At this time of year, everyone’s a cook. People who never bake are baking. We’re all on the hunt for festive recipes to make for parties or cart to potlucks. So I gathered a few of my own holiday favorites for your consideration. I make almost all of these dishes at some point between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. They are tried, retried and true. The best gougères. The best panforte (beautiful on a cheese board). The best pumpkin cheesecake. My opinion, of course, but I hope you’ll try some of these recipes and let me know what you think. All are party-ready and cheesy or intended to accompany cheese.
Read moreRight Place, Right Time
If a truffled triple-cream cheese sounds like the right thing for Valentine’s Day, keep reading. I’m going to help you make one. Whether you use fresh black truffle (best) or truffle paste (second best), the result will make you a hero. The cheese pictured here was an impromptu gift from Ken Frank, chef-owner of La Toque in Napa—talk about being in the right place at the right time—and later the chef shared a video of how he made it.
Read moreAroma Coma →
Last week at the grocery store, I watched a woman casually drop $200 on white truffles. When the clerk weighed them and announced the price, the customer didn’t flinch but I did. I got to enjoy the aroma briefly while the precious nuggets were on the scale, and that’s probably as close as I’ll get to white truffles this year.
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