What's In Season: Pears

Apple season is in full swing, but don't let that distract you from autumn's more understated and elegant fruit. The luscious pear is in all of it's glory right now. From the sweet, juicy Anjou to the tiny, cinnamon-scented Seckel, there's a spectrum of flavors, textures and aromas to choose from. Visit your local farmers market and have fun checking out varieties you're not familiar with. Who knows? The next time you get a hankering for pie, you might find yourself peeling pears instead of apples!

Pairs well with:

• Almond
• Apple
• Caramel
• Chestnut
• Chocolate
• Citrus
• Ginger
• Vanilla
• Walnut

What to make/eat:

1. Poached Pears- Peel pears and bring to a simmer in a large pot with about 2 1/2 cups red wine, 1/2 cup of sugar, a cinnamon stick and any other warming spices you feel like adding (cardamom would be nice). Stir to dissolve the sugar and reduce the heat to low, cooking the pears until tender. If making ahead, store the pears in their poaching liquid.

2. Honey Roasted Pears- Peel, core and coarsely chop pears. Toss with honey, the seeds of a vanilla bean and a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Roast at 375 degrees until fragrant and slightly toasted, about 15-20 minutes. Top with a dollop of creme fraiche.

3. Brown Butter Pear Crisp- Make a crisp topping by mixing together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup of chopped nuts of your choice (almonds, walnuts or pecans would all work) and a 1/4 teaspoon salt. Melt 3/4 stick butter and slowly drizzle it into the dry ingredients. Stir until large crumbs form. Peel, core and chop pears. Toss with 1/3 cup sugar, 1 TBSP flour, 1/4 tsp salt and the seeds of a vanilla pod. Melt 1/2 stick of butter, swirling the pan, until it becomes brown and fragrant. Mix the brown butter in with the pears. Pour the filling into a baking dish, top with the crumble and bake at 400 for 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling. Try your best to let the crisp cool before you dig in!

Back to School Baking

This time of year always makes me feel like a kid again. With a bit of melancholy, I know the freewheeling days of summer are over. But it's the start of a new year, so to speak, and good things are ahead! Fall schedules tend to be more hectic, so what's the answer to this change in season? What kind of desserts will get us through? Simple ones. The kinds of treats you craved when you were a kid. And the kinds of desserts you can make once and enjoy for the next month.

Here are a few lunchbox-friendly ideas:

* Make a double batch of your favorite cookie dough (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar). Bake a few cookies right away, for instant gratification, then shape the rest of the dough into a log. Wrap well in plastic and freeze. Slice and bake the rest of the cookies whenever you have time... or get a craving.

* Did you know you can freeze brownies? Not that a pan of them is very hard to polish off, but it's good to know in case you'd like to keep some extras on hand. Bake a second pan, portion them out, wrap individually in plastic and freeze. Who knows? You might love the frozen kind even more.

* Granola is one of those borderline breakfast items. Depending on what you mix into it, you might actually consider it a dessert. Whatever you call it, fall is the perfect time to whip up a big batch. Stock up on ingredients in the bulk section of your grocery store and double or triple your recipe. You can freeze whatever you don't plan to eat within a week.

What are you baking this fall?

Apple Pie Season

Image via Time Out New York magazine

It's September, which marks the official start of Apple Pie Season (in my book). The markets are ripe with heirloom varieties of all shapes and sizes–and it's finally cool enough to turn on your oven! To get you inspired, here's a link to my entry in Time Out New York's best apple pie contest from a few years back: Farmers' Market Cortlandt Apple Pie with Pecan-Oatmeal Streusel. It won a not-too-shabby third place. 

Here's hoping it will inspire a pie bake-off of your own! 

The Last Photo Shoot

Big sigh. A week ago I wrapped up the very last photo shoot for my forthcoming cookbook. One year of recipe testing, baking, and styling over the course of five shoots... I can't believe it's over! Well, almost over. I'm finishing up my manuscript and doing some final recipe tweaking in New Orleans this week. After that, it's on to book design, marketing plans and publicity tours. And eventually I'll get to share some sneak peeks with you. 

Until then, here are some photos from the last shoot:

My über-talented photographer, Pernille Pedersen, and prop stylist, Michelle Wong, inspect the backdrop to make sure it's perfect.

It always amazes me how differently the shot appears on a computer screen. We nailed this one!

Here I am, garnishing a very adorable ice cream cake. After we got the shot, everyone whipped out their iPhones to take a picture. 

At the end of the first day we shot a new header for the blog. My assistant, Junita Bognanni, and I couldn't resist posing next to it (and yes, it was not easy getting up off that floor...).

The last shot! We ended with a trio of spumoni-inspired brioche ice cream sandwiches.

After cleaning and packing up, we walked down the street for a celebratory meal at Buttermilk Channel. Thank you ladies!! I couldn't have done it without you. Until the next project...

Kickstart Cissé!

The race is on! From now until September 9th, Cissé Trading Co. is raising $20,000 on Kickstarter to complete our first production run. We've sourced the best fair trade cocoa we could find from the Dominican Republic, spent countless hours perfecting our recipes, and now we need your help to get our mixes in stores this fall. 

Check out the video above and click on our Kickstarter Project to learn more.

We have some awesome–and oh so sweet–rewards for our backers. A surprise dessert recipe card? The entire Cissé product line delivered to your doorstep? A private baking lesson with me? Click here to check out all the options.

You can help us make it to the finish line by spreading the word. Post a link to to your Facebook page, Tweet it to your followers, and pass the message on to your sweets-loving friends. Please don't forget, Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing model. Let's keep the momentum going until we've reached our goal. Then we can all celebrate with a big plate of Cissé brownies!

Thank you to Serious Eats for the shout-out and thanks to all who've already supported us!!

2012 Good Food Awards

Image via Good Food Awards

Calling all candy lovers!

I'm a judge for this year's Good Food Awards in San Francisco. It's an award that recognizes food producers across the country for both good taste and socially responsible production. New this year is the confection category. That's where you come in! Know of anyone making all-around awesome candy? Better yet, are you making artisinal candy that you'd like to introduce to the wider world (or see on Whole Foods' shelves)? If so, check out the Good Food Award entry form here. And pass the word on. I would love to taste your confections come October!

What's In Season: Peaches

Is there anything more intoxicating than a ripe peach? The scent alone is sensory overload. And that's before you bite into the tangy, sweet flesh, letting the juices dribble down your chin (there's just no ladylike way to properly enjoy a peach). Since last week I've been keeping a bowl of them on my kitchen table. And I'll probably keep that bowl full right up until this delicious part of summer ends. Peaches are in season late July through early August. So go fill up your fruit bowl now!

Pairs well with:

• Raspberries, blueberries and blackberries
• Herbs, such as basil, thyme, lavender and cilantro
• Bourbon
• Honey
• Vanilla

What to make/eat:

1. A classic lattice-top peach pie

2. A rustic cobbler. Try adding blackberries or blueberries into the mix.

3. Cut peaches in half, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and grill. Drizzle with honey, and top with ice cream or mascarpone.

4. Make an old school Peach Melba: simmer halved peaches in water, sugar and a split vanilla bean. Serve the poached peaches with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce (blend fresh raspberries with sugar and a bit of lemon juice).

5. For a spin on raw peaches, slice and then macerate with the finely chopped herb of your choice.