I developed a serious key lime pie habit in college. I was living on Block Island for the summer, and working as a waitress in the evenings. After a long, exhausting shift in the restaurant, sweaty and tired from running in and out of a hot kitchen, I would take the longer route home so I could pass a tiny hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant. Perched above the harbor, the restaurant is run by a Maine native with a taste for excellent flat noodles, pad Thai, and oddly enough, key lime pie (a man after my own heart!). I'd order noodles and a huge slice of pie to go and cap off my meal with a handful of spicy, chewy ginger candies from a bowl on the hostess stand.
Read moreCOCONUT CHAI COFFEE CAKE
Route 1 meanders through the Big Sur region of California, segmented into various state parks and state reserves. You pass a half-mile of densely wooded hills, sunlight blocked by the sequoiadendron giganteum, the coastal redwoods. A nondescript National Park kiosk heralds a change in scenery. The next half-mile is marked by motels, signs promising lower cabin rates and tent sites “right on the river!”
Read moreAPPLE YOGURT CAKE
"I think this is the best one you've made," he said, gently scraping his fork against the white dessert plate. He gathers the crumbs in a pile and presses the fork against them -- the cake is so moist that the last bits stick together. He scoops up the last bite.
Read morePURPLE PLUM TORTE
Let's talk a little bit about comfort. Lately I've been baking a lot for comfort. If I'm feeling listless, or uncertain, it gives me a wonderfully concrete task to focus on. You have to walk to the market with purpose, and make actual choices instead of meandering with your hands in your pockets, eating too many cheese samples and asking questions like "how late are you open?", to indicate that you could possibly buy something at some distant point in the day, instead of just eating all the aforementioned samples.
Read moreCHOCOLATE MINT LAYER CAKE
I have a serious love-hate relationship with chocolate cake. I love it, because it is chocolate cake and because it makes for beautiful, impressive and dramatic desserts. I hate it, because all the recipes that claim to be the best ever seem to be the same one, which has failed me many times!
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