What's Cooking In The Yellow House

Last night after spending an entire day in the kitchen I thought it would be fun to show a collection of what I've been cooking. Some recipes may turn up in their entirety later but for now here is just a taste.

Bad news first. Plain white rolls from Kneedlessly Simple. Let just say, it wasn't. The method is tedious and the results were just okay. Then again, they were only on the table for 30 seconds but are homemade rolls every really bad? Still, I won't be baking from this book again.


I have found that I love parsnips. For Christmas I made a puree with pears, cream and sherry. It was amazing. I love them in all forms and have a surprising recipe to share later.


Spotted these Honey Preserved Clementines in the December/January Fine Cooking. A fun and easy project. Great gift. More on these coming soon, too.


I love fennel and when I came across a recipe for Creamy Baked Fennel it was a must do. With cream and basic pantry items you'll have a simple yet decadent side dish. We had it with Garlic Roasted Chicken last night. Delicious!


A simple Cranberry Cake with Vanilla Crumbs. This was for a friend. If you give birth you should always get a cake.


Braised Short Ribs. The perfect meal on a cold winter day. It was a two day recipe but really simple preparations and well worth the time. I added some carrots in the final hour and served it on Celery Root and Potato Puree. As good as the beef was I think the puree was my favorite part. The kids loved it, too.

That's what is new in the yellow house kitchen. I hope I've inspired you or at least given you a creative boost on gray winter day.

Creamy Baked Fennel
I can't remember where I found the recipe from which this is adapted.

salt and pepper
2 large bulbs of fennel, cored and cut into strips
2T. chopped fennel fronds
1 c. heavy cream
1 t. fennel seeds
1 t. grated lemon peel
1 c. parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a saute pan, bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil with 3/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. Add the fennel bulb strips, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently until the water has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Toss fennel with a 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and put in a small baking dish in one layer.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce by 1/3 cup. This will take about 3 minutes. Add the fennel seeds and lemon zest, cover and let steep for 3 minutes. Strain infused cream through a fine mesh sieve over fennel. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup parmesan cheese.

Bake until bubbly and brown on the top, about 15 minutes.

Allow to rest a couple of minutes, sprinkle with fennel fronds and serve.