Recipes

  • Kaiserschmarren (Emperor’s Nonsense)
    Now is the perfect time to start practicing your Kaiserschmarren to be ready for the Kaiser’s birthday celebration on August 18th. Kaiserschmarren – literally, “Kaiser’s nonsense”, is famously argued over in terms of its origin. One story tells that it was dinnertime at the palace and there wasn’t much left in the way of food
  • Life Saving Dal
    This recipe is called “Life Saving Dal.”  I can attest to the accuracy of the title. It’s the one thing I feel like eating every day, especially while I’m social distancing and sequestering myself at home. A self-proclaimed lentil-lover, I find this dish to be the perfect comfort food. I always add a fried egg
  • Prasselkuchen – Streusel Jam bars (Berlin)
    Ingredients for the Crust 2 cups flour 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 10.5 tablespoons European-style butter (I use Plugra*) – with high butterfat content, at room temperature 1 egg yolk grated peel of 1/2 lemon 1 teaspoon water *Note- Plugra bars are double the size of traditional butter sticks which are
  • Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce from The Bon Ton Cafe
    For the Pudding 6 ounces stale French bread with crust (I used a mix of ciabatta and challah) 2 cups milk 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 7  tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temp 4 tablespoons vanilla extract 1/4 cup raisins For the Whiskey Sauce 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 stick butter, melted 1/2-3/4
  • Pecan Praline Popcorn Treats
    Ingredients 1 ¼ cups sugar 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into bits ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted in a 350 degree oven for 4-5 minutes (watch carefully so they don’t burn) ½ tsp cider vinegar ¼ tsp salt 8 cups plain popped popcorn cayenne pepper to taste, if desired Directions Oil a 9″ square
  • Grand Marnier Souffles
    One of the two most memorable bites from my sailing aboard Her Majesty Queen Mary 2 was this souffle. I think it’s delicious even without the warm creme anglaise that was ladled into the center. And the “wow” factor is huge compared to the very modest investment of time required to create these light, airy,
  • Lao Roasted Peanut Appetizer
    The very first, and thus, most memorable thing I ate while in Laos was the spicy peanuts served upon arrival at the Villa Maly for our “Welcome Treatment”. We encountered similar versions again in Cambodia, but I really wanted to recreate the Laotian dish. Thanks to Executive Chef Rasika Weerasinghe from the Villa Maly who
  • Orange Almond Cake
    The cake hails from Tuscany and we (the cake and I) became instant best friends at a recent dinner party. On this occasion, I met a group of women who had recently travelled together to Italy. While there, they participated in a cooking class and this was the grand finale of their home-cooked meal.  Luckily
  • Töltött Káposzta (Stuffed Cabbage)
    Romanians call this dish Sarmale. However since I visited a Hungarian village cabbage festival, we’re going with their title. Stuffed cabbage varieties abound throughout Eastern and Central Europe- other names include holubky (Czech), holishkes (Yiddish), goÅ‚Ä…bki (Polish), and balandeliai (Lithuanian). In the German language I grew up with, they are known as Kohlrouladen. The recipe
  • Bundestag Caramel Nut Torte
    This delectable nut cake is a local specialty of the Engadine region. It’s eaten on august 1st and all year round. The nusstorte features ingredients plentiful in this area -walnuts, honey, cream, and kirsch, a distilled cherry brandy. It’s my very favorite cake and if you know me, that’s saying a lot! 1 prepared pie
  • Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
    You can use any kind of ice cream and any kind of cookies as long as they are sturdy enough not to absorb the ice cream. You want crunchy cookies and ideally, since they should be “bite size”, not the monster ones they sell in the glass case at the delicatessen. You could make your
  • Watermelon Gazpacho
    A delicious watermelon gazpacho, which is truly Summer in a Bowl. It comes together in minutes in a food processor, looks glam enough to serve your guests, and the flavors are anything but one-note. I love it with fresh tortilla chips. This recipe originated from Chef Richie De Mane at my favorite local restaurant, Pearl
  • Tante Loni’s Vanille Kipferl
    These Kipferl are the quintessential taste of Vienna. A perfect bite, they offer sweetness, crunch, and a pleasing nutty texture all wrapped up in a playful crescent moon shape. Nothing goes better with a cup of Vienna’s legendary coffee. Makes about 6 dozen Ingredients: 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter 2/3 cup sugar 1 ¾