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National Caramel Custard Day!

Believe it or not, today (October 3) is national Caramel Custard Day. Really! On this day, fans of caramel custard celebrate by whipping up delicious caramel custards and the sweet Spanish version called flan. Some just make it a point to eat caramel custard on this day and opt for a store-bought version or order […]

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  October 3, 2011   No comments

Caramel Custard

Serves 6 ¼ cup granulated sugar 3 cups milk, scalded 4 beaten eggs ¼ cup granulated sugar ½ tsp vanilla Butter 6 custard cups. Melt 1/4 cup of sugar in a small heavy skillet, stirring constantly, until a caramel syrup forms; pour immediately into prepared custard cups. Add a small amount of the hot milk […]

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  October 3, 2011   No comments

Molded Casserole of Ham and Mushrooms with Macaroni, Cheese, and Cream With Tomato Cream Sauce

Simca’s Cuisine – A Simone Beck Recipe Since moving to my mother-in-law’s house, I have been perusing her cookbooks and came across this one by Simone Beck.  Simone “Simca” Beck (7 July 1904 in Normandy, France – 20 December 1991) was a French cookbook author and cooking teacher who, along with colleagues Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle, played a […]

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  September 30, 2011   No comments

Maple Madeleines

Perfect for Autumn I love maple syrup. Here is a recipe from Martha Stewart Living for Maple Madeleines. Maple Madeleines ½ cup pure maple syrup 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder Coarse salt 6 large eggs, room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2 Tbs packed light-brown sugar 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted, plus more, softened, […]

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  September 29, 2011   1 comment

Lemon Pesto Pasta

Here’s an easy weeknight dinner idea.  This pesto uses mint and peas instead of the traditional basil. Lemon Pesto Pasta Serves 4 14 oz fettuccine 1 cup frozen baby green peas, thawed 3/4 cup mint leaves 1/4 cup pine nuts or pecans, toasted 2 Tbs capers, drained 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese 1 […]

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  September 28, 2011   3 comments

Honey Cake

A Festive Jewish Cake for Rosh Hashanna Honey cake and the related ginger cake have been favorite Jewish cakes since the early Middle Ages in Germany. Although the earliest recorded German recipe for Lebkuchen (honey-sweetened gingerbread) is from the sixteenth century, there are much earlier mentions in Jewish records—some as early as the twelfth century, […]

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  September 27, 2011   No comments

Paraguayan Pasta With Mushrooms

Pan American’s Complete Round-the-World Cookbook I have high hopes for the new Pan Am series.  Myra Waldo Schwartz was a travel writer, food editor and critic. She wrote more than 40 books, including Pan American’s Complete Round the World Cookbook, Seven Wonders of the Cooking World, The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook and 1,001 Ways to Please Your Husband. Here is a […]

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  September 26, 2011   No comments

Pasta Shapes

There are more than 300 shapes of Italian pasta from all different regions of Italy.  Local ingredients and local cooking customs match the thickness and texture of sauces with the pasta shape best suited to hold the sauce for a perfect bite. There are some general considerations, though: –Stuffed pastas typically pair well with lighter […]

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  September 22, 2011   No comments

Pumpkin Parmesan Sauce

$16 per jar!!  What, are they nuts? Over the weekend, I was browsing in a William Sonoma (I said browsing!). They are selling a new line of pasta sauces.  I wanted to buy them all, but they are $16 per jar!  Anyway, the one that was most appealing was the Pumpkin Parmesan Sauce.  Well, here is a […]

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  September 21, 2011   1 comment