Every year when persimmons are in season, I employ a sort of ritual to deeply enjoy the experience of perfection that the miraculous fruit can yield. I amplify it by reading Li-Young Lee’s astonishing poem Persimmons out loud. Poem and ripe persimmon possess beauty in equal measure that never fails to knock me out.
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The other day a friend called to say he’d made the apple crumble from A New Way to Cook. He was thrilled that it was so easy, yet offered many of the satisfactions of a pie (which he was afraid to make) with much less work. I’d forgotten how easy and delicious crumbles are, nothing more…
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Throughout fall and winter, one of my favorite improvisational “base” preparations is Roasted Pears. These are pears that are roasted with a bit of sugar, lemon juice, butter and a split vanilla bean or even herbs, until they become tender and caramelized, with a concentrated pear flavor. Roasted Pears are one of those miraculous recipes…
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