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Cakes and Pies

New Orleans Chocolate Pecan Pie

Can you describe New Orleans in a word or two? It's impossible. The city has more identities, more nicknames than any other place....The Big...

Intensely Dense Ginger Cake

I wonder if the ginger gene is dominant? No, no, not the Prince Harry, Nicole Kidman, Ed Sheeran kind of ginger gene. The one...

Ricotta Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Ricotta Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Recipe Type: Dessert Author: Adapted from Proud Italian Cook Serves: 8 Ingredients 1 1/2 cups cake flour 2 1/2 teapoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 6 oz...

Almond Torte (Torta Rustica di Mandorle) and Breakfast in Sicily

  Breakfast may be our favorite meal in Sicily. A surprising statement about a place that created cannoli, cassata and Marsala. Breakfast in Ortygia, Agrigento and...

Torta di Ricotta (Ricotta Pound Cake)

Family celebrations -baby showers, engagement parties and birthdays- call for a spectacular dessert. It's a special occasion! The recipe shouldn't be TOO fussy, though,...

Fresh Berry Tart

I have a confession to make. Yes,  I need to reveal this awkward, little secret, because anybody who's read both Fitzgerald and Philippa knows...

Crème Pâtissière

Crème Pâtissière (Custard Filling) Recipe Type: Dessert Author: Adapted from Julia Child Ingredients 1 cup sugar 5 egg yolks 1/2 cup flour 2 cups boiling milk 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla...

Julia Child’s Pie Crust (Páte Brisée Sucrée)

Julia Child's Pie Crust (Páte Brisée Sucrée) Author: Adapted from Julia Child For one 8-9 inch pastry shell. Ingredients 1 1/3 cups flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons...

Fresh Apricot Pie

  It's apricot season! That means our love affair with with the fruit comes Stateside. Here's a version with only the simplest ingredients, basically fresh...

Bourbon Lovers Mississippi Mud Cake

The Kee kids used to beg for Mississippi Mud Cake every birthday. Since their cousins did, too, we would eat this gooey, chocolate dessert...