Four views of a pear tart in different stages of preparation

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Makes a 9-inch tartPoached pears: 1 750-ml bottle of white wine2/3 cup (132 g) sugar5 2-inch strips of lemon zest plus 2 T juice1 cinnamon stick15 whole peppercorns3 whole cloves1/8 t salt½ vanilla bean (optional)4 Bosc or Bartlett […]
A parrot with a red head, green body, and yellow tail feathers

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For my first foray into chatty AI, I asked Bard (Google’s Chatbot): Write a short, humorous story about a detective who is also a talking parrot. A woman comes to the parrot to ask him to find her […]
A book cover that shows a city under a dome

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Science fiction challenges our assumptions about the world and gets us to think about the world and our place in it in a new way. That’s what good science fiction should do. Invisible Things does exactly that. The […]
A two-crust apple pie with one slice removed

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This recipe uses the basic flaky crust recipe. Pay attention to chilling the dough! The twist here is to precook the apples, which gives the filling a satisfying texture. Brushing the top of the crust with egg white […]
Two chocolate tarts on a plate

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If you like truffles, this is the tart for you. As part of the Dessert Project, we made 3-inch tartlets with two different crusts (almond and chocolate), but this recipe also makes a 9-inch tart; recipes for the […]
Five pictures of small tart shells in various stages of preparation

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As part of the Dessert Project, we tried two variations on tart dough. These are softer doughs, more like cookies than pastry, and require careful handling. The recipes make one 9-inch tart or six 3-inch tartlets. Almond Tart […]
Biscotti on a metal rack

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Another part of the Dessert Project. I thought biscotti were difficult, but this isn’t so, although it does take a few hours to make a batch. Once cooled, the biscotti can be dipped in a chocolate coating! Makes […]
Four photographs showing the steps to make a banana cream pie

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This is part of the Dessert Project. Techniques practiced in this recipe: Basic flaky pie crust, pre-baked Crème patisserie Whipped cream topping Servings: 8 (9-inch pie) 5 ripe bananas4 T unsalted butter, divided2 ½ c half-and-half½ c (3 […]
Six photos that illustrate the steps for making a pre-baked pie shell

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This is the start of the Dessert Project, a cooking exploration into techniques and tastes. It seems fitting that the first entry is the basic crust for pies and tarts. #1 – Pastry for a 9-inch pie shell […]
A book cover with an arrow in a circle against a background of a city

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The Magic Circle by Barry Ryerson takes the reader on a twisty, exciting ride through a post-apocalyptic world. I’d call this a techno-magic-thriller. Is that a genre? If not, I just made it up. The devastation wreaked by […]