I’ve noticed that folks are often reluctant to generously sweeten the fresh fruit for shortcake. Me included, but I’m over it. There’s nothing shameful about adding sugar to fresh fruit. In fact, it’s necessary for great shortcake. Sweetening the fruit brings out the flavor and creates the heady syrup that ties the three components–fresh fruit, [...]
Biscuit Shortcake
August 4, 2010
June 13, 2010
You’ve got to be kidding. The recipe on the Domino’s sugar bag for snickerdoodles courtesy of Sandra Lee says to use refrigerated cookie dough. Oh please, give us the real snickerdoodle recipe. They’re easy!
June 2, 2010
As I approach 50, I’m thrilled to learn from Happiness Comes with Age, Study Says in the New York Times yesterday that I’m on the verge of real happiness. The slogging through the black hole of young adulthood to midlife from 18 to 50 is about over. All the youthful relationship anxiety, career disappointments, [...]
January 23, 2010
R.B. and I chatted up cheating on the Jan D’Atri Show on KFYI-AM radio in Phoenix, AZ, recently and welcomed another new convert to liquid smoke. Welcome Jan! She was especially intrigued by our Cheater Smoked Dessert Sauces–Deep Smoked Chocolate, Smoky Caramel and Toasted Marshmallow. Talk about a party home run. Eliciting an “oh, what [...]
January 9, 2010
We love making pie and R.B. especially loves making the crust. In fact, when he did a career analysis in college “pastry chef” nearly topped the list. During the busy holiday pie season, we had to endure pages of food mag instructional articles for decorating pie crusts with the fancy braided edge, the cutesy holly [...]
November 13, 2009
There’s this restaurant menu trend to “deconstruct” dishes. What it means is that the chef has prepared and artfully arranged separately on the plate all the components of a dish usually cooked together. I’ve seen deconstructed ratatouille with segregated piles of zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes; deconstructed stews with the baby carrots, leeks, and turnips [...]
November 1, 2009
Need a break from the traditional pumpkin pie this holiday season? Maybe something trendy? Cheater Chef does trendy. Let us spin some trends for you with this one little recipe called Cuppacakes di Zucca. One, fancy restaurant-y name. Zucca means squash and pumpkin in Italian. Two, cupcakes. This dessert trend may be peaking so jump [...]
July 26, 2009
I heard the architect Frank Gehry say in a documentary about his design process that he needs to look at a building model for a while and wait to see what irritates him about it. He’s right. We don’t fix things that don’t irritate us. Creativity and problem solving require the itch of irritation first. [...]
June 15, 2009
Oatmeal Ice Cream. No Kidding.
June 11, 2009
On my deathbed I believe that this thought may cross my mind “Gee, I wish I had made more time for ice cream.” Especially ginger ice cream with dark chocolate sauce. I first had this dessert at Barbara Tropp’s restaurant China Moon in San Francisco about 13 years ago. Eating alone at the bar, [...]
Get tips for making perfect skillet cornbread. It's the only bread to serve with summer fresh vegetable suppers. 
