Caramel Apples w/Toasted Almonds

Want to see a tableful of people light up like a bunch of 8 year olds? Serve caramel apples for dessert. Depending on how chill your crowd is, caramel apples can be an awesome—and totally...

New England Harvest Turnover

Step-by-step instrux for making sweet and savory turnovers, stuffed with apple, bacon, and cheddar cheese--and fragrant with warm spices.

Maple Roasted Figs

I put figs in the same camp as black licorice: People love them—or hate them. There never seems to be a middle ground. If you're in the first group, then man-oh-man, are you in for...

Poached Pears with Spiced Caramel

If you know me, you know that I'm not a huge fan of making fussy desserts. Creamy. Buttery. Rich. Yes. But fussy, not my speed. (Don't get me wrong, I love fancy pastry, but life's...
slice of compound butter

Drunken Cranberry Orange Compound Butter

(Last updated: November 2021) This drunken cranberry orange compound butter is the perfect addition to any holiday or special occasion table.  The stuff is just too easy to make—and too darned good. What is compound butter? If...
Loaf of orange pound cake

Orange Pound Cake

Warning: Baking this cake will fill your kitchen with the irresistible smell of oranges. This is a slightly modified version of a recipe I saw recently in Saveur. It's a buttery pound cake shot through with freshly grated orange zest and soaked with sweet orange syrup.

How to Make Candied Fruit Peel

Candied fruit peel is one of those miraculous acts of culinary alchemy. You take tough, bitter fruit rind that's packed with oil you could use to polish your furniture, and, thanks to the magic of sugar, transform it into heavenly, fragrant candy.

Concord Grape Jam

Concord grapes are the very same little purple wonders that give Welch's grape juice its signature flavor. Here's how to turn those jewels into jam.

Italian Prune Plum Crumble

I have to admit: Until recent years, I was scared to death of these little things. Are you kidding me: "Prune" in the same sentence with "dessert?" No, thank you. I didn't get over it until well into my late twenties. And I'm still kicking myself that it took me that long.

No-Cook Strawberry Ice Cream

You can make this easy, no-cook strawberry ice cream in your blender. (No cooking required!) The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze.