The excess amount of heavy cream in this cheesecake gives it a velvety texture and cooking the cheesecake in a water bath takes it to the next level.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
There is something magical about a warm chocolate chip cookie. Add a glass of whole milk, and it takes the experience to another level. So why not try my hand at homemade chocolate chip cookies?
Sweet Potato and Pimento Cheese Frittata
One of my favorite things to do with holiday leftovers is make quiche. And what more perfect of a leftover to be used for quiche than honey baked ham?This recipe is a perfect example of a “what’s in my refrigerator” frittata.This recipe is a perfect example of a “what’s in my refrigerator” frittata. Susan had brought me a large serving of her pimento cheese (which is delicious on a ritz cracker with a glass of cabernet sauvignon). I also happened to have a mountain of sweet potatoes on my kitchen island. And since sweet potatoes go with anything, why not combine them with pimento cheese and eggs?
Marinara
While my marinara differs from Clemenza’s and most traditional Italian recipes, it has evolved over the last twenty years into a flavor that is woven into the proverbial fabric of my kitchen. I like the sweetness that the onions and carrots give to the acidic tomatoes and wine. I have made this sauce without the wine just to meet comments that my sauce tasted less delicious.
Ham and Cheese Quiche
One of my favorite things to do with holiday leftovers is make quiche. And what more perfect of a leftover to be used for quiche than honey baked ham? Whether it be Christmas or Easter, my mom loves to bring over a honey baked ham. We all thought this was especially ironic when she first started doing it…since my husband is Jewish. But my husband doesn’t abide by the culinary exclusions of his religious upbringing and instead delights in the crunchy sweetness of the honey baked ham. His first bite is accompanied by an audible crunch and then an almost banal “uuummmmm” (minus the y-) followed by “this is just so good.”
Gingerbread Cookies
I have always loved gingerbread cookies and over the past twenty years have tried several different recipes for my Christmas cookie bags. This is a lovingly adapted recipe from the now defunct Gourmet Magazine. It is the best that I have stumbled upon in terms of the balance of the spices and the degree of fluffiness. It is also a very forgiving dough…so you can mess up and re-roll it several times which is great for toddlers.
Shrimp Pasta
On our honeymoon in Eleuthra, we ate at a restaurant owned by Italians where I was scolded for asking for cheese with my shrimp and squid. I was internally hand gesturing to them through my eyes – but I’m Sicilian – we love to combine cheese with seafood. Arguably, anytime you add a pesto to seafood you are marrying cheese and seafood with a delicious result. So why all the snobbery with combining seafood with cheese? I hope that this version of shrimp pasta helps you reconsider the antiquated rule of not topping seafood with cheese.