Recipes and Cooking

Truffle  The truffle is a mycorrhizal fungus that forms a symbiotic relationship with its host tree. Each truffle species has its preferences in hosts; the black Perigord truffle grows primarily on oaks and filberts. The...

What makes a Cake Rise? To stop the cake in the event of it sinking (or rising and then deflating upon cooling), It is essential to know the causes of a cake rise. Take a...

Cakelet Recipes What is Cakelest? The Cakelet is a Crossover Between a Pancake and an Omelet. Large celebration cakelet recipes made up of many small cakelets look very elegant. The croquembouche is a French wedding tradition. American...

Raspberry Picking Tips The best season for raspberry picking is fall. There are still some June-bearing varieties such as the popular, ruby-colored Latham. Many have been replaced by everbearers. Raspberry Picking Picking fragile raspberry from your own canes is...

Starfruit Ay, carambola! Or, in plain English, "Hey, starfruit!" This golden, tropical fruit gets its name because, when sliced, each slice is shaped like a star. Commonly used as a snappy-looking garnish at fine restaurants,...

Tahini  Tahini frequently appears in recipes throughout "Jerusalem," as well as in Mr. Ottolenghi's other cookbooks, "Plenty," "Ottolenghi," and his latest, "Plenty More," out this week. "Its creamy, smooth nuttiness makes it as wonderful drizzled over a...

Boysenberry What is a boysenberry? Rudolph Boysen, a SoCal amateur horticulturist, developed the flavorful boysenberries, a mix of blackberries, raspberries, or loganberries. Walter Knott made them popular by selling them fresh at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena...

Winter Melon The winter melon is available all year, but its peak season is in the summer. The name is a mystery. Bruce Cost's book "Asian Ingredients" explains that the name comes from mature green skin's "waxy,...

Juneberry What is a juneberry? It's a dark purple berry that is slightly larger than a blueberry but has a more apple-cherry taste, firmer texture, and tiny seeds inside that impart an almond essence. In midwestern...

Christmas Hat Cupcakes You'll be busy with holiday parties, cookie exchanges, gift shopping, party hopping, and trimming the tree. It's easy to feel exhausted from all the tasks involved. You can make Christmas desserts that...