Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

Retro Recipe Challenge #3 Deadline: Sunday, October 15 at 11:59pm. If you’ve ever set foot inside a bookstore in New York State, chances are you’ve spotted this iconic book: First published in 1981, Applehood & Motherpie: Handpicked recipes from Upstate New York is a collection of recipes put out by the Junior League of Rochester. […]

Retro Recipe Challenge Deadline: Sunday, October 15 11:59 EST!!! This is another Maglieri cake. This is another cake recipe taken from Peter Kump’s Cooking School Cake Baking packet. This is another delicious cake with texture issues. The coconut flavor is lovely and brightened by hits of lemon. The frosting is very rich from its coconut […]

This recipe comes from the Peter Kump’s Cooking School Cake Baking Course Pack. The cakes are developed largely by Nick Malgieri. Maybe it’s my technique but every time I make one of his cakes, the texture is a bit off. The flavor is great, but the texture is not. Same problem with this cake. It’s […]

Mooncrazy from Peanut Butter Etouffee sent me this fabulous recipe, which won her first place in her pie baking contest. Not only is the tart delicious, but the caramel sauce is a perfect accompaniment. Rustic Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce(makes two 10-inch tarts) Pie Dough 2/12 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting board1 teaspoon […]

Camera phones are the best. I got a phone call yesterday from the Canandaigua BID (Business Improvement District), which ran the fruit pie baking contest. The pie I entered into the contest won third place. Whooo! (Or in l33t, w00t!) The whole thing was a bit random: I dropped the still-warm pie off just before […]

When you feel as if everyone is judging you — in your relationships, in your profession, even the way you order coffee (note: avoid ordering a caramel macchiato at a coffee house that is not Starbucks) — it’s probably not a good idea to enter a pie baking contest. (You know, because they’re actually judging […]

The first pie tested for the pie contest was a variation on Betty Crocker’s classic apple pie recipe. I’d been thinking that Chinese five spice powder would be a nice change for a sweet dish, and took that idea for a test drive. I also made pie dough from scratch (Martha Stewart’s “Perfect Pie Crust”), […]

Perfect Pie Crust (Source) 1 cup unsalted butter (about 2 sticks),plus more for pie plate2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon sugar Cut each stick of butter into eight pieces, and refrigerate until needed. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and mix to […]

One of Sadie’s favorite candies — if not her favorite — is a marshmallow covered in milk chocolate. This is the cookie version of that confection. A tender chocolate cookie is topped with a soft-yet-chewy marshmallow and smothered in rich and buttery chocolate frosting. Those you share these cookies with might be surprised to find […]

Something in the air has shifted. The leaves are changing. Roadside stands are selling pumpkins and decorative corn stalks. Yellow busses are taking tiny passengers to school. Fall is here. Though my mind feels the seasonal shift seems sudden, my body fell in step easily. It gravitates toward warm sweaters in dark colors and feels […]