From James's kitchen
Tested, annotated, and worth returning to. Browse dependable recipes for everyday cooking, relaxed weekends, and occasions worth sharing.
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169Reese's Peanut Butter Cups coined the slogan "two great tastes that taste great together" and I completely agree. I made these the other day for a friend who exclaimed, “these are the best ever!” and while that might be a slight exaggeration, I must admit t…
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170I love rustic or “free-form” tarts. This recipe makes two perfect tarts and can be filled with just about any type of firm fruit – apples, pears, peaches, nectarines or plums – whatever is in season. I used Arrowhead Mills Organic Whole Grain Pastry flour a…
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171I’ve tried dozens of banana breads but this one has become the standard for the best traditional banana bread. No exotic ingredients, fancy spices, exotic nuts – just good old fashioned dense moist banana bread. I like to make the in 4 mini loaf tins, but i…
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172Homemade hummus is so easy to throw together and requires only a few ingredients. I prefer hummus with a light creamy texture with a nice amount of fresh lemon juice.
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173My friend Chris was recently visiting LA and I decided to surprise him with one of his favorites - Banana Cake. He lives in NYC and loves to stop by Billy’s Bakery and pick up a whole Banana cake to take home. They have great homemade baked goods and it’s d…
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174In addition to “chewy”, “rich”, and “moist”, you can almost add “healthy” to the list of adjectives for these delicious brownies. The recipe is from one of my favorite baking cookbooks that my sister gave me years ago - King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking:…
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175Traditionally this fish would be cooked in parchment paper, and opened at the table (See NY Times article: "The Envelope Please: Cooking En Papillote " ) but I find the task somewhat tedious and prefer the much easier-to-use aluminum foil. Haddock or Cod wo…
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176NY Style Coffee Cake typically comes with a thick rich crumb topping and one of the most famous brands in Drake’s Coffee Cakes. Newman E. Drake baked his first pound cake in Brooklyn in 1888 and sold them by the slice. Drake’s popularity grew and the Drake’…
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177This is a traditional tea cake recipe and makes great use of fresh strawberries – you can also use raspberries, blueberries or a combination. You could dust with powdered sugar or make a simple glaze, but I think it’s perfectly fine on its own.
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178This is one of my favorite things to make at the peak of strawberry season. I like to go to my local farmer’s market near closing time when vendors often drop the price of fresh berries. This recipe will work with almost any type of fruit, but you may need…
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179This is a great summertime pasta and works well with Barbecued Chicken or Grilled Fish. The mayonnaise helps keep the pesto from turning too oily and the addition of parsley and spinach leaves ensures a bright green color.
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180Last year I made a July 4th Trifle ( Trifle Recipe ) but decided to make something a little easier this year. There are countless recipes online for Flag Cakes - but this one from Ina Garten is quite good. She uses an icing that I find to be a little on the…
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181Also known as Lemon Bars, these sweet, buttery, tart confections are synonymous with summer. They are easy to throw together and transport which makes them perfect to take to barbecues or picnics. I’ve tried numerous variations and I prefer the creamy textu…
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182I have a couple of fool proof favorite banana bread recipes, but they never seem to translate into a winning muffin. After reading dozens of recipes, I finally settled on one that I found in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. It’s a perfectly tender, lightly swee…
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183Strawberry Shortcake seemed to always mark the beginning of summer when I was growing up. Although we get strawberries almost year round in California, they always taste best in early summer. We always made our “shortcake” with biscuits. This is a pretty fo…
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184Simple syrup is incredibly handy and can be used to sweeten fruit salad as well as your favorite summer drinks. It lasts for a couple of months in the refrigerator and you can create a variety of flavors. Just add fresh mint, ginger root, lemon, lime or ora…
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185This is a refreshing thirst quenching recipe from one of my favorite healthy chefs, Ellie Krieger. Flavored waters are the rage these days and make a great alternative to sugary soft drinks. Feel free to substitute agave for the sugar, just stir it in with…
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186This is one of those “crowd pleasing” pie recipes. Everyone loves the creamy banana filling and billowy whipped cream topping.
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187Years ago, when I was living on Beacon Street in Boston’s Back Bay, I was invited to a rooftop barbecue by my neighbor. Everyone was bringing something, so I thought a pound cake with fresh strawberries would be nice. It was a great party, and the host, who…
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188I was recently visiting a close friend who lives on a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii. It’s a gorgeous place with sweeping views of lush green terrain and the deep blue Pacific. Each morning I enjoyed fresh papaya and pineapple with a nice piece of freshly bak…
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189These are great to make with fresh strawberries, which are just about in season now, but you can use frozen unsweetened as well. The recipe is based on the Sprinkles Cupcakes recipe that aired on the Martha Stewart show. I’ve changed the recipe for the fros…
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190This is great for a Mother's Day morning breakfast because you can throw it together the night before. I make two or three pans for big brunch parties. You can vary the fillings – add sausage or bacon, leftover vegetables and feel free to substitute any goo…
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191I made this recently for my friend Robert and we both loved it. It’s incredibly easy to do and is perfect with rice or couscous and a nice green summer vegetable like zucchini or asparagus.Sometimes I serve it with Elie Krieger’s Whole Wheat Penne with Fres…
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192This beautiful cake is easy to make and is infused throughout with natural orange flavor. Not only can you make a great cake, you can also help to fight MS if you order your oranges through Harry & David.
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