Sweet and savory
Baking is made easy in ‘Baked in Vermont’
Is there anything quite like the smell of freshly baked goods coming out of the oven? That warm, mouthwatering scent that fills countless homes at this time of year is definitely one of my favorites, and while the smells that are no doubt filling Gesine Bullock-Prado’s kitchen don’t make their way through the TV screen (where’s my Smell-O-Vision television?), by the look of her baked goods, they probably smell absolutely amazing.
The acclaimed pastry chef, baking instructor and cookbook author has been sharing some of her top baking tips all month in “Baked in Vermont,” on Food Network. She believes that anyone can bake with just a bit of knowledge and some confidence — not to mention lots of flour and butter — and she’s invited audiences into her Vermont home, where she shares tips and tricks to help make baking accessible to even the clumsiest of cooks.
In this week’s episode, airing Saturday, Dec. 30, Prado invites some friends over to make tasty apple cider together in her barn. Always the perfect host, she bakes up an amazing apple-inspired brunch to share with her guests — and invites us along, too. First on the menu are poached eggs on English muffins with hollandaise: all made from scratch, of course.
On the sweeter side of things are a batch of apple cider doughnuts, served alongside a latticed apple slab pie. Of course, any good spread of tasty treats also needs an equally good thirst quencher, and Prado’s sparking apple cider cocktail certainly fits the bill.
Baking may have a reputation for being mostly sweets, but all month Pardo’s been sharing tips on how to make perfect savory pastries. She’s made fluffy cheese puffs, succulent steak hand pies and an incredible hearty pork pie. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the sweet side of things has been neglected. Quite the contrary. With gingerbread cookies, a decadent interior cake and even homemade caramels all having found a home in her kitchen, this is a baker who gives both the savory and sweet sides of baking their due.
Gesine Bullock-Prado makes baking seem so easy, and with her sage advice it usually is. The latest episode of “Baked in Vermont” airs Saturday, Dec. 30, on Food Network.