Peach, Raspberry and Basil Pie

What happens when you put basil in a fruit pie? Not dried basil from a shaker, but fresh chopped basil leaves folded into sliced peaches and raspberries with sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. You get a pie that smells like summer from three rooms away. …

Blackberry Nectarine Crisp

I made this crisp the first week nectarines appeared at the market and the blackberries were still in season, that brief window when both fruits are ripe at the same time. Two cups each of blackberries and sliced nectarines tossed with lemon juice. Topped with …

Beef or plant? The great oil debate

It’s all the rage now. We’re talking about beef tallow, a standard cooking oil used in home kitchens and restaurants several generations ago, but almost forgotten now that it’s been mainly replaced by plant-based seed oils, which the American Heart Association has publicly touted as healthier. What is …