Here’s how we Roll!

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

I use the same sponge cake recipe every Christmas to make my Bûche de Noël, the traditional French Yule log. And every Christmas, I think, why not use that cake recipe the rest of the year, with an easy seasonal filling, instead? A simple jelly roll?

Just bake the cake, spread with jelly or jam and dust with powdered sugar. Easy peasy.

But then I forget all about it, until Christmas comes around again. Except last week, I finally pulled out that cake recipe, baked it, spread it with a jar of lemon curd, and rolled it up. It was a hit with my family so I thought I’d share.

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A Simple Yeast Cake for Easter

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

I don’t bake yeast breads very often. But I do at least two times a year. One is at Christmas, when I make a braided wreath bread that I insist we eat before opening presents. The second is at Easter, when I haul out my bread machine from the basement to make Hot Cross Buns. Once the dough is made, I shape and bake it conventionally in the oven. I can make the buns from scratch, but why not let the machine do some of the work?

In case you’d like to bake with yeast but are a little intimidated, here’s a luscious yeast cake that uses the no-knead batter bread technique. It’s a good recipe for beginners and for people in a hurry, since in addition to no kneading, there is only one rising.

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The Best Irish Soda Bread

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

I’m on a consulting assignment for Kerrygold in New York City. And since I won’t be home to make soda bread for St. Patrick’s Day, I made mine early to share with my son, who agreed to house sit while I am away.

I love soda bread—it’s one of the easiest breads to make and it makes the house smell heavenly as it bakes. This year I tried a new recipe--soda bread with Dubliner cheese and green onion. It was crusty outside and moist inside, speckled with green onion that added a little bite and bright color to the tender crumb. Honestly, it was just the best soda bread, ever.

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Luscious Strawberry Soup

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

We had some gorgeous days in San Francisco last week. So I took it that spring had sprung.

Not so fast, Mother Nature said, sending us a deluge of rain over the weekend.

We are definitely in that in-between period, where we can taste the promise of warmer weather and sunshine, but are not quite there yet. Which is a good time for Strawberry Soup.

Strawberries are the harbingers of spring and their bright red color and little heart shapes make them the most cheerful ambassadors of the season. I bought some at the supermarket this weekend and while they were plump and juicy, they weren’t as sweet as berries at their peak.

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It’s Time for Thai

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Recently, my daughter-in-law Lynn came by with a carton of homemade Tom Yum Soup. Having caught cold and feeling under the weather, the soup was a welcome antidote—clean flavors, warm and spicy—and it hit the spot.

It was so delicious that I asked Lynn how she made it, and I found it’s remarkably easy.

Being from Thailand, Lynn knows how to create the authentic taste of Thai dishes. Her soup called for galangal and a few other ingredients that aren’t so readily accessible, so I asked if she could revise her ingredient list; she complied with the version below, which tasted as good as the original.

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