Brandy, Pear & Buckwheat Pound Cake + a Spiced Pear Brandy Sidecar

Hello, friend.

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. In my last post I talked all about what to make for the perfect holiday feast, everything from the sides, to the entrée, and even the dessert. Though I forgot one VERY important part of any great gathering: the cocktail! But fear not, I have swooped in to save the day with another cocktail + dessert pairing using another mixer from Powell & Mahoney. With autumn slowly coming to an end I wanted to highlight the seasonality of one of its great fruits, the Bosc pear. I also wanting to snag the chance at baking with/drink some brandy (because it’s my favorite of any hard liquor. So good!). The holidays are a hectic, crazy, stressful, but ultimately fun time of year me. Plus, with final exams in the next couple of weeks, I think I'm in need of a cake and cocktail break.  Who here is up for that??

Bourbon & Buttermilk Biscuit Apple Cobbler {w/th The Macadames}

HEY! Hey, you. Yes, you. I have a quick thing to share with you before you continue reading. First of all, this post is in collaboration with Anisa of The Macadames. With her living Australia and me here in the states, my fall is just beginning while hers is ending. We decided to bridge the gap and make some delicious recipes using the seasons favorite; apples. After you’re done reading this post, head over to her site for a delicious baked apple recipe, which wink, wink looks to die to for! But firsts, this post. This post is a bit different from the traditional blog posts I write. To be frank, I hate writing blog posts and I need a change of pace. A few weeks ago, I had the idea to combine my love of fiction writing and food writing, and this is what came about. My thought for this is to write short little scenes involving the recipes I’m posting about. I hope to capture the art of culinary storytelling even further by creating my own stories. Disclaimer: these are far from Pulitzer Prize-winning pieces or anything, so take it for what it is, a young man’s fictitious anthology of food. 

Salted Caramel & Whiskey Apple Pie

Hello, friend. 

Is it too early in the season to share a recipe for apple pie? I don’t think so! When you taste this spiced-buttery goodness that is this pie you’ll understand why I’m sharing it now. My version puts a boozy twist on the classic recipe by using whiskey in the filling. A flaky, buttery crust creates the perfect contaminant for the sweet and tart cinnamon apple filling. The filling is made the night before allowing time for the apples to release their juices. These juices are then reduced in a pan over medium heat before being added back to the filling. Then it is lattice topped before being brushed over with an egg wash and sprinkling with sugar and baked until golden brown perfection. A warm salted caramel sauce is drizzled over the top for one of the BEST pies ever.

Gooseberry, Pear and Brandy Crumble

Hello, friend. 

Until a couple weekends ago, I didn’t know that gooseberries even existed. I know, super-terrible-bad food blogger of me, but I digress. I was at my local farmer’s market when I stumbled across a booth with these round, green berries in turquoise blue containers. At first glance, they appeared to be perfectly spherical grapes or realllly tiny melons. Whatever they looked like, I was intrigued. I was curious as to what these little green gems could be used for. Asking Momma Crawford, she told of one of her aunts who used to make a gooseberry pie with mounds of sugar to help combat the tartness of the berries. A pie sounded delicious, but I knew exactly what I was going to do with these gooseberries and that was to make a crumble.

baked vanilla custards with poached spiced apples, Oatmeal, & the Oh Hellos

Hello, friend.

This past Wednesday night, a group of friends and I went to the Canopy Club, a local music venue, to see the band The Oh Hellos. I wasn’t familiar with the band’s work before the show, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. I knew they had a folk, alternative vibe with a bit of bluegrass mixed in, but that was the extent of my knowledge. As we entered the theatre, the speaker’s blared loud pop music and the stage glowed a soft ocean blue from the spotlights . The ceiling seemed to stretch on forever in the darkness above. The theatre was packed with flannel wearing 20-somethings, all drinking fancy sounding beers and cocktails. I knew I was with my people.

Sweet Balsamic Roasted Grapes, Becoming a Columnist, & an Ode to Autumn

“Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.”

-          Robert Frost “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

Hello, friend.

Halloween was recently upon us. The holiday brings about a season of change. Autumn colors turn to bleak, white winters. Falling leaves become glistening snow. It’s a time of reflection. I find beauty in this time of simplicity. I find joy in the pace of change. Finding new light and choosing an undiscovered angle pushes me to discover and grow. The mundane revives me. It teaches me to take life one step at a time, to appreciate less and cherish more. It tells me that nothing can stay forever. No flower blooms for eternity. So, as I hold tightly to my pumpkin spice latte and listen to “Monster Mash” for the eight-hundredth time, I’m reminded that time forever ticks onward. That also means Christmas is quickly drawing near. 

Grilled-Roasted Peaches with Autumn Spiced Butter & Maple Crème + The Fear of Speaking

Hello, friends.

So it’s been a while since we last chatted. It feels like years since we sat down, sipped on osome pumpkin spice lattes, and caught each other up on what our lives have become. What is my excuse? Higher education. I recently survived midterm week and I couldn't be more excited that it's over with. The weight of textbooks and grownup responsibility pulls my tired body downward. I find it harder and harder to get up in the morning and out the door before my 8 am microbiology class. In the midst of late night study sessions and early morning practicals, I rather sleep my worries away than take another step out into the chilly cornfield jungle that is the Midwest. If I'm being honest with you, I’ve just been in an emotional lump. 

Frog Jam & Honey Yogurt with Pan-fried Apples & Toasted Graham Topping

Hello, friend.

Autumn seems to be upon us once more. The Midwest becomes a smeared palette of vibrant yellows, reds, and oranges. The season of harvest beginning. The weather changing state. Long, humid days turn to cool, windy nights. These next months are for soft, wool sweaters, bonfires, and drinking coffee under a starry night sky.  Warm lattes and jittery bodies roam the quad. Breathes become ocular, resembling the appearance of exhaled smoke. Leaves fall like student’s willpower to study. Cold mornings only make it harder to leave the warming embrace of the bed. All the while, the looming thoughts of midterms leads everyone to question the reason pursuing higher education was even a considerable option in the first place. Welcome to fall, I suppose.