FOOD

Sure, Rhubarb looks beautiful at the farmer's market, but aside from the requisite strawberry/rhubarb pie, what do you do with it? A simple sweet Rhubarb Puree floating amongst bubbles is a good place to start.

As a child, I would bring mom bouquets of dandelions picked from our forever overgrown back yard. Each time, as I presented her with my flower weed gift, she would accept it like she was accepting an Academy Award. It always made me feel so special. This spring, I wanted to treat mom a different kind of floral bouquet—one that was beautiful for the mind but had the extra benefit of being good for the body. 

I never used to like upside-down cake because I always thought it had to be made with canned pineapple and maraschino cherries. (For some reason, I was convinced those preternaturally red cherries must cause cancer; then I grew up and realized you can get cancer from just about anything.) As it turns out, when fresh fruits are used, I am an upside- down-cake craftsman. I mastered the perfect batter and then fine-tuned the fruit bottoms to include my favorite fruits like this apple. For a big show (and God knows I love dinner party showmanship), at your next dinner party,...

You'll probably never think about maple syrup again.