Ashley English is one of a new classification of friends that entered my life a few years: Internet Friends. People who I know through their blogs and correspondence but have not yet met in person. Often these relationships become real-life friendships, but it hasn’t happened yet with Ashley, we live in different parts of the country. Someday!

What you all should know about Ashley is that she’s awesome. I love following her life and creative output on her blog, and I love reading her books to learn how to do more things myself.

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I’m back!

October 2011 will go down as one of the greatest months of my life. It was all so good. I’ll share more soon, but for now let’s get right back into baking.

Traveling at the start of Autumn had me in constant awe of the bounty of food at the markets in Europe and happy(ish) to return to my kitchen and actually make something. I missed cooking! I returned to a pile of magazines, many with turkeys on the cover.

As soon as cool air flows into town, I start thinking about Thanksgiving. I use October and November as recipe testing time. Everything I try is an audition for a spot at the Thanksgiving table. Auditions have begun. read more+++

I promised you a blueberry galette.

Blueberries are Bryan’s favorite fruit. I  could not even come close to making that claim (peaches!), but I like them. And I like to keep him happy, so I try to fit in some blueberry recipes whenever they are in season. A few years ago I famously made a blueberry cake when he was out of town, and am still hearing about it. So, guilt is involved, too. read more+++

I’m not sure how rhubarb and strawberry became such a famous couple. For me, rhubarb and raspberry are the superior pairing.

I know, I know- rhubarb and strawberries are the first “fruits” of spring and it makes sense that they hang out together. And yes, they are delicious. But raspberry adds a deep jamminess that really elevates the tart rhubarb and makes a perfect duo. I say this, in part, because of this insanely good raspberry and rhubarb crostata that helped make our memorial day weekend memorable.

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The quince is a beautiful fruit. The astringent cousin of apples and pears, it requires cooking to make it palatable. Cooking also magically turns the apple-like white flesh, to a ruby red/pink color. Ta-da! Quince are in season right now and it is a perfect time to try this beautifully perfumed fruit (it is one of my favorite smells!). The most common kitchen application is to make a jam or paste, which is delicious alongside a slice of salty cheese, like Manchego. But quince also find their way into baked goods like this biscuit pie.

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The first recipe I ever posted to this site was one for sour cherry pie. It remains one of my favorite recipes and probably one of the least viewed posts ever. Not even one little comment! I was writing to myself back then before I had all of you wonderful people to share recipes with.

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I usually plan menus in reverse. I start with what I want to make for dessert and then worry about the rest of the meal later. Since I was working around a Southern Barbecue theme for Bryan’s birthday, I knew I wanted a layer cake. I ended up making John Besh’s Père Roux’s Cake which was really good, but a little too sweet for me. It is a white layer cake filled with layers of a banana-rum-caramel and topped with cream cheese frosting, I have some ideas for adjustments on the cake and will likely share my version in the future. For those of you interested in giving it a try, the recipe is available here. If you have his beautiful cookbook, My New Orleans, note that there is a major error in the printed recipe. It calls for 3 tablespoons of baking powder! A version in Food & Wine calls for 1 tablespoon so I went with that. In addition to the cake, this was the perfect time for a pecan pie.

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I’ve already mentioned how much I loved my meal at Rustic Canyon Wine Bar in Santa Monica. I especially loved the desserts we had there and was excited to rediscover this recipe I had bookmarked from Zoe Nathan, the pastry chef at both Rustic Canyon and Huckleberry. I love citrus and am especially fond of blood oranges but often I don’t like the taste of cooked citrus—it can lose its brightness really quickly. I was skeptical about this recipe, which is why it had been on hold for so long. But when the ice cream I had planned for dessert fell through because I forgot to freeze the bowl of the ice cream maker—I decided to finally give this tart a try.

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I live! And not only do I live, I made a pretty amazing raspberry tart.

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Three day weekends are pretty great. Especially the Friday before they start. Always feels like an assembly day in high school. Things are different—a break from the routine. There is a nice energy in the air and the weekend feels like it will last forever. This particular holiday weekend is especially exciting because it marks the unofficial start of summer. People fire up their barbecues and spend time outdoors. I’m looking forward to an extra day off as much as anyone and am looking forwarding to some good food and friends. This strawberry pie was a good way to get started. It is like a fantasy of what we should all be eating on Memorial Day weekend.

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