Monthly Archives: November 2012

Chocolate-Dipped Candies, and Geo. Abowd & Son, Confectioners

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Candy in paper cups POST

The last time my Uncle Tom saw his father before he died, he was at the stove. Grandpa (my Jiddo who did not want to be called Jiddo, but rather the all-American Grandpa) was in his mid-80’s, and he had … Continue reading →

Posted in Stories and Recipes | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Technique: How to temper chocolate (and ourselves)

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Chocolate melt off spatula POST

Here’s the thing about chocolate: it’s a little more complicated than it seems. The more I’ve come to understand it, the more I get that we two are kindred spirits. My chocolate-making teacher, Chef Bob Hartwig at the French Pastry … Continue reading →

Posted in Techniques | 3 Comments

Ingredient: Chocolate, for dipping

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Callebaut milk block POST

If there is such a thing as the family chocolate, then ours has always been Hershey. It’s our version of a coat of arms. Hershey is what my grandfather liked and what he used in a business that has become … Continue reading →

Posted in Ingredients | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Favorite Things: A Tiered Plate Stand

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Lenox tiered plate POST

Faster than you could say Happy Tha—, my mother had cleared away the pumpkins and leaves in favor of berries, reds and greens at her house. That includes the tiered sweets plate, a favorite piece from her set of Lenox … Continue reading →

Posted in Favorite Things | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving, a Postcard

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Weque brook with Willow POST

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Picture Postcards | 9 Comments

Our Thanksgiving Menu, with little ideas, recipes and tips

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Thanksgiving table 2 POST

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. ~Khalil Gibran While cooking: Beaujolais nouveaux, fatayar nibble (made ahead). Before and … Continue reading →

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Postcard from Up North

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Dock in fall POST

Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher. -Japanese proverb (Glowing dock in fall, twilight on Little Traverse Bay, our great teacher.)

Posted in Picture Postcards | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Tart Recipe

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Chocolate pecan tart 2 POST

I present to you this prize of my recipe collection with what can only be described as…guilt. My mother recently asked what I’d be posting in the lead-up to Thanksgiving. I knew she had pie on her mind because that … Continue reading →

Posted in Stories and Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Technique: Tips for Making Caramel

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Caramel in a bowl POST

Caramel is like the fraternal twin of chocolate when it comes to making the kind of sweet you cannot, and will not, resist. Caramelization—the toasting or deep-golden-browning—of just about anything you cook, from Brussels sprouts to nuts to bread, takes … Continue reading →

Posted in Techniques | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Favorite Things: Tart Pans

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Tart pan edge 3 POST

The fluted-edged, removable-bottomed tart pan comes out to play with some frequency in my kitchen. It’s not just that I’m a sucker for the beauty of the pan, though that does have its role (who can resist such a pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Favorite Things | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Postcard from Up North

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Cut birch wood POST

New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings. ~ Lau Tzu (Birch tree in town, cut down for reasons not obvious to the naked eye. Yet it’s good to see that birches are beautiful to the core, inside and out.)

Posted in Picture Postcards | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Roasted Butternut Squash with Tahini and Pine Nuts

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Butternut squash with tahini full pan POST

In a small village in the northern mountains of Lebanon some 60 years ago, a young girl made her father’s dinner for the first time. Her dish of choice was mujadara, and the caramelized onion and lentils did just what … Continue reading →

Posted in Stories and Recipes | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Favorite Things: A Copper Gratin

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Copper gratin POST

For all of the random measuring cups and stacks of simple, well-used metal bowls we cooked with at Tante Marie’s, there were a few items in those kitchens that were spectacular show-stoppers. My favorites included the copper gratins that we … Continue reading →

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Postcard from Up North

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Cows and barn POST

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. -Ralph Waldo Emerson (Words not for the cows lining up for hay in their colorful, happy barn on Pickerel Lake Road, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Picture Postcards | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Homemade yogurt: straining for laban, labne, and labne preserved in oil

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Maureen Abood
Labne balls with za'atar POST

Now that we’ve got down the basics for making our own yogurt, we’re going to take it to the next level. Your yogurt becomes its finest once it has been strained some (or quite a bit) to remove the whey … Continue reading →

Posted in Stories and Recipes, Techniques | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments