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

Apple Cider Bundt Cake

It’s apple season in Vermont and I have a big bag of Macs sitting on my kitchen counter. We have an orchard close to our house where we can pick or buy several varieties of apples, along with freshly pressed apple cider and homemade apple cider donuts (a weakness of mine). But sometimes you’ve had one too many fried donuts. Sometimes you just want cake. Maybe you want a delicious, non-fried, warm, apple-y cake that tastes like apple cider donuts. I got you covered! This cake is so good. It’s best made in a bundt, as that type of pan… Read More

Tasting Ikaria

It was during a particularly frigid cold spell this past winter that warm and sunny thoughts of Greece began swirling around in my head. It was our fifth consecutive day of sub-zero temperatures in Vermont and I was working, holed-up in my kitchen, attempting proficiency at making homemade phyllo dough. I’m a cook, I actually enjoy that sort of thing. On that freezing day, I was craving a jolt of glittering Aegean blue, and longing for a taste of something sun-kissed and exotic; something with figs or honey. Naturally, I took a break to watch the movie, Mamma Mia. That day,… Read More

Tuna Poke Bowl with Shiso

I love a good tuna poke bowl. In Hawaii, where poke (diced raw fish) originated, you can find all different kinds, literally tubs of the stuff made fresh every day, in every supermarket deli case. Here in Vermont, when I see super fresh Ahi tuna at my local market, that’s what I think of making first. Poke is easy to make, and quick too – it’s mostly about the chopping – so sharpen your good knife for this no-cook dinner. Diced cukes and onions add a nice crunch to the soft silkiness of the tuna and avocado. Rather than the… Read More

Bulgur Salad with Feta and Garden Veggies

Here’s a great way to use your garden or farm-share veggies! Bulgur salads are a summer staple – they are so quick and easy to make and you don’t even have to cast a sidelong glance at the stove. You can whip it up fast; essentially in the time it takes for the bulgur to soften, and it’s healthy, and satisfying without being heavy. You can practically throw the kitchen sink into this salad- so have at it with whatever you’ve got on hand! I was given some veggies from a friend’s garden, so that’s what went into my version,… Read More

Phyllo Wrapped Feta

What’s not to love about this traditional Greek appetizer, a few bites of salty, melty goodness wrapped up in a crispy little package with a drizzle of local honey. Sweet and salty, my favorite combination. It’s quick to make and is perfect for a meze platter, or as a crispy addition to a cold Greek Salad on a hot day. On my last visit to the cheese counter at my local market, I counted no fewer than five feta cheeses made in Vermont. Some made from goats milk, some from sheeps milk, cows milk, or a combination. There is even… Read More

Pear Tarts with Graham Cracker Crumble

Pears, almonds and maple – they’re made for each other. I love making a classic Pear Frangipane Tart, but these little mini-tarts will deliver those beloved flavors, with the benefit of immediate gratification. And you can pick them up and eat them with your fingers, even with a scoop of maple ice cream on top, which is always a plus in my book. Pear Tarts with Graham Cracker Crumble Save Print Author: Lisa Cassell-Arms Serves: 6 tarts Ingredients ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted 3 graham crackers 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon maple syrup ⅛ teaspoon almond extract… Read More

Pistachio Spice Cake

Cake or bread? Loaf pan or springform pan? Either…or both! No matter how you (literally) slice it, this Pistachio Spice Cake is good and easy; you will eat it toasted for breakfast and then you will top it with sweetened yogurt and eat it again for dessert. The irresistible spice blend I used in this cake is called Orchidea N. 34, one of the spice blends that I ordered from La Boîte after tasting it at a recent dinner at our beloved Honey Road in Burlington VT. This special dinner featured the cooking and spice blends of Chef and spice… Read More

Panna Cotta with Rosewater Rhubarb Compote

It’s rhubarb time! This steadfast and faithful vegetable comes up dutifully year in and year out. My rhubarb plant came from a clump that my father grows, which came from a clump that his father grew, which came from a clump that his father grew. It’s the only heirloom plant that I’ve managed to keep with me (and alive) through various moves and renovations. And not for lack of abuse! I cringe when I think about the heirloom roses that proliferated on my fence, that had been originally cultivated by my grandmother (and from which she made rose petal jam)- … Read More

Dandelion Green Soufflé

As a kid, I remember my grandmother going out into the front yard with a small knife and cutting dandelion greens to braise with a little lemon and garlic for dinner. And, I also remember, I didn’t want anything to do with them. Why do we not appreciate the wisdom of our grandparents until we’re (ahem) older ourselves? She came from a Greek tradition of eating wild greens and weeds (horta), traditionally foraged among the rocky landscape of her Aegean island, and then later cut from her American, suburban (thankfully not sprayed) front yard. The collection and preparation of wild… Read More

Deep Dark Chocolate Truffle Cakes

If you are one of those people who sometimes has an immediate, deep need for chocolate, this dense, dark and bittersweet truffle cake made in mini format is just for you. It’s easy and pretty quick to make and is just the right size for one. But if you can limit yourself to only one, you’re doing better than I. Start with an excellent quality bittersweet dark chocolate (60% cacao is good, I used Ghiradelli). This is a flourless chocolate cake and is meant to be dense and rich, so be sure to bake them until just barely set,… Read More

Radish and Blood Orange Salad with Basil

Did you know that radishes and citrus go really well together!? When you adhere to the “opposites attract” theory as I do, it makes sense. Peppery, crunchy, bitter radish + sweet, sour, juicy citrus = very refreshing salad. We will soon be into spring radish season (usually in May, but I fear they will be late this year as spring has only just arrived yesterday). Not to worry, even the plain Jane red ones you can get all year long in the supermarket are good. They are an under appreciated vegetable, often appearing as limp disks (read that carefully), relegated to… Read More

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

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