“Rompopo, a Latin-style eggnog filled with plenty of rum, cinnamon and vanilla, is so much a part of my family’s history that it’s more like a fifth food group at every special event during colder months,” says Eat Boutique founder Maggie Battista, whose book Food Gift Love—featuring recipes for edible gifts, complete with wrapping how-tos—hits shelves Oct. 13. “The recipe found our family through my mother. She was born in Honduras but settled in the U.S. in the 1960s, with dreams of being a singer. She still makes her own private stash of rompopo today, adding a little extra rum, humming as she stirs and sips.”
An Open Cookbook
Cookbooks are made up of more than instructions and ingredient lists—the author’s memories often end up in the mix. We asked the local culinarians behind three new releases to dish on their most personal recipes.
By Jacqueline Houton Sept. 25, 2015
“The recipe in the book that is most personal to me is the chicken stew with cornmeal dumplings,” says Top Chef alum and Liquid Art House chef de cuisine Stacy Cogswell, who debuts The New New England Cookbook on Oct. 13. “My grandmother used to make me chicken stew with buttermilk dumplings in the fall and winter. I can remember the smell of her kitchen as it cooked and the anticipation that I had as a child to eat it. It was one of those moments in life when you realize what you want to do and anything else won’t make you happy. I wanted to cook.”
By Jacqueline Houton
“This recipe from the 1930s [for Grandma Goldberg’s Honey Cake] comes from Hilary Finkel Buxton, a friend from our days at WGBH, and her sister, Sandy Hyman-Mahaffey,” say Cambridge duo Marilynn and Sheila Brass, who boast 128 years of kitchen experience between them and release Baking with the Brass Sisters on Oct. 6. “We spent an afternoon emailing back and forth, all three of us talking about Grandma Goldberg and making attempts to decipher her handwritten recipe. Eventually, our home kitchen was filled with the aroma of Grandma’s wonderful golden Honey Cake.”
By Jacqueline Houton
“Rompopo, a Latin-style eggnog filled with plenty of rum, cinnamon and vanilla, is so much a part of my family’s history that it’s more like a fifth food group at every special event during colder months,” says Eat Boutique founder Maggie Battista, whose book Food Gift Love—featuring recipes for edible gifts, complete with wrapping how-tos—hits shelves Oct. 13. “The recipe found our family through my mother. She was born in Honduras but settled in the U.S. in the 1960s, with dreams of being a singer. She still makes her own private stash of rompopo today, adding a little extra rum, humming as she stirs and sips.”
View All Events
Related Articles
A Final Bow
If you’ve ever had a Hoodsie Sundae Cup...
Tigers Love Pepper, They Hate Cinnamon
Artisan Approach
Building Something New in Allston...
Comfort, Enjoy
A stalwart expands to a neighborhood in transition...
28 Days Later
The evil genius behind jm Curley’s foie gras-glazed jelly donut may not seem the likeliest candidate to co-found a wellness app...
Ports to Call
Whoever loves chocolate (and who doesn’t?) needs to know about port...
Architect of a Meal
Scelfo's Designs for Alden & Harlow...
Spice Route
With bold Turkish fare, Sarma makes an impressive debut...