Denise Ward's Page

Well, I may a little behind the curve on this, but the other day my craving for Moroccan flavor for my spaghetti squash dish was the vehicle for my discovery. Since I cook with mostly fresh herbs I rarely dig through some of my dried spices stuffed away in the rack. But when I examined by ground Coriander I realized that it must have been long past it's "recommended 3 months in the pantry". So, I headed to our wonderful New Leaf market to see if they carried spices in bulk. And they do! So, I gr… Continue

Friday night we offered a Girls' Night Out cooking class. The menu was the result of a competition we held during the summer called the "Chowhound Challenger". Participants submitted menu ideas for what they considered to be a fun collection of food and drink that "girls" could really appreciate. The winner, Dornia Hoffer, suggested preparing the types of foods that are a bit fussy, delicate, and not at all manly. There would be no Barbeque sauce at this meal and definitely no meat or potatoes (… Continue

I've just returned from an amazing,albeit frigid, visit to Bavaria. For me, most vacations are defined by their culinary experiences and this trip was no exception. After having been away from Germany for 10 years I needed to know if my memories of the delectable Kaiserschmarrn had become loftier than the reality. What I hadn't realized is just how many variations of this Austrian specialty there are. It is basically a pancake-type mixture made with eggs, flour, and milk that can be somewhat scr… Continue

Despite the summer weather being a distraction from the fact that the holidays are upon us, I decided to buckle down and start cooking with pumpkin to get me thinking about Thanksgiving. I have to say that these Pumpkin Madeleines were extremely tasty and the best thing I can think of to accompany a cup of tea on one of these toasty afternoons!

14 oz pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
2 Tbps molasses
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup maple syrup
pinch salt
8 oz butt… Continue

The evening went along basically without a hitch. The group sipped the Alfaro 2008 Estate Chardonnay and the 2008 Rose of Estate Pinot Noir as we set out to prepare our meal for the Chowhound Winemaker Dinner with the Alfaro's. The first course was a Sage & Stilton Flatbread rolled out thin and then topped with sliced fresh figs. Here in Santa Cruz the figs have been lovely, but never plentiful enough! We then prepared a Caramelized Onion Soup using 3 types of onions which we cooked down unt… Continue