Brownies, Bake Sales and Bitterness

I managed to throw together a pan of Flour‘s Intense Chocolate Brownies today for my aunt’s post-barbecue Make Your Own Sundae Bar this weekend. However, I have a feeling Someone may lay claim to a few tonight so I must dash out for more unsweetened bar chocolate. Perhaps you’re thinking Flour’s brownies are a little […]

Too Many Berries = One Big Crostata!

The good news is I got another round of precious native strawberries in my CSA basket this week. The bad news? There was a berry glut in my refrigerator! No matter where I’ve shopped over the past two weeks – Whole Foods (needed, um, vitamins), Stop ‘n’ Shop (gas points) or Lees Market (Westport weekend) […]

A Tribute to Dad, the Original Foodsmith

We will celebrate Father’s Day and Dad‘s 76th birthday tomorrow, a rare feat of the calendar, so I felt the need to cook up a small tribute to my father, the consummate Foodsmith. After nearly 52 years with John Philip Raposa, his obsession with food, especially the baking business, has rubbed off on me. And, […]

Goin’ Native

Finally, these native beauties have returned to my local farm stand! Now, what to do with them…. Should I make ice cream? Or shortcakes? Or mix them with rhubarb for a pie? Perhaps spoon them into cereal or concoct a strawberry seltzer. I simply cannot make up my mind. Maybe I’ll just eat the first […]

Act II, Scene 1: Flour, Sugar and “Ronda”

The Second Act of my life began yesterday at 6:50 a.m. when I entered the doors at Flour Bakery + Café with a smile on my face and chef’s pants in my tote bag. I left 11 hours later with the same smile, dirty chefs pants and a sense of pride. Sadly, I could barely walk. […]

For the Love of Lemons…

How much do I love lemons? If I have a choice of a sweet made with chocolate or lemon, the fruit wins every single time. If I’m cooking and I think the dish needs “a little something,” it’s usually lemon or lemon peel. And of all the people on TV, “30 Rock” funnygal Liz Lemon […]

When Life Gives You an Extra 2 Dozen Eggs…

make an angel cake! I said I would only take one dozen off his hands when our friend, Fred, called to say one of his paddle tennis partners — who owns a farm in Dover with 300 chickens — off-loaded three dozen on his bachelor buddy. “I already bought eggs this week,” I told him. […]

Can’t Contain My Excitement…

for great containers! Last night, after spending the afternoon at Babson College at a culinary entrepreneurship seminar, I was treated to dinner at The Farmhouse in Needham. A beet salad with fresh greens, pistachios and a goat cheese croquette followed by Nantucket Scallops with exotic mushrooms on a cauliflower/purple potato puree were divine. And then […]