Encounters with Beauty and Grace
This recipe was gifted to me by a beautiful woman from Bechtheim, Germany. Martina’s delicious “Fantasy Blueberry Cake” was served when I interviewed her daughters, Janine and Jasmin. I followed her instructions precisely and was left with a beautiful tender cake topped with billows of …
Like the gnarled wines four generations have planted, nurtured and cultivated in the Rheinhessen village of Bechtheim, sisters Janine Brüssel and Jasmin May were bestowed the ingredients to not only thrive, but flourish. You would be hard pressed not to fall in love with these …
I can still hear her wobbly voice as she’d whisper with a coquettish grin, “I’ll have a Manhattan, straight up!” This octogenarian and her husband reserved the same table every Wednesday evening at the country club where I waited tables in Upstate New York. I’ll …
It was a bit of a shock waking up to an email saying our landlords were moving back to Germany from Switzerland. Covid. Who could blame them for wanting to come back to their home, since borders have been mostly closed since last year? “Home”, …
Cookie Butter Buttercream Ingredients: -1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) -1 cup Biscoff Cookie Butter (smooth, not crunchy) -2 cups confectioners’ sugar (sifted is best) -3 Tablespoons heavy cream (room temperature) Instructions: In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until …
This cake is pure comfort and purely comforting. Be prepared, it will ensconce your home with the warm aromas of Autumn. Enjoy. ½ cup white sugar ½ apple sauce 1 egg 1 cup molasses 1 ½ cups spelt flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons …
Hildegard of Bingen was the inspiration for using spelt. This 12th century abbess believed this ancient grain was a central ingredient in battling melancholy and exhaustion. It’s 2020 and we’re in the mist of a pandemic, say no more. Sold! The following recipe was a …
This Persian rice is meant to be a side dish, but it really doesn’t need an accompaniment. It’s savory, sweet and filling. The combination of pistachios, currants and mint transport taste-buds to the Middle East, without the hassle of packing and jet-lag. Preparation is easy: Saute …
(Above image of the Wiesbaden Kurhaus, 2019) Where I live in Germany, a slight crisp is in the air. Plump pears and apples are falling from branches, chimneys puff at dusk and corduroy pants are beginning to rustle. I found a recipe that exudes the …
“What I like to think, and perhaps it is an adolescent thought, is that anything can happen. As long as you think that anything can happen, it will. We’re all allowed to have our dreams.” ~ Anjelica Huston Like an exotic bird in a …