When I found a nice little wedge of blue cheese leftover from New Year’s Eve last month, I knew that making a blue cheese and walnut tart in a crunchy savory crust was the right thing to do. The filling is simple: blue cheese (of course), cream, eggs, cream cheese with some spring onion and nutmeg. It’s the slivered garlic and toasted walnut topping that adds the perfect crunch factor and really brings this recipe to life. The recipe for the tart crust makes enough dough for two tarts, one for now and one to freeze for later. This is best served within twenty four hours of when it’s made. Refr ..read more

I love poached pears as much as I love elderflower liqueur. When I decided to combine the two beautiful ingredients for these elderflower poached pear and almond tartlets, it turned out that they’re a match made in dessert heaven.  I reserved the elderflower poaching liquid and reduced it to create a thick syrup to use as the tart glaze, it not only eliminates wasting that precious poaching liquid, it also adds an extra fragrant floral note to the tarts. Feel free to make a larger tart instead of individual tartlets. Keep in mind that you’ll need to increase the baking time slightly. I’ve ..read more

Chocolate cherry Büche de Noël is somewhat of a last minute addition to my Christmas recipes. During a recent trip to Avli, my favorite Athenian restaurant, I was generously gifted several jars of beautiful Greek jams, marmalades, salts and spice rubs. Although I couldn’t wait to get home and try them all, what especially stood out was the jar filled with vissino, a syrupy, sour cherry greek dessert that literally translates to sweet on a spoon. I first tried vissino as part of Avli’s epic baklava – the sour cherries and saucy liquid were lavishly strewn on a mound of crisp cinnamon dusted phy ..read more

I recently did a poll on my instagram stories where I asked viewers whether or not they liked brussel sprouts. The results were pretty much split down the middle, with fans on one side, and a staunch brussel sprout opposition party on the other. There was even a side remark where a follower pretty much detailed their utter distain for the cute mini-cabbage that’s played a starring role on many, many Christmas tables. Since I’ve always loved brussel sprouts, I never really understood the backlash. Low in calories and high in fiber, vitamin C and K, brussel sprouts are a no-brainer when looking ..read more

With the holidays in full swing, I love to find ways to add some extra luxuriousness to my favorite dishes, and nothing ticks that box quite like freshly shaved truffle on top of a bowl full of cheesy, creamy potato gratin that’s piping hot and bubbling at the rim! This recipe has been one of my staple dishes for years, and is one of the most requested dishes from family and friends. It was only last Christmas that I made the last minute decision to add some truffle sauce that I had in the fridge for one of the two potato gratin dishes I was serving at our Christmas Eve dinner. With my truffle ..read more

I love the quiet stillness of the early morning when light streams into my kitchen. I also love the smell of freshly baked pull-apart bread – aka monkey bread – that fills the air with a warm, cinnamon-y sweetness that pulls you out of bed in a scent-induced-hypnotic trance. Monkey bread, which allegedly gets its name from the little balls of sweet dough that you pick apart like a monkey to eat, is like your favorite cinnamon roll on steroids! Since the balls are smaller in size than your typical roll, they soak up more of that sweet buttery coating resulting a stickier, gooier ratio between t ..read more

Sweet, nutty, buttery and delicious. Who wants to wrap up their meal with some decadent pecan pie? Fresh from the oven, and oozing with a golden, gooey filling that hides a treasure of sweet, buttery caramelized pecans, very few desserts can provoke such a drool-worthy response at the mere mention of it’s name. I’ve been making this pecan pie for years and I can proudly say it’s converted some of the most dessert-averse of our friends. A classic American dessert with origins from the South that’s typically served at Thanksgiving and other festive points throughout the year, pecan pie starts wi ..read more

Mushroom Risotto I’ve been craving mushroom risotto since my last trip to Italy. There’s something about the meatiness of a mushroom, its robust earthiness, bursting with umami, that’s incredibly satisfying.. Sautéed in butter and kissed with Maldon salt, mushrooms loooove to be swirled into a luscious risotto and lavished with handfuls of Parmigiano-Reggiano, And that intoxicating smell that dances through the air while you patiently stir in ladle-by-ladle of hot stock? It’s almost always guaranteed to put me in a culinary trance – where you linger in the kitchen finding solace in repetitive ..read more

There’s a certain charm in the simplicity of an Oreo. Since I love to infuse a touch of nostalgia into my baking, I’ve added a spooky little twist by dressing up my homemade Oreo cookies for Halloween. The. classic black and white childhood favorite gets a delicious makeover with a luscious white chocolate ganache filling that’s sandwiched between two crisp salted dark chocolate shortbread cookies. I’m using a bat shaped cookie cutter to give the cookies a visually striking and seasonally-appropriate look, but let your imagination go wild and use any other shaped cookie cutter you want. You ca ..read more

There are days that we need to remind ourselves that some of the greatest pleasures in life are the most simple. Today is one of those days. Finding comfort in a bowl of warm, butternut pumpkin soup – smooth as silk and the color of the setting desert sun – nourishes the body as much as it fills the soul. Just a little reminder that even the most simple things should never be taken for granted. Make sure that the vegetables are very soft before you puree the soup to ensure a velvety texture. Originally, I made this recipe without garlic, only because I ran out the first time i made it. It was ..read more