Touchdown Pumpkin Soup

I have been trying to make a pumpkin soup like the one from Au Bon Pain for quite a while. Last winter, I shared one of my failures with you, and you were so kind to share many recipe ideas. After tasting ABP’s pumpkin soup a few more times and referencing its ingredient list, I have finally come up with a great imitation recipe. It’s a touchdown (my spoon touches down to an empty bowl)! A hole in one (from … Continue reading

The Challah of My Dreams

The challah of my dreams has many specific qualities. Sweet, eggy, a golden crust, and light insides that are peel-apart flaky. As it turns out, these qualities are not easy to attain. But on my sixth attempt in almost exactly a year, the perfect challah has been recreated! The second challah I ever made is pictured above with Stella. It wasn’t sweet enough or eggy enough, but Stella didn’t mind. I came home one night to find her exactly like … Continue reading

The Perfect Granola Bar Bites…Finally!

Creating the perfect granola bar (i.e., one that doesn’t fall apart) has been arduous. This recipe is adapted from The Pastry Affair, but that method suggests baking the granola in a large, Pyrex dish. I did that at least four times. The first time, the granola bars came out perfectly! They were wonderful! We ate them all. But I accidentally left out some ingredients, and I was in someone else’s kitchen. When I got back home and followed the recipe … Continue reading