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One of my Favorite things...
One of my favorite things. I love the images of mice at Christmas. Perhaps it’s the Nutcracker, or memories of holiday Tom and Jerry cartoons, or the sweetest mice who helped Cinderella get dressed or...
It's a Beautiful Thing
A lot emotions swirl around us this month. Sometimes as customers are waiting in line and I am restocking the shelves, I have heard some lament the season with all the pressure it brings, while others just thrive in the...
The month of Pie!
November is the highlight of pie love. At the end of the celebration of Thanksgiving nothing satisfies like pie. It is usually an apple, pumpkin, sweet potato or pecan pie in this part of the country. Many years ago I...
2015 Faces of Cincinnati: The BonBonerie
The shop’s customers have been able to see the magic from day one, viewing the talented staff baking and decorating The BonBonerie’s original recipes for cakes, cookies, and fine pastries in the exposed...
Chocolate Mousse is Back!!
Chocolate mousse is back on the menu!. We make our mousse with a very classic recipe. Only 6 ingredients, you quickly become are aware of the star of the show ……the chocolate dish it sits in completes the chocolate lover’s idea of perfection.
Lucretia's Apple Pie
That is quite a name . Who is Lucretia? Why make her pie ?
Well the answer to all these questions is that she was my mother in law, Lou Dye. I asked her what the circumstances were of her receiving such an exotic name . She told me her mother had been reading a novel in a small West Virginian town right before she was born and her mother just found the name beautiful . It actually really suited Lou who passed away a few years ago, for she always yearned for the exotic in her travels around the world, her expertise raising and showing an exotic breed of dog called a basenji and her great joy and appreciation of the culinary arts.
She was meticulous and artistic in all that she pursued. At an early Christmas at her home I was in awe of the egg ornaments that embellished one tree. She told me how she and her mother hand cut the opening in the front of each egg , then built piece by piece a miniature holiday themed dioroma in each one. West Virginia style Faberge… They were beautiful .
As I got to know her better and better, I began to see this exquisite attention to detail brought to life in the pies that graced our holiday tables. Her apple pie was like no other. It was balanced to perfection with fruit, spices and sugar. The double crust was not just holding in the apples but of equal importance to the filling.“Could Lucretia please bring her apple pie to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner ?” would become a frequent holiday request.
For years I had my own recipe that I held dear, but soon found myself just as taken by her pie baking prowess. Yes …… I did persuade her to give me the recipe so that I could share it with all of you. After her baking days had come to a close, she took great pride in bringing friends to The Bonbonerie the month we featured Lucretia’s Apple Pie. It made it possible for her to still share her pie with friends and family.