The few golden brown leaves remaining on the trees make me think of caramel and my high school chemistry class.

The first experiment we did in the lab was to transform granulated sugar into golden caramel. It was an irreversible, chemical reaction that used heat to remove water from sugar. The sugar melted and the longer it was heated, the greater the quantity of water that was driven off and the more brown the liquid became. When all of the water was gone, we were left with a lump of pure, black carbon. When sugar has been changed from white crystals to a transparent, golden solid there’s no going back but there are many delicious ways to go forward.

I amazed my sister who was still in elementary school with my mastery of this chemical reaction when I created a sweet treat of peanuts suspended in sweet amber. Here’s how I did it: … read more

Whether you make them sweet or savory, pronounce it skan or skoon, or call them bannock, tattie or girdle scone as they do in Scotland, farl as they do in Ireland, or puftaloons as some Australians do, they are delightful at breakfast, tea time and dinner whether you are traveling or snuggled up at home.

When I wanted quick, savory scones to serve with dinner last weekend, I made lemonade scones using a recipe I got from my friend Robyn. She is from Oz, (that’s what she calls Australia), and the lemonade called for in this recipe is actually fizzy lemonade. Bitter lemon soda works perfectly. Here’s how I did it: … read more

A couple of weeks ago, I was missing my son Matthew who lives in Brighton, England.

I made a batch of English scones, whipped some cream, dished out the strawberry jam and nibbled on them while we chatted on the phone. Here’s how I did it: … read more

I have never been a fan of the traditional American breakfast. Although I enjoy frying, poaching and scrambling eggs for others, I don’t like eating them. One of my most memorable breakfasts was served in the dining car of a Russian train as we headed from Mongolia to Siberia. When I saw that everyone around me was eating crispy fried eggs, served in shallow metal bowls, I asked the waiter if there was anything, other than eggs, that I might have for breakfast. The waiter shrugged and said that there was only chicken soup. Chicken soup sounded great to me, and since I was in Russia, I asked if there might be some caviar as well. He nodded and returned with my soup and a plate with a lump of caviar and a slice of bread. This unconventional breakfast was the best meal I had in Russia. If I can’t have caviar and chicken soup for breakfast, a minimal meal of a sweet pastry and a cup of tea and gets my day started with a smile.

With a supply of scones in the freezer, pulling breakfast together is as quick as brewing a pot of tea and zapping a scone in the microwave. This week, I added fresh cranberries and pecans to the batter. These scones are sweet, have the texture of cake and are the American cousins of English scones that are often dotted with currants and served with clotted cream and jam. Here’s how I did it:

… read more

Ginger is one of the most versatile ingredients in my kitchen. I have ground ginger in the spice drawer, fresh ginger root in a ceramic crock and crystallized ginger in a jar in the pantry. I make ginger tea by simmering slices of fresh ginger in water with a bit of brown sugar. Served cold, it is a caffeine free substitute for iced tea that I enjoy in the evening. I put ginger in everything from to stir-fries to meatloaf, and it is always present in the form of gingersnap cookies. They are a mainstay in Charles’ diet. He can resist chocolate cake, banana splits and candy bars but he has an undeniable gingersnap habit – he ends every lunch with a gingersnap.

So, when he reached into the Chinese cookie jar on Monday and found only a teaspoon of crumbs, something had to be done so I suggested that we make a batch of gingersnaps.

Spiced cookies were popular during the Middle Ages, not only because they tasted good but also because the ginger and the honey used to make them were valued for their health benefits. Ginger flavored cookies are called brunkage in Danish, pepparkakor in Swedish and lebkuchen in German and ginger nuts in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

It may be the zip of ginger, cinnamon and cloves or the sweetness of molasses and brown sugar that has made them so popular, but I think it’s the childhood memories that this sweet treat triggers that make them the favorite of so many.

Gingersnaps are crisp sugar cookies that are easy for even an inexperienced baker to make. Charles’ gingersnap lesson began by gathering the tools and ingredients we would need. I took the butter out of the fridge so that it could warm to room temperature and he gathered measuring spoons and cups. Our first problem was that there was only half a teaspoon of dry ginger and our second problem was that the molasses jar was nearly empty. Things weren’t looking good. Our neighbors were at the beach so we couldn’t borrow molasses and ginger from them and we wanted to fill the cookie jar without driving to the market. With a bit of improvisation we succeeded. Here’s how we did it: … read more