theliteratebaker Profile

Latest Blog Posts

• A Very Blue Cure for the Monday Blues
  on Aug 5, 2013
  If you read my last post about malasadas, or if you are my friend and subjected to my self-indulgent facebook posts, you will know that I was on vacation last week.  It was a great week and, in truth, it was also good to come home.  There i...
• Fried Dough for All
  on Aug 2, 2013
  Let's be honest.  Who doesn't love fried dough?  Whether doughnut or beignet, state fair confection or sopapilla, it's good stuff.  This morning, I had the pleasure of experiencing fried dough in a new way.  I also had the pleasur...
• The Sweet Side of the Sour Cherry
  on Jul 26, 2013
  Fresh, sour cherries are a thing of beauty.  They are also a bit of a rarity.  The "season" as it were is so fleeting that when you happen upon them at the farmer's market, you have no choice but to buy them because they won't be there the...
• A Pound of Inspiration
  on Jul 21, 2013
  Once again, it's been a while since I've brought you any sweet somethings, nothings, or otherwise.  It's been a time around here--new job, crazy commutes, and moving.  In addition to having really no time to write, I've been thoroughly unin...
• Whatchmacallit? Fuggedaboutit!
  on Jan 8, 2013
  My best baker gift this Christmas was the Bouchon Bakery cookbook.  You know... Thomas Keller, French Laundry, Bouchon Bakery?  Right.  Swoon.Seriously.  This book is food porn.  The recipes are intense.  The photos are...
• The Reflective Baker
  on Jan 6, 2013
  Happiest of new years to you, dear readers.  I shall address you as though you still exist.  Well, of course you exist.  Whether you still follow, subscribe to, or stumble upon The Literate Baker on occasion is another question entirel...
• The Apple Crisps Again
  on Nov 2, 2012
  Weird weather made the apple harvest in New York paltry this year.   Undeterred, I went apple picking anyway.  Although the specimens were small and scarce, they were pretty.  They were also more than sufficient for apple crispage.&nbs...
• Judging a Bake-Off
  on Oct 15, 2012
  This weekend, I got to be a judge at a local bake-off.  The Great Tully Bake-Off is part of the Tully Fall Festival and helps to raise money for a local food pantry.  It was very cool to be asked.  Oh, and if you click on the website,...
• Why Are Rice Krispies Treats So Good?
  on Oct 12, 2012
  No, really.  They are so good.  Eat the whole pan good.  Almost instant gratification good.  Make a whole batch for less than five bucks good.  I don't even miss the chocolate good.  (Although M&Ms in them are also c...
• So Long, Summer!
  on Sep 25, 2012
  It's fall; I'm giddy.  This is no surprise to any of you.  I know.  I know some of you are with me and some of you are rolling your eyes and fantasizing about being somewhere tropical.  I'm not subtle and neither are you. Any...
• Ready for My Closeup
  on Sep 17, 2012
  Sorry I've been absent this week, darlings.  Turns out Cupcake Wars did come a'calling.  Of course, it's never as easy as all that.  There is a lengthy application and, no surprise, they want a video!Despite having virtually no video e...
• If Cupcake Wars Comes Calling...
  on Sep 10, 2012
  In between football games and school work, I spent some of this weekend catching up on my recorded episodes of Cupcake Wars.  If you haven't seen the show, bakers go head to head to make the tastiest and prettiest cupcakes.  The catch: ther...
• Pepperidge Farm Fest
  on Sep 6, 2012
  When you need a cookie on the quick, it's hard to beat Pepperidge Farm.  So many flavors, just the right amount of indulgent.  So when I saw the "I Ate Ever Variety of Pepperidge Farm Cookie" headline on Slate, I couldn't resist.  It's...
• A Honey of a Tart
  on Sep 4, 2012
  Theoretically, this post is about baking with lavender.  In reality, it's about a chocolate honey tart.  How did that happen?  Well, it all started at the Ithaca Farmer's Market...Surrounded by beautiful plants and planning my first re...
• Feeling Fall
  on Aug 30, 2012
  I am officially ready for fall.  Truth be told, I'm sort of always ready for fall.  Today, however, I'm feeling it keenly.The students have returned to campus, so there is no more clinging to the quiet of campus in the summer.  I've gr...
• The Lemon Icebox Pie Mystery
  on Aug 27, 2012
  Lemon icebox pie was one of my favorite childhood sweets.  Like key lime pie but with lemons, it's cool and refreshing, tart with just the right amount of sweet.  While perusing one of my new favorite websites, Garden & Gun (think South...
• Everyone's a Winner!
  on Aug 26, 2012
  Thanks to everyone who participated in our Literate Bakes Giveaway.  As promised, everyone is a winner!  To claim your prize, please send an email to theliteratebaker  (at) gmail.com with the following information:NameAddressTitle(s) y...
• Not My Mama's Biscuits
  on Aug 24, 2012
  As you know, I'm Southern.  I grew up on jambalaya and fried chicken, sweet tea and pecan pie.  I also grew up on biscuits.  No surprise, right?Well, there's something you need to know.  The biscuits of my youth were not made from...
• Hubig's: How a Pie Can Tell the Story of a Place and More
  on Aug 21, 2012
  If you grew up in New Orleans, or within a hundred mile radius of it, you know Hubig's Pies.  From gas stations to supermarkets to po-boy shops, these little fried pies have been a staple in Southern Louisiana since 1922.  My favorite was a...
• Tangy Treats: Lemon Ricotta Cookies
  on Aug 20, 2012
  Do you ever try a recipe based on a hodgepodge of leftover ingredients?  Well, the Literate Baker certainly does.  Remember Last Hurrah Bars?  Exactly.  Sometimes the results are surprisingly delightful.  Such was the case wi...