From James's kitchen

Recipes

Tested, annotated, and worth returning to. Browse dependable recipes for everyday cooking, relaxed weekends, and occasions worth sharing.

Baking · 223 recipes

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Butterscotch Pot de Creme169

Butterscotch Pots de Creme

I had lunch recently at Gjelina ( http://www.gjelina.com ) on Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA. I suppose it falls under the category of “trendy”, but I love the combination of good food and great people-watching, so I always look forward to having a bite there.…

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Lemon tart 1171

Perfect Lemon Tart (Tarte au Citron)

This is one of my favorite tarts - very lemony, with a rich creamy filling. Paul Bocuse’s “Simple French Recipes for the Home Chef” calls for crème fraiche, but I find the heavy cream works just as well. This is the perfect finish to a great dinner.

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Pear tart slice172

Pear Tart with Almond Frangipane Filling

This is one of my favorite French tarts. Most of it can be made ahead, so it’s great when you’re having guests, because it can be baked several hours before serving. This is a classic recipe that can be found in numerous cookbooks. In Julia Child’s Masterin…

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Clementine Almond Cake slice175

Clementine Almond Cake

Every part of the Clementine -- peel, pith, and flesh -- plays a role in this moist almond cake. Each slice has a sophisticated slightly bittersweet marmalade-like flavor, since boiling the Clementines beforehand mellows any bitterness from the skin and pit…

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Sweet potato muffins179

Sweet Potato Maple Muffins

These muffins are a great alternative to pumpkin. You can use cinnamon and nutmeg in place of the spices, but I think allspice and cloves give them a unique flavor. I usually make extra sweet potato for dinner and then make these muffins the next morning.

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Pumpkin cheesecake183

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I’ve been making this cheesecake at Thanksgiving for years and it’s always a crowd pleaser. The Whipped cream topping is particularly good with the pumpkin spices; the addition of sour cream gives it a crème fraiche quality.

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Pumpkin muffins seeds191

Moist Pumpkin Muffins

I use pumpkin all year long, but it’s especially nice during the autumn months. These muffins are lightly sweetened with brown sugar, and stay very moist. Pumpkin works particularly well with whole wheat and creates a very tender muffin. This recipe also wo…

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Snickerdoodles 2 jpg192

Classic Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are a New England favorite, but the exact origin of the cookie seems to be a mystery. The Joy of Cooking claims that Snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln, which mea…

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