recipes that keeps things on the lighter side. His recipe uses apples in place of the butter found in many traditional oatmeal…
We all use vanilla frequently in our baking, and vanilla is reputedly the world’s most popular flavor. But many of us who use vanilla know little about it, except that it smells and tastes great…and sometimes seems outrageously expensive for such a tiny bottle. Fortunately a little goes a long way. I keep several bottles on hand, using vanilla from Madagascar and Mexico (the real…
Join me on my Spring 2026 book tour for my latest book, The Great Book of Chocolate
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