Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me. -Audrey Hepburn I know what you're thinking. Valentine's Day was two weeks ago; why…
A Viennese Valentine’s: Sachertorte
Caramelized Garlicky Glee
Fate has a thousand wiles when it chooses to impose on us its incomprehensible whims. A temporary blackout, a moment of inattention or blindness is enough to insinuate an act between the Scylla and Charybdis of decision. Afterward, with hindsight, we may endlessly ponder that act, explain our motives, try to discover our true intentions; but the act remains irrevocable.-Bruno…
A Temporary Escape and Toasted Coconut Pudding
While I am writing, I am far away; and when I come back, I have already left. I should like to see if the same thing happens to other people as it does to me, to see if as many people are as I am, and if they seem the same way to themselves. When this problem has been thoroughly explored, I…
Like Love’s Arrow to My Heart
It is hard for many of us to look forward to cooking a meal that's just for ourselves. It's not just laziness, but some feeling that it's not quite worth the effort when it's just for us. That we're not worth it! [...] When people say they take the time to shop and cook well…
Dessert and Downton Abbey: Banana Nutella Cookies
“Highclere was a symbiotic system, and mutual respect was the key to its success. The fifth Earl prided himself on an Old World courtesy, and that set the tone for the entire household. He took an interest in the well-being of the staff and the cottagers on the estate; often a donation would be made…
More than Tolerable Turnips
"May the odds be ever in your favor."-Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games) This past week I've been much more interested in hunger than I have been in food. I haven't really been in the kitchen since Sunday night. In fact, I've been spending most of my days in the dungeons of Doe Library, rapidly producing…
Dining with Dostoevsky 