Crumbs on the Table is a food blog with tested recipes, and stories about food. I aim to share the best recipes I know, and something of their context: the places they come from, the seasons and occasions that inspire them, the producers who bring food to our tables, the significance a particular dish has for those who prepare and eat it, and how the recipes themselves are handed on.
What kind of food will you encounter here? I am a migratory omnivore, and the stories come from many places: cherry orchards, the south of France, my English village, New Jersey asparagus fields, memories of Texas apricots… With the recipes themselves, I aim for a balance between savoury and sweet, and have organised them in this way as many of us now eat less formal meals, often on the go; but I also include some menu ideas for the satisfaction of a full culinary performance.
I’ve tried to make the recipe indexing as useful as possible. In addition to a complete recipe index of all recipes on this blog in alphabetical order, and the separate indices for savoury and sweet recipes, there is also an index by ingredients. There are also ‘Categories’ and ‘Tags’ at the end of each posting, which allow you to search for other categories, such as ‘Autumn Recipes’, ‘Easy Recipes’, ‘Cake Recipes’, ‘Vegetarian Recipes’. If you click on any of these categories or tags, you will be taken to a list of all relevant recipes, with a thumbnail photo and brief description of each.
I bring a hodge-podge international perspective to this blog as I am myself a cultural mutt. I am especially interested in what “local” means in many places. I care as much about what women, mostly, have traditionally cooked at home, as in the work of culinary artists who work magic in the most original restaurants.
I have professional cooking experience, and have taken classes over the years from good teachers, but much of my working life has been outside the culinary profession, and most what I’ve learned, I’ve learned by doing — and by eating, reading and being inspired by others (reading list here). Like most people, I am always looking for recipes that are delicious and simple, and I will share the best of these with you; but I am also someone who will make my own puff pastry. Not all these recipes are quick, but I believe they are good, and hope the instructions will be clear. I aim to be honest about what’s involved in a dish so you can decide whether you want to invest your time and ingredients in making it.
This blog is a consolidation of many years’ experience as a cook and a writer, and I am excited to be bringing the two together. I look forward to this journey and the company of fellow travellers. I hope you will share your experiences and comments along the way.
Thank you for reading.
More about Laura and Crumbs on the Table.