Still waiting for Spring… Strawberry Peach Pie

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

So, it’s pouring down rain. By mid-afternoon the temperature had climbed all the way to a steamy 42 degrees. Sheesh…

Yesterday, we had the most beautiful warm sunny day. I planted plants. I weeded the garden. We dined on our deck. I did all the outside spring things that make a person fully feel like Spring.

Today’s weather drove me back inside. Still having the spring cleaning bug, I decided to clean our freezers. As in true Alaska style, we have multiple freezers. So, it’s a process. Empty and defrost one freezer. Clean it. Fill it back up with contents from the next freezer. Repeat. The best thing about the freezer cleaning project is seeing all the delicious treasures we have not used up yet from last summer. In addition to those treasures, we just purchased a used freezer that came with its contents. I felt like I was on one of those storage wars TV shows where you bid on a storage unit filled with stuff. Who knows, you might score big, right? Turns out there was lots of good stuff in the freezer we picked up. First up – a bag of frozen peaches and a bag of frozen strawberries.

What better to do on a wintery day than to make a strawberry peach pie. I recently acquired a super cute set of Beatrix Potter cookie cutters. A tiny butterfly cookie cutter made the perfect finishing touch for a darling pie top. Now, I have to wait patiently for the pie to cool. And wait patiently for Spring to come.

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Fingers Drumming… Marbled Matcha Ube Cookes

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

A long cold winter and a very wet spring make for reluctant wild plants. They, as am I, are not sure this warmish sunny day is a true call to sprout their little leaves and flowers. Last year at this time, we were harvesting our first greens – devil’s club buds, fireweed shoots, and spruce tips. The only brave plants of that trio this year are the beginnings of fireweed shoots. Fingers drumming…

What is a baker and forager to do? As I bide my time for the plants to wake up, I dig into my pantry for inspiration. Simulating the colors of my hopeful mood, I pulled out some bright purple ube and some intense matcha powders. I marbled the two hued sugar cookie doughs together to make a vibrant confection with the bold flavor of matcha.

Jack thought the look of this cookie was a bit monster-ish. What do you think?

Roasted Duck in a Clay Pot

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

Christmas dinner success. This was our first try roasting a duck and root vegetables in a Römertopf – an unglazed terra cotta cooking pot. Quite tasty. The combination of parsnip, rutabaga, carrot and baby potatoes was a perfect base on which to roast the duck, which we first brined and then seasoned with herbs. As the duck released fat, the vegetables marinated and became super tender and flavorful.

Pizza Margherita with Basil Microgreens

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

Our long-standing tradition has been to keep a batch of par-baked pizza crusts ready in the freezer for a quick, easy, and delicious meal.

Recently we’ve been watching the Great Courses’ The Everyday Gourmet: The Joy of Mediterranean Cooking. Chef Bill Briwa delivered excellent instruction on how to make Neapolitan Pizza in a home oven. Why were the directions excellent? Just look at the photo. The pizza came as close to a pizza baked in a wood-fired oven as possible in a home kitchen. Nice crispy crust with gorgeous charred bubbles full of flavor. The addition of basil microgreens from our hydroponic garden gave a delicious and lovely finishing touch.

We are definitely converts. More freshly-baked crusts are on the menu!

Chawan Mushi – Enjoying Our Local Seafood

Posted on November 28, 2025 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

One of the most delightful things about this savory, silky custard-like soup is the surprise at the bottom. This version of a favorite soup lured you in with toppings of sweet spot shrimp fished from nearby waters and salmon roe ikura. Once you spooned your way through all that deliciousness, you would have been surprised by a nice bite of smoked salmon at the bottom of the bowl. In order to make this first course easy to transport to a Thanksgiving potluck, we made them in four-ounce canning jars. They were cooked bain marie, instead of the traditional steaming, which worked quite well.

Here’s the link to the original post and recipe: https://cutterlight.com/2012/03/17/scallop-and-shrimp-chawan-mushi-with-smoked-quail-eggs/

Just a Taste – Pumpkin Pie Brûlée Bites

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

*These little custards were baked in two-ounce canning jars and are awaiting the finishing touch of a caramelized top. They are the perfect size for a dessert bite at a potluck*.

Tis the season for pumpkin pie. Ten years ago (wow, 10 years!!), we posted a recipe after making a fall pumpkin pie and found ourselves with leftover filling. You know the problem, not enough filling to make a whole second pie, but the idea of tossing the extra unthinkable. We decided to bain-marie the remainder. When the little custards came out of the hot water bath, they seemed to want a bit of crunch. Out came the kitchen torch and a little sugar for a satisfying brûlée finish. And so, a new recipe for our repertoire was born.

Here is the link to the original recipe and post: https://cutterlight.com/2015/11/15/maple-pumpkin-pie-brulee-or-what-to-do-with-leftover-pie-filling/

On Wings of Angels

Posted on September 7, 2025 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

We’ve been studying and learning about foraging for choice edible mushrooms for the better part of six years now. A seasoned mushroom forager’s instruction helped us move from interested and nervous mushroomers to confident and knowledgable mushroomers. In the forests we currently traverse, we focus on finding four types of choice mushrooms that are culinary beauties. Today’s hike ended with a basket of Angel Wings, Yellow Foot Chanterelles, and Hedgehogs. I can’t wait to see Jack create a bowl of Udon featuring these delicious and beautiful mushrooms.

#wildmushrooms #mushroom foraging #wild gourmet mushrooms #wildalaska #chefdonachy #alaskacooking #food #foodphotography #eatingwelloffthebeatenpath #alaskafood #alaskabush #fooddestination

Yelloweye Rockfish

Posted on August 2, 2025 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

One of the many, many things we love about Cordova is receiving a notice that someone is selling freshly caught seafood down at the harbor. Yesterday’s “catch” were beautiful yelloweye rockfish. The meat is firm, white, and flakes beautifully. The collar, grilled, pan-fried or broiled, is reminiscent of lobster tail. What’s your favorite seafood?

#yelloweye #freshfish #Alaskafish #rockfish #chefdonachy #alaskacooking #food #foodphotography #eatingwelloffthebeatenpath #alaskafood #alaskabush #fooddestination

Steam Juicer – a Revelation

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know I avoid superfluous or single use kitchen gadgets. When friends suggested adding a steam juicer to our arsenal, I borrowed one to see what the fuss was about. I first tested it on rhubarb and high bush cranberries with good results, but when I steam juiced wineberries (aka nagoon berries) I was sold. This device simplifies the process of cleaning and sorting, and quickly produces pure, unadulterated juices ready for immediate use or for canning. Highly recommend!

#steamjuicer #kitchengadget #juicing #chefdonachy #alaskacooking #food #foodphotography #eatingwelloffthebeatenpath #alaskafood #alaskabush #fooddestination

One more for the book: Wildberry Custard Tart

Posted on July 26, 2025 by Jack & Barbra Donachy

We are having quite a berry season. It was easy to gather premium wild blueberries and wild salmonberries for this tart. Look at the size of those golden berries! There’s a lot of things you could do with freshly picked berries…but nothing says “fresh berries” like fresh berries.

#wildblueberries #wildsalmonberries #dessert #wildberrytart #tartrecipe #chefdonachy #alaskacooking #food #foodphotography #eatingwelloffthebeatenpath #alaskafood #alaskabush #fooddestination