This isn’t your typical butter pecan ice cream. A creamy, custardy, ice cream base filled with perfectly shattered bits of pecan brittle isn’t exactly typical, is it?
Melissa Maedgen, Recipe Tester
A list of all the recipes Melissa Maedgen has tested.
Melissa Maedgen owes her passion for cooking and gardening to her parents. Like her mom and dad, she’s fond of improvisational cooking with a focus on fresh produce from her garden or from local farmers. She enjoys cooking outdoors, sometimes in a particularly rustic manner—she once roasted a goat on a spit (actually just a piece of rebar) over a fire in a field in Texas. Maedgen was raised to be a DIYer, so she often makes her own tofu or beer. She’s been following Leite’s Culinaria since 2001, when she was studying Portuguese and developed an interest in Brazilian and Portuguese food. She became a tester in 2009 and loves that she gets to cook foods she might not otherwise make.
Southern Corn Sticks
These corn bread batons bake up crisp on the outside, with a fine crumb on the inside, and ready to sop up as much butter or gravy as you wish.
Rabbit Confit
Rabbit confit is so delicious, so falling-off-the-bone tender, you’ll wonder why you don’t eat it more often. Made even better with loads of spices, it’s rather elegant, too.
Chicken with Mustard ~ Poulet à la Moutarde
With this recipe, you can assure anyone who asks “Parlez-vous poulet?” that yes, in fact, you do. Quite fluently.
White Bean Stew with Tomatoes and Rosemary
There’s something about a big old pot of beans–comforting, richly flavored, and filling. Tomatoes and rosemary add a little something special.
Bucatini all’Amatriciana
All’Amatriciana—go on, roll that “r” like they do in Italy—means a spicy pasta sauce of tomatoes and pancetta or bacon. Prego.
Tarte Tatin
A tarte Tatin is nothing more than a tart turned upside down, nothing less than pastry perfection. It’s a lot of caramely apple goodness atop a buttery crust.
Vegan Walnut Fig Bars
A quick, healthy, vegan, fruit and nut-filled snack. Not too sweet but still good when you’re craving something less granola and more like dessert.
Pineapple Fried Rice
Vegan fried rice filled with so many healthy, tasty ingredients you’ll feel fantastic about eating it. And get a load of those groovy pineapple bowls!
Milkiest Chocolate Ice Cream
This irresistible scoop of the milkiest chocolate ice cream is like having a bar of fine Swiss chocolate on a spoon.