A Life in Baking, Pastry, and Libations.
Einkorn Grains Einkorn is an ancient grain that is often regarded as the predecessor of modern wheat. There is some debate about this origin story as the grain is also believed to have evolved from wild emmer wheat. Either way, einkorn is undergoing a renaissance in part because of its nutritional profile, but also because... Continue Reading →
For some inexplicable reason, the only way to buy popcorn kernels from my distributors is in 50 lb bags. 50 pounds makes a gargantuan amount of popcorn. (Or you could grind the kernels into cornmeal.) I went on a madcap adventure of popcorn mousse, popcorn ice cream, and popcorn pudding dessert specials. The endless popcorn... Continue Reading →
I’ve been on a mad tear with the corn flour lately: corn flour biscuits, corn flour pancake, corn flour bread. Corn flour, which is super-fine ground cornmeal, adds a subtle corn flavor and stunning yellow hue to baked goods—all of the corn flavor with none of the grit. Although corn flour is gluten-free, I tend... Continue Reading →
Ricotta is underrated in the cheese world—always a supporting actress but never the lead. Cheese connoisseurs wax poetic about the vintage of a Cheddar cheese or the stink of a blue cheese but I’ve never heard people swoon over ricotta (unless they’re debating which ricotta makes the best cannoli filling). This ability to fade into... Continue Reading →
A pictorial glance at the commercial ice cream industry: the uncensored truth behind how much we eat, what those marketing terms mean, and what those stabilizers do:
When you think of olive oil, dessert is not the first thing to come to mind. In Italy and the Mediterranean, olive oil is so abundant that it’s cheaper than butter and is a common ingredient for baking. Some would say using olive oil in desserts is just a trend but I hope it’s a... Continue Reading →
Buttery. Salted. Caramel. 