TIP OF THE DAY: S’mores DIY Dessert Party Bar

Above: Just one of the options for a s’mores party bar. Image courtesy McCormick.   Since the Girl Scouts popularized s’mores (the first published recipe is in their 1927 handbook), they have been a happy tradition around the campfire. Two marshmallows toasted on a stick, a square of chocolate and two graham crackers make a…
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RECIPE: Crème Pâtissière, Pastry Cream

A cream puff stuffed with crème pâtissière, pastry cream. Photo by Stu Spivak | Wikimedia.   When we published an earlier tip for a brambleberry tart, we went to link to a recipe for crème pâtissière—pastry cream—and discovered we hadn’t published one. Zut alors! So here we remedy the situation, and also explain some of…
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JULY 4th: American Flag Cherry-Blueberry Pie

As American as blueberry and cherry pie. Photo courtesy Centerville Pie Company.   If you’re planning for July 4th festivities, here’s a fun food idea from Centerville Pie Company of Centerville, Massachusetts: an American flag pie. Prepare your favorite blueberry and/or cherry pie recipe. The Centerville Pie bakers fill the pie crust 3/4 with cherry…
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FOOD HOLIDAY: National Donut Day & A Cronut Recipe

June 7th is National Donut Day. The holiday was created in 1938 by the Salvation Army, to honor the women who served donuts to servicemen in World War I (at that time, it was called the Great War). From its first appearance in 17th-century English, the word evolved from dough-nut to doughnut to donut (see…
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WEDDINGS: Religieuses, A Wedding Cake Alternative

The bride and groom are cream puffs. Photo courtesy Dominique Ansel Bakery.   Don’t want a wedding cake or cupcake tree? Check out these religieuses (ray-lee-ZHOOZE), from French pastry chef Dominique Ansel, who currently provides New Yorkers with dazzling desserts. A religieuse is a pastry made from two cream puffs, one larger, one smaller, joined…
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