About

As a child, I apprenticed in my mother’s kitchen, dotting French muffins with butter, cinnamon, and sugar, putting thumb prints in thumbprint cookies, and retiring to the kitchen table with a batter-covered spoon to lick. The magical alchemy that transforms a lump of dough into a luscious confection enchanted me, and I’ve been in love with sweets ever since.

Upon graduating from college and from a baking-only regimen – entering adulthood meant not only finding a ‘real’ job, but learning to cook ‘real’ food. I didn’t know the difference between braise or saute, brine or blitz, but the same fascination that had me peering through the oven door to watch dough bake at 7, made me eager to experiment with caramelization, roasting, and all of other methods that turn lumps of raw foodstuffs into delicious dinners.

I am now a card-carrying Foodie, boring friends and loved ones with a lengthy explanation as to the difference between one farm’s eggs over another’s, why I have 3 different flours in my tiny Beacon Hill kitchen, and the sterling qualities of Irish butter. They indulge me because I feed them, but it did become clear that an outlet for my enthusiasm would be more beneficial all around.

This blog is my take on everything culinary – from dining out and at-home recipes, to tips and tricks to use in the kitchen, why we cook the way we do, hints for easy entertaining, and everything else pertaining to the pleasures of eating, with which I am, and always have been, utterly besotted.

Please e-mail me with any questions, recipe requests, comments, or suggestions at jessica@besottedgourmet.com