What do you do when you have most of the ingredients to make a pie, but are too lazy to actually make the crust? Well, I guess you have two options. 1) Take a power nap, and wake up in the pie-making spirit. 2) Forget about the nap, but definitely not the pies. Go to the market and purchase frozen puff pastry dough, and make life simple for everyone involved by making charming, little hand pies.
I bought the last of the nectarines, and some Italian prune plums at the market. Although they were soft to the touch and fragrant to smell, when I cut into them, the plums were puckery and tart, and the nectarines didn’t taste like much of anything at all. This fruit needed some help. And the best way that I know to make less-than-stellar fruit juicy, is to bake [...]

When I saw this recipe in August’s issue of Martha Stewart Living, I thought it was one that I would have to try. Some of you may remember that Martha and I have a rather contentious relationship. As I thumb through the pages of the magazine, gazing at the beautifully styled food, and wondering just how one person is supposed to do it all, there is a voice inside my head, forcing me to remember that Martha’s food, though beautiful to look at, never really works out for me. I think it’s a case of a finicky recipe. But Saturday morning, a day sticky with summer rain here in New York, I decided to give it one more go, and tried these Nectarine Shortcakes.
And I’m glad that I did. I had purchased some less-than-ripe, nectarines at the market the day before, with the intention of letting them set and [...]