holidays and recipes: an ancient holiday menu with hazel walnut honey custard

The final recipe for the ancient holiday dinner menu is a dessert that stands the test of time. Presenting in a very lovely manner, the hazel-walnut honey custard is the perfect dessert that represents the ancient world and satisfies modern sensibilities. Nutty, sweetened with honey, visually pleasing and, of course, easy to prepare, make this dessert a part of whatever holiday menu you might choose. You’ll notice, of course, that this dessert is sweetened with honey. For the ancient Greeks honey was considered the food of the Gods. Praised by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey and philosophical writings of Plato and Aristotle, honey found its way into many ancient texts, myths and legends. The Romans continued the practice of apiculture, using honey for both dietary and health requirements. According to The Philosopher’s Kitchen, where we found the recipe for this Hazel-Walnut Honey Custard walnuts were a child’s plaything. They... Read the Rest →

 

just desserts: peach pot de crème

Who can resist the combination of peaches and cream? Why not step up the combination with a peach pot de crème served with seasonably fresh peaches? Pots de crème are essentially custards baked in diminutive pots. Custard is derived from the medieval word “croustade” which means dishes served in a crust. As most of us know, a custard is made with milk (or cream) and eggs, but according to the book On Food and Science any liquid combined with the eggs will do, even water! As long as a mineral, such as salt, is dissolved a “coherent gel” will form. This is an interesting fact, if not an appealing one. Our modern definition of custard arrived in the 1600’s when it became popular to bake fruit crèmes in individual dishes instead of using them as a filling for crusts. The pots associated with pots de crème arrived on the scene... Read the Rest →