Recipes

Bear grease is a versatile fat—you can use it for everything from sauteés to confits, and apparently, you can also forecast the weather with it. In addition to its savory and meteorological applications, it makes a mean batch of brownies. Bear grease is somewhat liquid at room temperature, so it can...

Mention deer tallow or deer fat, and some of the first words you’ll hear are “waxy,” “chalky,” “rancid,” or “bitter.” While the first two are accurate textural descriptors, the latter are inaccurate taste descriptors. I’ve spent a career in restaurants, essentially watching people eat, and if I were...

Sometimes when I go to holiday parties I feel like maybe I should get dressed up, but I always end up changing my mind, wiping my lipstick off, and changing back into my flannel shirt before I leave the house. I’ve discovered a workaround, though, for feeling holiday fancy even when I don’t feel...

I am not one to mess with the classics, especially around the holidays, so I’m not going to say that your grandmother’s sugar cookies need to be anything other than the delights that they are. I will say, however, that while I’ve been known to eat my body weight in sugar cookies, especially in the...

The sandie was the first cookie I ever seriously coveted. When I was a kid, my mom would get pecan sandies as her one private indulgence, and they were placed on a shelf out of my reach, leaving me destined to pine for them forever. Mom had good taste, too, as I came to find. They’re kind of the...

Cobbler was the first thing I ever made using bear fat, and it remains one of my favorites. Bear fat, also known as bear oil or bear grease, is a near-perfect culinary fat. It has a neutral flavor and smell, balanced richness, and the consistency is easy to work with. Using bear fat in any baking...

Fall means fresh apples. My family goes apple picking every October near Omaha, and we always bring home more apples than we know what to do with. Here’s my version of a fall, apple-focused pastry: muffins made with cooked-down cider and a healthy dose of fresh-picked apple.

Here’s an easy sweet treat to make this summer: homemade ice cream full of fresh, juicy peaches with the surprising hint of spicy speculoos cookies. Plus, there’s no need for an ice cream maker—your workhorse stand mixer will do.

Panna cotta is a simple Italian dessert made of essentially cream, sugar and gelatin. The mixture is brought to a boil and poured into molds or cups, and after setting in the refrigerator for several hours, you end up with an elegant pudding-like treat. Normally, panna cotta is lightly flavored with...