​When @flourambassador Amy Halloran was looking for a cookie recipe well suited to a discussion about rye flour and rye whiskey, a very specific cookie came to mind. Rye flour, once considered a little too hearty for baked goods, is enjoying a well-deserved Renaissance. Perfectly suited to the nibble-y, crunchy, dunk-able cookies that enjoy not one, but two spins through the oven, rye’s warm flavors complement rustic cookies. A thimbleful of rye whiskey makes a fine sipper alongside or in the manner of dipping biscotti in dessert wine, a fine dipper. Twice-baked cookies are indelibly etched ..read more

It was a soaker of a car ride on the way up to Albany last Friday, but I managed to arrive unscathed. Even squeezed in a brief visit with the multi-talented grain leader/writer/baker @flourambassador Amy Halloran.  Settled in the studio, we found room amidst the microphones for a trio of pies; sour cherry, maple/walnut/bourbon and Concord grape. Between forkfuls, host Ray Graf and I managed to field some calls and (hopefully) solve a few pie conundrums. For listeners curious about the mandate (it's more of a suggestion) of serving apple pie with cheddar cheese, in the state of Vermont th ..read more

Whether you have a hankering for a loaf to enjoy nibble by nibble throughout the weekend, or are looking for an atypical break-the-fast apple cake, I've got you covered. But first, let's brush up on our Canadian food history. Namely, the importance of David Fife, a Scotch immigrant credited with planting Canada's first experimental farm.  Fife and his wife, Jane, were progressive farmers raising a family near Peterborough, Ontario. Searching for a strain of plants that were adaptable to Canada's harsh climate, Fife wrote to a friend in Scotland asking for seed varieties that would t ..read more

One of Rosh Hashanah’s sweetest traditions revolves around a loaf of bread. Customary for the Jewish New Year, a circular challah symbolizes many things, among them continuity.  The conclusion of one year and the beginning of a new one provides a fresh canvas. I take the same approach with challah, a bread that is both showy and stubborn. Some bakers find challah making leisurely, spiritual, even restorative. It can be all of those things but primarily I see it as a study in and acknowledgement of imperfection. In pursuit of a cover girl challah lies the reality that a flawless loaf is i ..read more

From Leslie Mackie's Macrina Bakery makes one  ten-inch galette  For the veggies 2 ears sweet corn, kernels removed and sautéed in 1-2 tablespoons butter until tender (or microwaved in their husks for 9 min. at medium/high power- careful they’ll be hot!, then kernels cut from cobs) 3-4 end of summer good size Jersey tomatoes For the cheese filling 2 eggs 14 oz. whole milk ricotta (can use low-fat but will be slightly runnier) 1 & 1/2 cups freshly grated cheese, preferably fontina 1/2 freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano  1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon chopped ..read more

Recently wrapped up peach season in Prince Edward County, Ontario which was pretty magical. Sun-kissed freestones are still available from local farm stands making those death-defying u-turns on county roads worth the risk. Seems locals are a touch more respectful of the fruit; there's less handling and grousing as they fill their baskets. Probably because many of the shoppers are farmers themselves.  Choosing your favorite peach adventure is easy; a generous 3 pounds will fill your favorite 9-inch pie plate. My leanings are always towards lattice. Soon enough orange gourds and neon hon ..read more

​J. Robert Oppenheimer the physicist was also a mixologist. According to American Prometheus, the Pulitzer Prize-winning book and major source of info for the big screen blockbuster, Oppenheimer was known for hosting the occasional house party. His generous four-ounce pours of gin paired with a dash of vermouth were shaken, not stirred. Served icy cold, guests sipped from glasses rimmed with honey and lime juice. Of course, this little tidbit of Oppenheimer info got me thinking about pie.   From a dessert perspective, many of the components that work well in a cocktail shaker lend t ..read more

One biscuit recipe is all you need and this is the one. A baby batch teamed with honey-drizzled nectarines and a hint of thyme is perfect for an August breakfast. If you have the patience, serve them for dessert. @ericjoonho and @nytcooking have all the info you need to recreate the craggy edged, lofty buttermilk biscuits from Briana Holt's Tandem Coffee and Bakery in Portland, Maine. Buttermilk and sugar weave their magic in a recipe that comes together in a snap. Just play by Briana's rules and Eric's directive; let the grated butter lounge in the freezer for 10 minutes before mixing. They ..read more

New Barbie is quite something. I had no idea how dramatically the fashion doll had changed until I sought one out at our local Target. Due to her upswing in popularity, pickings were slim. There was only one Barbie in the bunch who wasn't a mermaid, wasn't sporting rainbow Fantasy Hair and wasn't a pop star. The search for a no-nonsense Barbie was exhausting; so was trying to emancipate the doll from the hermetically sealed packaging. (It nearly cost me a finger.) In the end, New Barbie was an agreeable sort, stepping out of her denim shorts into yards of plastic wrap before being plunged int ..read more

If you stick around long enough, everything makes a comeback, even cottage cheese. A curd-centric cousin of farmer and pot cheese, the somewhat dowdy offering has circled back into the spotlight. My brand allegiance remains fickle, a reflection of my childhood. Breakstone, Sealtest, Axelrod and Friendship were on steady rotation in our fridge. Light and Lively poked its head into the mix for a brief visit in the 70s, but its low-fat content didn't align with Jessie's favorite cheesecake recipe.  We enjoyed cottage cheese year round but particularly in the summer, teamed with cantaloupe ..read more