Seasons in Vermont | A Vermont food, drink and travel blog

Blood Orange Meringue Tart

In the 80’s, during my Silver Palate phase, I bought a blow torch. Not a cute little Williams Sonoma kitchen-sized torch, but a scary looking industrial thing that I found at a restaurant supply store in Brooklyn, one that needed to be ignited with a match. I was living at the time in a tiny Brooklyn apartment over a deli, and the torch, from end to end, was almost half as long as my entire kitchen. My slip of a countertop was chipboard, painted flammable brown. Probably not to code. Needless to say, torching my trendy 1980’s creme brûlées in… Read More

Orange Blossom Madeleines

We’re in the grip of another big snowstorm here in Vermont. From where I sit, there is no wind and it’s dead silent outside. The snow isn’t heavy yet, it’s fine and light and looks like confectioner’s sugar being sifted from above. It’s beautiful. And quiet. Ok, I’m hungry. So what would be a nice little snack to go with a cup of tea on a snowy day? Madeleines. I love them. They’re just as adorable as french macarons, but a million times easier to make. And they can be made in all kinds of flavors and combinations. You will need… Read More

Herbed Pita Bread (Greek Flatbread)

Store bought pita bread simply does not compare to home made. Not even close. And believe me when I tell you the home made version is actually easy to make! While it is a yeast dough, this recipe only requires one short rise so you can go from dough to pita in practically under an hour. And once you taste this, you will not want to eat the stuff in plastic ever, ever again. The pita we fell in love with in Greece a few years back did not have a pocket. It was a fluffy Greek flatbread that was… Read More

Pistachio and Coconut Baklava

My grandmother and her sister, my great-aunt, both came to this country from the tiny Greek island of Tenedos (now called Bozcaada, which is part of Turkey, and just so happens to be on the New York Times list of 52 places to see in 2017! I hope to make it in 2018.) They were in their late teens when they immigrated to the United States on their own, bringing with them traditions from their island and a desire to build a life in America. I grew up calling them both “Yia Yia”. They shared a duplex in Albany NY, so… Read More

Gnocchi with Vodka Sauce, Smoked Mozzarella and Crispy Prosciutto

I love light and fluffy gnocchi but all too often my attempts at making them at home have resulted in slightly heavier than desired (read: little leaden lumps..) and not the ethereal, fluffy little pillows I know and love. I really wanted to learn the technique for making a consistently delicious and light gnocchi so I headed over to Craftsy Cooking and purchased the online class: How to Make Gnocchi Like a Pro with Gerri Sarnataro. Wow, what an epiphany! I am blaming my potato masher for all my past frustrations. It turns out there are a few basic tips to… Read More

Mini Apple-Maple Crisp with Salted Caramel Sauce

I’m a little bit snowed in today. The snowplow left a nice big pile for me at the top of our steep driveway, so while I contemplate looking for the snow shovel (..I saw it last year) and trudging my way up the hill to dig out, I figured I’d bake something instead. Well, isn’t that what you’d do? These mini apple-maple crisps are decadently delicious, and when topped with Vermont granola, vanilla ice cream and quick, easy-to-make salted maple caramel sauce, it’s an over the top dessert that’s perfect for your holiday dinner, or as something to indulge in… Read More

Grittibänz – Swiss Bread Men

There are so many great things to love about Switzerland. Chocolate, Emmentaler cheese, fondue, Roger Federer, Raclette cheese, precision timepieces, Gruyère cheese, Swiss banks, Roger Federer, stunning mountains, rösti, alpine hiking, .. did I mention Roger Federer…? Lucky for me, I have a good friend who is Swiss. Whenever Pamela comes back from a trip to Switzerland, she always brings back wonderful goodies from her home country, like chocolates, cookies, and biscuits. She’s also a fabulous cook and baker who knows a lot about Swiss food traditions (and incidentally hits a mean tennis ball). Last week she invited me to spend a fun morning in… Read More

Lobster and Veggie Chowder

Soup season is here! Now that temperatures have plunged to a more seasonable mid-20’s, a steaming bowl of chowder would hit the spot. As a New Englander, I love all kinds of chowder. The other day I was looking through pictures from a recent trip to Maine and they got me thinking about (and craving) a really good clam chowder we ate at Peter Ott’s restaurant on the waterfront in Camden. They do chowder really well there. Not overly heavy or rich, but full of warmth and flavor, and super fresh clams of course. But for my first chowder of the… Read More

Sausage and Chèvre Stuffed Acorn Squash

All of a sudden the leaves have turned. Just a week and a half ago Vermont was all green and I was wearing flip flops. Now my backyard glows yellow as the morning sun shines through the trees, and electric reds and oranges punctuate the woods around me. Definitely my favorite time of year. The crisp chill in the air is energizing – so energizing in fact that I was moved to plant 200 tulip bulbs yesterday, and my back is ticked off at me today for the effort. I planted a combination of early and late blooming, single and… Read More

Vermont Apple and Maple Sugar Tart

This crispy, buttery, maple-y apple tart with a silky, maple pastry cream filling is doused in caramel. It is my first in a series of Eat-Local recipes that I’m making as part of the Slow Food Eat Local Challenge (see more about that below). I love cooking in season with regional ingredients, so here’s my chance to share some love with many of my favorite food-producing Vermonters! Check out the list and links to my local resources below. Wikipedia describes Slow Food as “…an organization that promotes local food and traditional cooking. It was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 and has since… Read More

Five Spice Buttercup Squash Pie

Our farmer-in-training daughter dropped by the other day with a bag of gorgeous stuff – some produce she’d just harvested that didn’t happen to make the cut to sell at the local farmers market. Score for me! Beautiful, striped Delicata squash and buttercup squash along with white and purple scallions, peppers of many colors and apples. I’ve seen more unique and different varieties of squash this season than ever before. Maybe a perk of having a farmer in the family? But really, who knew there were so many types of squash. The world of winter squash in particular is so diverse… Read More

Peaches and Cream Cheese Tart with Basil

Vermont peaches are back! After a dismal year in 2016 for the stone fruit crop (due to a couple of early spring deep freezes that virtually decimated the peach crop), Vermont peaches and plums have made a rousing comeback this year. We’re having a great Indian summer, a lovely stretch of hot, sunny weather and the peaches (and wine grapes) are loving it. The peach trees I’ve seen are loaded with big, heavy, perfect fruit. There’s such a short window for stone fruit here in Vermont, that I for one intend to make the most of it by beating multiple… Read More

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