This is one of those recipes you can whip up on a work night, or serve to company. Salmon is special. It takes well to baking, grilling, smoking, roasting. If you’re like me, you try to squeeze it into your diet when you can because of its rich, delectable flavor and because it’s incredibly good for you, packed with omega-3s and healthy fats.

And dukkah. This Egyptian spice-nut-herb mixture is a revelation. It’s salty and crunchy and savory and perfect for for livening up so many foods. I think it’s a great complement for slow-roasted salmon, its toasty-nutty-cuminyness adding complex flavors and texture.  Continue reading →

Here’s one of my all-time favorite breakfasts: Apricot-Ginger Steel-Cut Oats. It’s easy, it’s do-ahead, it’s adaptable, and it’s delicious. We all have great intentions for eating a good breakfast everyday–or at least eating breakfast–and with this recipe you can. It’s a basic soaked/cooked steel-cut oat, into which a yummy combo of dried fruits have been added. The flavor is mellow, texture toothsome, and the kick of ginger is super. Serve it with a little milk, toasty nuts, fresh fruit, and you’re set. And with all the lovely dried fruits, no additional sweetener is needed. Hurray!  Continue reading →

One of my fondest Christmas season memories is the utter excitement the day the parcel from Abuelita, my paternal grandmother, arrived.  No doubt fueled by the memory of sugar-highs past, we would tear into the box, full of exotic smells and sweet treats. Among the treasures were the kid faves like bags of “China” orange candies with a gooey center, candy cigarettes with the painted-on pink ember (indeed!), “piñones” (candy coated pinenuts), marrons glacés (swoon!), and an assortment of Spanish turrones. Guirlache is part of the turrón family, but not one we ever tasted as kids. I discovered it when I lived in Salamanca, Spain, during college.  Continue reading →

The little Asian grocery on my walk home has been tempting me with big bags of shiny, orange persimmons this fall. Five bucks and I was the proud mom of several pounds of shiny, happy Fuyu persimmons, all greeting me from the kitchen counter, asking “what now, ma?” Hmm… We needed a plan.

As it turned out, a persimmon bread recipe walked across my path. David Lebovitz published a nice version of James Beard’s ridiculously good persimmon bread recipe on his blog, and I am offering my adaptation here.  Continue reading →