Cherry Pie

07/11/2023

There are two schools of thought on the procedure for Cherry Pie. One is a standard fruit pie preparation: combining cherries with sugar, flavorings, a thickener, and lemon juice, pouring the mixture into a pie shell, covering with a top crust. The pie is baked until the fruit bubbles, and…

A plate of chocolate brownie bites topped with powdered sugar.

Glorious Brownies

07/06/2023

Glorious Food wrote the book on upscale catering in New York City in the 1980’s and 1990’s, when it was the caterer for events at the city’s museums, cultural institutions, and other large venues. It was also an amazing place to work. The kitchen on East 74th by the FDR…

A pie decorated with berries and whipped cream.

July 4th Lemon Tart

06/26/2023

When searching for a July 4th dessert with patriotic colors, I had two specific criteria in mind. Firstly, it needed to be easily sliceable, ensuring it maintained its visual appeal on guests’ plates. Secondly, given that there will be a lot of other food prep going on that day, it…

Four meringue pies are sitting on a tray.

S’mores Tarts

06/20/2023

With Independence Day around the corner, I’ve been contemplating dessert ideas that embody an American theme. S’mores, which were first documented in a 1927 Girl Scouts guidebook, immediately came to mind, and I started envisioning them as individual tarts.Â The challenge lied in creating free-standing individual tarts with the same…

A bowl of ice cream with strawberries and a cracker.

Strawberry Ice Cream

06/13/2023

With gorgeous fresh strawberries making their annual June appearance in farmers markets, there is no better time to pull out (or purchase) your ice cream machine and make a batch of strawberry ice cream.The first thought when making this quintessential taste of early summer is to simply cut up strawberries…

A coconut pie with whipped cream on top.

Coconut Cream Pie

05/31/2023

With a smooth, creamy filling, and a generous crown of whipped cream, topped with lightly toasted coconut, Coconut Cream Pie is one of the classic American pies. The recipe below, with a few modifications, is from the excellent book Pie and Tarts by Kristina Petersen Migoya. The procedure for…

A bundt cake with powdered sugar on top.

East 62nd Steet Lemon Cake

05/23/2023

This is the recipe that is perhaps most closely associated with Maida Heatter. Published in the New York Times in 1970 it put her on the path to becoming the author of seven baking books, with many recipes considered classics of the home baker’s repertoire. East 62nd Street Lemon Cake…

A cake sitting on top of a wooden board.

Triple Layer Cheesecake

05/16/2023

This cheesecake, from Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts is one of her creations where one wonders â€“ how did she do that? How did she get the layers to stay apart during mixing and baking? It all begins with a basic vanilla-flavored cheesecake batter. I use my classic…