Ksenia

They slow-roasted in a bath of spiced Mexican vanilla syrup for hours until they became soft like butter, and I have been eating them both for dessert and, sometimes, even for breakfast, with a scoop of greek yogurt on the side. After you’re doing roasting these Mexican vanilla pears (and you don’t really have to do all that much in the process), you can reduce the remaining syrup to make it thicker and extra sumptuous for spooning over pears, yogurt, or ice cream. and I took a class to learn how to make conches, these delicious Mexican sweet buns. Our instructor, Eliceo, used local Mexican vanilla extract and recommended that we purchase some before heading back to the US as it is high quality, but fairly affordable.

We all need a color injection in these winter months so, thank god for the brightness of winter citrus! This winter citrus cake, adapted from Melissa Clark’s recipe, is my current favorite way to incorporate cara cara and blood oranges into a special dessert. Also, how pretty does it look? I brought this cake to a dinner party over the weekend, and it made for a perfect winter dessert that was a complete and total crowd-pleaser

Bringing the sunshine in (or tempting it to come inside!) by sharing all of my spring home favorites with you here – it may not be a coincidence that they are all in the same golden amber color palette: • Butter Knife/ Spreader – this is the kind of thing I have too much of/ still can’t get enough ($18) • Line-Dash Block Print Pillow to brighten up any living room couch that’s feeling a little dull ($95) • Form Cake Server – this beautiful cake server is made of solid brass ($30 – on sale!) • Everlane Weekender Bag – planning a trip with this sturdy carry-all & carry-on in Golden ($98) • Otherland Chandelier Candle – these are my favorite candles for my room, just a little sultry ($36) • Ichendorf Milano Decanter – I am truly obsessed with this handblown wine decanter ($78) {ps. } Some of these are affiliate links, but I truly love every single one of the products I recommend! If you buy something through our links, s&h may earn an affiliate commission

There are those rare times when you stumble upon something you didn’t even know you have been searching for – in this case, it’s these coq au vin meatballs. As you know, I am always looking for a way to reinvent and modernize French classics