Believe it or not, this Christmas cookie, though multi-layered, is quick and easy. Julia started by applying a pale blue sky with petal dust; next she painted green grass with liqua-gel food coloring; then she rubber-stamped in black to make the reindeer
An overabundance of garden cucumbers is never a problem for Julia and her husband Bryan. The two of them put up these dill spears late in the summer each season and easily enjoy them through the following year. Hoping to
In Julia’s December 2006 edition of Prep School in Sauce magazine, she showed how a velvety velouté base can make the simplest soups luxurious too. Here, she combined a cider- and Calvados-spiked roux with homemade chicken stock, poached chicken, apples,
Julia’s table is her stage. She makes sure it looks inviting even when setting it for an everyday Sunday dinner, like this one of pancetta-wrapped pork and roasted beets.
Since Julia’s cake and cookie work is often very exacting, she prefers to cook simply when it comes to savories. Here’s a glimpse of a typical meal in the Usher house – roasted beet salad and pancetta-wrapped pork loin topped
Effortless styling makes this apple cake one of Julia’s favorite desserts for easy fall entertaining. Lady apples dipped in caramel and cracked walnuts are scattered on top, signaling the flavors inside.
Now plated up, Julia’s simple Sunday dinner beckons family members to dive in. But not before loading on plenty of her incredible rhubarb chutney!
Julia believes beauty is in the details. Notice the intriguing marriage she created by pairing this rustic cake with elegant china and linens. Even though styling for a fall dinner for no special occasion, Julia spared no fine point.
Julia’s Thanksgiving 2004 went down as the most catastrophic in Usher family history. First, her local organic turkey farmer went out of business, leaving Julia short one rather important ingredient. Second, a painstakingly sliced onion side dish met its demise
In September 2006, in one of her first articles for her Prep School column in Sauce magazine, Julia gave general prescriptions for how to transform any sweet bread pudding into a savory one. She followed with a recipe for this
This ceviche, developed by Julia for her June 2006 Prep School column in Sauce magazine, combines several Latin American influences: most notably a Peruvian red pepper called ají rocoto and an Ecuadorian-style marinade made with multiple fruit juices. Fresh mango,
Another set of cupcakes from Julia’s 2005 Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion food-styling feature, these bite-size cakes take flight with vibrant royal icing top coats and butterflies crafted from sliced almonds. Aside: Julia was asked by the magazine to re-style the cupcakes in
This cupcake composition was yet another styling job done by Julia for the April-May 2005 issue of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion. Based on the carrot and zucchini cupcake recipes in Cupcakes Year-Round by Sara Neumeier, these treats seemed most at home
Originally snowball cupcakes intended for winter, these treats from the book Cupcakes Year-Round by Sara Neumeier were re-styled by Julia to work in a spring 2005 issue of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion. The simple addition of paper ears and cotton tails
The last set of cupcakes from Julia’s 2005 Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion food-styling feature, these jelly-filled cupcakes with peanut butter frosting are every kids’ dream lunchbox or after-school treat. Again, recipes and styling cues were taken from Sara Neumeier’s book, Cupcakes Year-Round.
It’s always thoughtful to personalize an event – and what better way than with wedding cakes for each guest! This dainty sweet, made in Julia’s very early wedding cake shop days, is decked with embossed fondant fronds and shiny silver
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