A Simple and Delicious Thanksgiving Dessert Do you love pumpkin pie, but can’t do dairy? Do you have gluten-free guests coming for Thanksgiving? Does the thought of making homemade pie dough give you anxiety? Make these simple dairy-free and gluten-free pumpkin custards. It’s basically the pie filling without the crust. Spicy, creamy pumpkin custard is…
Dessert
Tropical Eton Mess
Mango and Blueberry Eton Mess When I’m looking for a quick, crowd-pleasing dessert, there’s nothing better than Eton Mess. In the dog days of summer when you don’t want a hot oven to heat up your house, it’s a cold dessert that requires just a little assembling. It almost feels like cheating. Fruit Variations The…
Eton Mess
A Super Simple Dessert Eton Mess is one of the easiest desserts out there. Layers of broken meringue cookies, berries and whipped cream make for a creamy, tangy dessert. Eton Mess is served at an annual cricket match between Eton and Harrow School. I stumbled upon Eton Mess one day while flipping through Bon Appetit and…
Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Crème Fraiche
Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Crème Fraiche Citrus is a winter crop, so why does it taste so summery? Maybe because of its sunshine color and crisp scent. This lemon olive oil cake is a recipe I tweaked a while back when I was searching for a citrus dessert for a Central Market cooking…
Gluten-Free Berry Crisp
An Epic Gluten-Free Berry Crisp Sixteen years and a lifetime ago, when I finished cooking school in San Francisco, I did an externship at Greens restaurant. I was relieved to hear that I’d be a pastry assistant (which meant hanging with the sweet pastry chef in a quiet 5am kitchen). Working “the line” during dinner…
New Year’s Eve Fondue Party
Think of this as your last hurrah before resolutions come knocking. Do it up big, with a fondue and wine party to satisfy a crowd. Warm gooey cheese and melted, fragrant chocolate wrap up a season of indulgence with a big red bow. Fondue is my love language, especially if I have on ski boots…
Simple Chocolate Fondue
Fondue reminds me of skiing. Which tells you what type of skier I am. The type that likes to get a couple runs in, and then cozy up next to a fire with a cocktail and a warm snack. Fondue also pairs well with game nights, Christmas Eve or any gathering where you’re entertaining a…
Easy Peppermint Bark
Holiday baking is one of the best parts of the season, and everyone in my house has their favorite. My oldest makes the most amazing grain-free and gluten-free peanut butter blossom cookies. She tops them with flakey Maldon sea salt and Hershey’s kisses, mind blowing combo! My son always wants to make big batches of…
Apple Cranberry Crisp
Autumn has finally hit Houston, which means the leaves are falling, there are acorns crunching underfoot and it’s 80 degrees and humid. Here’s the plan: Turn down your air conditioning to 70 and fire up the oven for this super tasty apple cranberry crisp. It will make your whole house smell like cinnamon, pecans and…
Rustic Strawberry Galette
I’m a lazy cook at heart. Sign me up for anything that’s unfussy, uncomplicated and if there’s a shortcut involved, all the better. That’s why I opt for recipes like this rustic strawberry galette. The pastry dough is forgiving — and I wouldn’t judge if you bought frozen pie dough — and the filling is…