Hello, and welcome! I’m Kira. I hope to document my cooking and baking here and post recipes for anyone interested. I love tackling a difficult or fussy recipe, reworking the classics, and trying new tastes from around the world.

I got up early today to make a dessert for a dinner party this evening. Late winter’s transition to early spring in desserts is the time for custard, chocolate, maple, and citrus flavors to shine. While rhubarb is by this point beginning to creep into the market (and deservedly will earn itself later posts), I found myself making one last citrus sweet. A ricotta and honey cheesecake scented with orange zest and an Italian extract used for panettone called fiori di sicilia (flowers of Sicily). Fiori di sicilia is an extremely fragrant vanilla-orange combination, to the point where two or three drops is all one needs to scent an entire cake. The base is a pistachio and olive oil biscotti I baked for the first time this morning. No recipe yet, but I’ll share a picture before I put it in the fridge to chill.