Category Archives: Fruit

Cider Pressing

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Ever since I was a small child, my family has been pressing cider with a press that my father built (above). My eldest brother started hosting cider-press parties when he went off to college, and once my husband and I had our backyard landscaped, it seemed time to carry on the tradition. Continue reading

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Gluten-Free Fruit Crisp

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I recently made a variation on this crisp for a small dinner party I catered. For those clients, I used just peaches, by request, but when I make this at home, I like to use nectarines and blueberries. Continue reading

Cranberry Tart

cranberry tart

I almost always have Thanksgiving dinner at my mother’s house in Port Orchard, where she does most of the cooking (believe it or not, I don’t make every one of my family’s meals). When we were discussing our plans on the phone last month, she told me she had seen a recipe for a cranberry tart, but she didn’t have time to make it.

The recipe, she said, was in the current issue of Edible Seattle, which I just happened to have at my house in Seattle, too. So I prepared it for Thanksgiving dinner. I think it would make a good Christmas dinner dessert as well, so I’m sharing it with you. Continue reading

Apple, Fennel, and Grapefruit Salad

fennel saladPeople often think salads must include lettuce, but this is a favorite of mine for plated events in the spring or fall.

At events, the salads are often placed on the table prior to the guests sitting down. Salads might sit for as long as 10 minutes before all of the guests arrive, and the beauty of using fennel and apples in this situation is that they do not wilt—or at least not to the extent that leaf lettuces do. Continue reading

Berry Season

I took this photograph a little while ago and meant to post the recipe right away, but then I got busy with catering events. It’s still possible to find some fresh local strawberries, however, or you can always substitute fresh peaches, blackberries, blueberries or raspberries. Or use California strawberries if you prefer.

Continue reading

Sweet and Tart: Rhubarb Cobbler

When I agreed to host an impromptu backyard barbecue last month, the easiest part of the menu to decide was dessert. I had just received fresh rhubarb in my Full Circle delivery, as well as a bunch from my mom (who had gotten it from her neighbor). My friend Dana, who was attending the dinner, voted for cobbler.

Two other guests, Andrew and Lorie (who took photographs that evening—many of which have appeared on the blog), walked to the local store to pick up the ice cream, because who can have cobbler without ice cream? Continue reading

A Winter Salad

I apologize for taking so long between posts. I was incredibly busy with parties and family events over the holidays, and the beginning of the new year has been a time for catching up on paperwork, my marathon training (I’ll tell you more about that later), and projects around the house.

But now that I’ve got a snow day–if you don’t live in Seattle, you probably can’t imagine what it’s like here whenever a few flakes fall–I’m catching up with some recipes and blog posts.

Here’s a salad that I prepared for one of my December parties Continue reading

When Life Gives You Lemons …

Here’s a much better use for lemons than lemonade, especially at this time of year.

I recently came across an article in the September issue of Sunset that gave instructions for how to make your own preserved lemons. Continue reading