The Spice is Right
How do we know? Because we ate it.
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Day Sixty-One: Corn Tortillas
There isnt a whole lot of show to a homemade tortilla. ?? The magic, instead, is in the taste and the smell as they cook, and as you hover over the plate expectantly waiting for your turn to fill one up with delicious fillings to carry to your mouth. There is also magic in how s …
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Day Sixty: Kimochdun
If you like almonds and apricots, this bread is for you. Its got both inside, though not in terribly large numbers. They end up threaded throughout the dough like delicious punctuation marks, and can be easily avoided if, say, 90% of those eating this bread like almonds and apricots but 1 …
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Day Fifty-Nine: Overnight Waffles
I had a transcendental experience with a waffle once. As with most such experiences, it came when I was completely not expecting it. Wed stayed at some hotel somewhere1, and as many hotels do, it offered a free continental breakfast with your stay.?? And I was excited, because I do l …
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Day Fifty-Eight: Pain Hawaiian
I have no idea how often this bread is actually made in Hawaii, if at all. It seems a lot of recipes mysteriously become Hawaiian by way of the addition of exotic ingredients such as pineapple or macadamia nuts. Kona coffee is more understandable, I suppose, while sugar is too genera …
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Day Fifty-Seven: Janni???s Chocolate Orange Buns
Of course it would be very ill-advised indeed to eat a chocolate orange for breakfast. Tasty, surebut as what wed like to believe are responsible individuals of a certain age, surely we cant just whack and unwrap a breakfast consisting entirely of chocolateor can we youre someone who …
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Day Fifty-Six: Crumpets
I have come to a very important conclusion over the course of yesterday and most of today, before writing this, and that conclusion is very simple:this crumpet recipe is a lot like love. I should, perhaps, explain. Of course, I was charmed when I first read it and discovered that its author, Emma, …
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Day Fifty-Five: Oat Wheat Sandwich Bread
Of course, scones and buns of all types are well and goodbut what if all you really want is a nice sandwich bread? One that toasts well, has a tender yet pleasantly crispy crust, and a soft yet strong crumb that will hold itself up against whatever sandwich fillings you choose to pit …
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Day Fifty-Four: Chocolate Mint Chip Scones
You could, of course, pay $2 at your nearest coffee chain to buy yourself a triangle scone wedge of your choice. But for about the same amount of money in ingredients and for not much more time than it would take to drag yourself away from your computer and down to the aforementioned …
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Day Fifty-Three: Beignets with Honey
I suppose I could regale you with historical facts about the beautiful beignet and its many variations. I could tell you lots about its origins in France, and how it got brought over to the US and became a very strong part of Creole tradition in Louisiana. About how Caf?? du Monde h …
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Day Fifty-One + Day Fifty-Two: Oregano Grissini
You may be looking at these and wondering why youd spend two days on them. But if you bite the bullet and try this recipe, youll understand. At least, I think and hope youll understand. Of course, your mileage will vary considerably depending upon the quality of the ingredients you involve. The b …
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???Real Love??? Thai Coffee Baby Shower Cake
Ive made a few cakes for my friend Sarah over the years, and it seems like they always go over well. This one was a surprise, though; Im not sure how much she knew about the event beforehand, but her sister and best friend had conspired to throw a surprise baby shower for her to honor …
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Tuna Melt
Of course, one very good thing to do with homemade english muffins is to make sandwiches. And one very good sandwich to make, in particular, is a tuna melt. I should explain something here: Im particular about my tuna melts. I dont want them to be unbalanced, and I want my ch …
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Day Fifty: English Muffins
These muffins are sneaky. If youve never made them before, theyre a skillet bread. Which means exactly what you suppose it does: they dont ever actually go in the oven for baking. Rather, theyre cooked over some cornmeal in a dry skillet until puffy and brown. …
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Real Love Thai Coffee Baby Shower Cake
Ive made a few cakes for my friend Sarah over the years, and it seems like they always go over well. This one was a surprise, though; Im not sure how much she knew about the event beforehand, but her sister and best friend had conspired to throw a surprise baby shower for her to honor …
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Day Forty-Nine: Peanut Butter Banana Bread
With a title like that, you cant help but think that this recipe must be utterly amazing. And its a little bit healthier than many quickbreads, which is also nice. But what really seals it is the combination of ingredients, which fairly scream homely decadence. Its like a fully-sanctioned …
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Day Forty-Eight: Skolebr??d
Hopping over slightly to the left on our globe, we come to another lovely holiday bread. Norways skolebr??d is similar to Finlands pulla in its reliance on cardamom for flavoring a sweetish, rich bread dough. But it is there that the similarities end, for skolebr??d is the far more assertiv …
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Day Forty-Seven: Pulla
Some breads make a greater impression upon first-view than others, and this recipe for pulla yields one very good example. Or three, if you follow the recipe exactly as its written and dont scale it up or down. Be careful, though; as with many braided breads, this one c …
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Thai Mocha Honey Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache
This was a cake I made last year for my friend Katherines birthday. Shes also a great fan of Thai coffee, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate some into this cake recipe, which I adapted from a recipe found in another of Nigella Lawsons books. I love making cakes, and especia …
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Corn Chowder
I dont need to tell you how good homemade soup can be, do I? Its a very sad thing that, as a society, weve fallen out of the habit of preparing even pleasures of the most simple sort for ourselves. Homemade soup is exponentially rewarding for a comparatively small amount of effort. …
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Seared Scallops with Garlic Butter Sauce
The best dishes are often the simplest. Its a chicken and egg argument, at times; are you inspired to create a simple-yet-utterly-divine dish because youve found some amazingly fresh, beautiful ingredients? Or has your love of simple, clean, delicious flavors inspired you to seek out the b …
The Spice is Right
