Sweets For The New Year

 One of the best traditions of Rosh Hashana is eating a sweet for a sweet new year. The holiday and the season lends itself to all sorts of delcious desserts.They're perfect for ending a meal or jsut having with tea or coffee.

Since this is also apple season think cakes with them as the main ingredient. The Sephardic Jews bake an apple ginger cake called tishpishti.It's a gluten free cake also made with almond and walnuts which also makes it perfect for Passover. Fuji apples are used as are cinnamon and nutmegs for a sweet spicy flavor.It's drizzled with a boozy apple jack (apple brandy) drenched syrup that also has lemon juuice, ginger and unsweeteened apple juice in it.Another cake celebrating the harvest is an apple one made with tart Granny Smith apples. Brown the sliced apples first in vegan butter or margarine along with lemon juice and two to three tablespoons of sugar. The cake batter consists of flour eggs, sugar ,baking powder canola oil and vanilla. The cooked apple slices are added to the batter and the whole mixture is baked in a springform pan for 350 degrees Farenheit for an hour . You could sprinkle demerara sugar (which can be bought at any British grocery shop) on top for crunch. For the kids  apple cupcakes are a fun idea. These have diced apples any kind and a cream cheese buttercream frosting. You can drizzle caramel on top but these are pretty good with just the frosting.

Honey plays an important part in Rosh Hashana baking.There are so many recipes regarding it. You could go with one that also has brown sugar for a deep brown color.Coffee and orange juice are added to counteract the sweetness. To match the orange-y flavor use orange blossom honey . You coulkd also sub in black tea if the coffee feels too strong tastewise. You could also use tea in a moist honey cake. again make it a s trong black one to really project its' flavor. Fresh honey can be used (whole Foods may carry this) along with such spices as nutmeg and cinnamon. large eggs are used to help the cake main tain their moistness. To make it fancier arrange almond slices on top before baking. This creates a pretty pattern on top.Honey cupcakes are also another good dessert. It's a fun and easy one that uses baking soda and baking powder to create light tender cakes. A buttercream icing may be too heavy here. Go with a whipped cream one that's an easy make.It's just whipping the cream with confectioner's sugar and a few drops of vanilla extra. Add a sprinkle of almond slivers for a more festive look.

Try something sweet for a sweet new year. It could be a cake or cupcakes  to celebrate. Use the flavors of the season to make tempting and tasty holiday desserts.

Not Your Granny's Meringues Black Sheep CBD Meringues

 Meringues have gotten a stodgy image. Mention them and people think of them gracing staid afternoon teas or being shown on The Great British Baking Show as a challenge. That's about the change thanks to Black Sheep. They've added CBD to the basic recipe and punched them up.

I love anything meringue so these caught my eye.Black Sheep meringues made by Sannte Foods an Oak Ridge Texas Company also knoiwn for their sweet Tidbit snacks.

CBD is added to the classic meringue recipe of mostly egg whites and sugar (hopefully they'll come out with an aqua faba one). This added ingredient helps in lowering inflammation and decreasing anxiety. They're the perfect snack after a hard day of for those with joint pains.

These are tiny one bite puffs which come in a wide variety of flavors. There is caramel, cappuccino ,birthday cake., cookies and cream and cotton candy as well as the classic chocolate , chocolate mint strawberry and vaniila. Be warned however. There is a slightly bitter aftertaste unlike regular meringues which have a continous sweet flavor.

The packages come in two sizes - five count which is $12.99 while the ten pack is $18.99. The smaller packs  would make fun stocking stuffers while the larger ones are perfect in fun birthday surprise baskets.

Black Sheep CBD Meringues are not your granny's meringues. They 're perfect for just kicking back and relaxing with a sweet snacl. Try them for a different take on a bakery favorite.

Topping The Toppings

 One of the best parts of making homemade pizza is adding the toppings you like. They could be traditional or over the top, simple or lush. You can also create a variety of combos that pizzerias would dare touch.It's your pie. Have fun with it.

What are tradtional toppings? Pepperoni , onion, olives and mushrooms. These are good on their own but they're great in combinations and with other toppings as well .Pepperoni goes good with mushrooms but you can also try it as part of an Italian hero topping. Add some shredded provolone , capacola and prosciutto for a different yet surprisingly traditional take. YOu can still have an onion pizza but thro in another allium such as scaalions or spring onions. These zing up the pie and give the sauce more bite. Olives are good on their own but you can also create an Italian style tapas to spoon onto the pie , sort of like a bruschetta. Mushrooms can be the usual buttins ones but baby bellas add more flavor. These wiull give the pizza a steak like flavor , perfect for vegetarians and vegans wanting a "meaty" kind of topping. You can also combine onions and mushrooms too for a different taste. Another idea is slcing up all different kinds of the fungi and using them instead of tomatoes.

Of course you can also try lusher toppings. Chef J> Kenji Alt has created a Korean-Italian fusion with buldak chicken. This recipe appeared in the new York Times Wwednesday Food section. BUldak chicken is a charred chicken coated in paste of tomatoes, gochuchang and gochugaru. The first give the meat a sweet and tangy flavor while the other is spicy.  the chicken is cooked first and then chopped into topping size pieces and placed on top of the pie. You could also tone down the fire and just top the pie with a garlicky chicken for a chicken prm vibe. Layer on more cheese for this. Steak topped pizza is a great weekend pie, perfect for those at home football parties.it's cooking the steak first with garlic and herbs. You can cut it into strips or for a better bite into smalller pieces. Kids may go crazy for hanburger pie>It's browning the meat with chopped onions first and then spooning it over the sauce. Mozzarella is then layered on the top. A lusher pie is a shrimp one. It's taking shrimp scampi and putting it on top .

Pizza toppings can be anything you want. be traditional. Be bold. Just top your pie with whatever makes it memorable.

A Taste Of Moules

 Whatt;s agood fall dish ? Moules or the American version  mussels.They're a wonderful chill chaser, stilly briny with a taste of  lingering summer. Their broth is amazing too and can even made better with simple additions like beans.

Melissa Clark experimented with this in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. MOules or mussels are excellent with a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce. Their juices cook up well with it and this is an added treat. Theyre's nothing like dipping hunks of crusty French bread in this for stretching out the dish and that lovely buttery,briny flavor. Ms Clark adds cannellini or white beans aong with rosemary springs and hot pepper flakes. There's also vegetable broth too in the recipe and the usual white wine. what is also good about this recipe is that's it's thrifty - something seafood is not these days. she can buy a rwo pound bag of mussels for around nine dollars.It's a few dollars less than shrimp and a lot less than lobster. They're also the best example of sustainable seafood too. You can buy farmed ones, constantly rated as one of the best foods to eat. Another plus about this dish it can be made in under just twenty minutes.It's a great weekend dish but can easily be whipped up on a busy weeknight.

One of the best aspects of this dish is that it's so simple evne a novice home chef can ace it. first come the beans which are briefly braised in olive oil with the red pepper flakes and garlic cloves (the recipe calls for eight of these but you can decrease if you want to tame down the garlicky flavor).If you're ambitious you cna cook your own beans, but using canned is much easier. At this point they're tender and the mussels should be added.As the mussels are steamed they release their liquid or juices which the beans soak up. THis makes them plumper and more complex. Rosemary is also added and this adds a punch of astringency.This is also when the vegetable stock and a quarter cup of white wine is added too.Keep inmind to rinse and clean the mussels before adding to the beans.Use cold running water for this and pull off the sharp hairly clumps called beards that nest around  the edge of the shells, You can use a fingernail for this but if that doesn't work then try a sharp knife. These are added and then cooked for five to eight minutes. You can serve this with a simple tomato salad or just a tossed one. For true Belgian goodness you can also serve fries with this too and dip them in the broth.

A hot bowl of moules and beans are the perfect fall dish.They're beyond delicious and easy to nake. Try a bowlof them for a tasty week day or weekend dinner.

America's Best Restaurants

 America is both a gourmand and foodie country.It's no wonder that we're home to some of the best restaurants. They're in the big cities. They grace small towns. They could be in your neighborhood. The bottom line is they offer delicious and memorable dishes.

Today's Wednesday's New York Times  Food section put out this fascinating guyide that not only mentions eateries in the US's big cities but smaller towns as well. Regular contributers such as Priya Krishna, Brett Anderson ,Kim Severson and Pete Wells to name a few. some are in big cities like Bonnies which is a favorite of Mr. Wells. Their specialty is Cantonese and Chef Calvin Eng adds American influences to his dishes like his salt and pepper squid with a hinese ranch dressing.Another Manhattan eatery  worth noting is Little Mad reviewed by Nikita Richardson. Its' highlight recipe is it' galbi, Korean grilled ribs. The city also offers The Musket Room which borrows ideas from everywhere from Spain to Lebanon to Japan. Los Angeles is another gourmand city. It has Here's Looking At You, which is favorite of contributor Tejal Rao. its' famous for its' frogs legs with salsa negra,LA. also is home to a fan favorite Kato which features Chef Jon Yao's Tainwanese dishes and tasty cocktails. Yes there are Chicago restuarants such as Dear Margaret which features the rare French Canadian menu. There is no poutine, that famed French fries and cheese dish. Instead Chefs Ryan Brousseau and lacey irby have created a smooth duck liver pate graced with pink lemon marmalade.

Smaller cities are also represented. Junco,Puerto Rico,a small town has Bacoa Finco + Fogon which features a rustic setting and good food. There is grilled shrimp over fideua with a crispy bottom. Way further north is Cafe Mutton located in Hudson New York, a bit south of Albany.It's a down home kid of place thanks to chef Shaina Loew -Bayanan's easy laid back style. You can try their fried  bologna or crepes with maple syrup.Arlington Texas has the famed Smoke "N Ash BBQ that's a fusion of Texas barbecue with Ethiopian fare thanks to owners Patrick and Fasicka Harris.Berbere spices are mixed into a spicy sauce called awaze and lacquered on brisket. Florida's sunny Coral Gables has Zitz Sim an interesting fusion eatery that Clumbian born Pablo Zitzman created. He grew up loving dim sum and teppnyaki restaurants in his native Columbia. His menu reflects it along with South Florida influences  with a guava hoisin slathered on brisket. ashland Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival offers Mas , a Japanese inspired menu with what Chef Josh dorcak calls Cascadian cuisine featuring the best of the region.

America is a food and foodie country. There are many great restuarants in this country. Check out the New York Times and visit one for a fun fall destination.

A Vegan Table For Two

 What do you cook for just two vegetarians? The easy answer would be a couple of Impossible Burgers on the grill. Yet there's a wide range of recipes out there that make for a tasty meal. For those wondering what sort of dishes  there's a new cookbook perfect for those fogoing meat. Vegan Cooking For Two 200+Recipes For Everything You Love To Eat.(American Test Kichen 2022) will guide anyone through all sorts of tasty vegan meals.

This is a great cookbook for hard core vegans and those just coming to it.Expect some good advice and cooking lessons since this comes from the PBS show America's Test Kitchen. For those plant based meat lovers there is a page devoted to it, along with recommnedations on what kinds to buy, namely Beyond Beef and Impossible Burgers. There are also recommnedations about what vegan butters to use, namely Earth Balance and Miyokos' vegan butter. They also recommnend using Just Egg egg subsritute and Hampton Creek vegan mayo (although Hellmann's Vegan mayo is just as good). There's also a dictiornary of what tools to use and how to use them as well as organizing your fridge, from the crisper to the freezer.Another plus is the section on basics. There are recipes for such vegan broths as a vegetable broth base made with a kind of mirepoix of clery, onion and onion with tomato paste. This si perfect for all sorts of soups and even stews.There are also recipes for the Arab spice mix harissa and quick pickled red onions along with tempeh crumbles and aquafaba mayonnaise. There's also recipes for vegan based ranch dressing and vegan cheeses like cashew ricotta and cashew Parmesan.These are made with cashews for a totally vegan take on cheese.

The recipes are divided into sections, from breakfast to sweets. You can start the day with classic cinnamon French toast made more or less the same way as the usual one but with the addition of conrstarch. There's also a hashbrown  omelet chock full of cripsy potatoes. Their soups are perfect for lunch or dinner and there are recipes that can take you from summer to winter. Try their chilled watermelon soup made with basil, pepper and watermelon, perfect for hot days. Ease into fall with okra pepper pot a take on the classic spicy potage.Salads abound here and they're perfect for lunch. Their beet and watrcress is a definite must make along with their warm escarole and cannellini bean salad, a perfect dish on a cool day.Orzo salad is another one.  I love their pastas There are so many recipes that have to be tried.The spaghetti with the broccoli and avocado pesto is on my radar and I'm looking foward to making campanelle with roasted cauliflower and garlic sauce, there are also tofu recipes like crispy baked tofu peperonata and grilled tofu with charred broccoli and  peanut sauce.  the cauliflower steak and grilled eggplant are perfect for week days and weekends.There are dessert recipes like  crispy chocolate chip cookies and roasted pears, perfect for fall. I am definitely making their grilled pineapple with coconut rum sauce and the individual apple galettes.

Vegan Cooking For Two 200+ Recipes For Everything You Love To Eat is a must have in any vegan kitchen. It's chock full of meatless recipes full of flavor. B

est of all they're meant for two, perfect for a cozy meal in.

Rule Britannia's Foods

 Queen Elizabeth II reigned for seventy years, being one of the best ambassadors for the United Kingdom. The foods that she loved so well are also great ambassadors to this country rich in produce, dairy and meat. There are some good recipes out there for home chefs of any nationality.

One of the best loved is the English fry up or full English  breakfast. Think of it as a breakfast or brunch on steroids. It has everything from meats to eggs to beans to veggies even.Britsh bacon whuich is thicker than American (and ours comes from on the Irish)and sorts of resembles a pork chop.It may be hard to find here so use the regular kind. You start with frying up bacon and sausage, using the bacon fat to then fry up the eggs. These are usually made sunnyside up, perfect with runny yolk for dipping butter toast slices or soliders into. There are also tomatoes in these. These are seared but you could cook them in the bacon fat too for more flavor. Mushrooms are also added and these are cooked until they're brown and caramelized (you can use whatever is left of the bacon fat ro just saute them in butter)Beans are a must, You can use what they eat in the UK, the Heinz brand but Bush's is another tasty sub in. If you want you can make it vegan with vegan sausage and bacon and use Just Eggs instead of the real thing.Definitely make a lof of toast and liberally butter it. What to drink? Tea and plenty of it. Earl Gray is the best.It's the perfect mild tea to go with all those savory flavors.

Another tasty and easy to make British recipe is Yorkshire pudding. This is recipes dates back to the 1600's and the recipe hasn't changed much since then.It did come from Northenr England where chefs devised a way to use the fat drippings from Sunday roasts. This is a basic popover recipe made with four large eggs, flour and whole milk. You should use the beef dripping from roast beef but you can also use lard, vegetable, shortening or lard. Keep in mind to make the batter over night with just the first three ingredients. The drippings will be added the next day when you are cooking the roast. You will need special popover pans to bake them at 400 degrees Farenheir for ten to twelve mi nutes. Fill them up with gravy and eat with thick slices of roast beef.What about dessert? You could make any of the steamed puddings. These can be labor intensive  though and  best saved for the holidays. For a good week day or weekend sweet think about syllabub. This is a kind of zabaglione like pudding of white wine and heavy cream. The wine and sugar are first cooked over a low heat. This is stirred cosntantly until the sugar is dissolved. add the half and half once the sugared wine is off the stove and beat until frothy. Serve with whipped cream and nutmeg for a lovely and light dessert.

Queen Elizabeth was a constant in British life for seventy years. The foods of this great country are also  mainstays providing taste and comfort. Try them for a taste of British goodness.Queen