Zoe Bakes

Our Roman Holiday (The Pope, Gladiators and Gelato)

After a week in Naples, with its lawless streets and swoon-worthy pizza (see my Naples post here) we were headed to Rome for a few days of art, architecture, gelato and gladiator school. We got so much more than we bargained for and loved every second of it. The boys even tolerated our need to visit as many [...]

Turkish Spice Market and a Snap Shot of Greece.

One of the most dramatic aspects of traveling to Istanbul were the flavors and smells of the city. Nothing about it reminded us of home and much to my delight (and relief) this was a thrill for the boys. I was a little nervous about starting our month long journey in Turkey. Everything I had [...]

Sugar Plum Pie with a Folded Flaky Crust.

I know I promised a tour of the spice market in Istanbul, but I had to show you the plum pie I made for my stepmother’s birthday first. When I returned home after a month away my refrigerator was bare, nothing but a jar of capers and a bottle of sriracha sauce. After shopping in [...]

Fried Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Golden Tomato Gazpacho

While we were in Italy this summer it was squash season. Every menu we looked at had squash and their blossoms on it, fried, stuffed with many different fillings and even on pizza (which will find its way into our new pizza book). I ate them in all their various forms with delight. When I [...]

Turkish Delight!

On our second day in Istanbul we took in the colors and history of the city, which included a considerable amount of Turkish Delight and ice cream that is both a theatrical event and a rather elastic sensation (video below, yes that is me snorting with laughter in the background). The Blue Mosque (above) is quite [...]

Our First Day in Istanbul, a Feast!

We left Minneapolis at 10am and arrived in what felt like anther world at 10am the next morning. After a flight that was anything but conducive to sleeping, we stepped out into the city of Istanbul. The air, smells, people, language, colors, sounds and cab driver were all clearly not from our Midwestern town. Despite [...]

Just a little Trifle!

The trifle acts as the perfect vehicle for cleaning out your refrigerator/freezer of all those tasty little treats you just had to hang on to. I am guilty of an overstuffed freezer. It must be my pastry chef days of NO waste, ever. It is something I am both proud of and annoyed by, because [...]

Crazy-Good Chocolate Brownies with Mint Ice Cream! (A Giveaway from King Arthur Flour!) WINNERS PICKED!

These brownies have secrets! I baked them, passed them out to my family, my neighbors and my friends to see what they thought. I didn’t say anything, just asked for their honest opinions and this is what I got… “they are so RICH,” “beyond decadent,” “Amazing,” “Great, Can I have another one?” (he is 9) [...]

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp with Creamy Strawberry Ice Cream

This spring has been intense, seemingly more so than others, but maybe that is just a matter of forgetfulness. As you may have noticed I’ve not posted in a while. There are many reasons for this, mostly I was overcome with writing our 3rd book, an obnoxious computer virus and tendonitis. Perhaps most of all [...]

Chocolate Torte for Passover!

I baked this cake for my dear friend Jen’s 40th Birthday. Just a private little torte for one, or 5 if she decided to share with her family. She’d had a lavish soiree at D’Amico Kitchen and phenomenal cupcakes from my favorite Minneapolis bakery, The Salty Tart. On the quiet Tuesday of Jen’s actual birthday she needed [...]