My name is Zoë François, I’m the co-author of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and the body, heart and soul behind the website Zoë Bakes. I’m absolutely thrilled and honored to be a guest blogger on Baking and Books while Ari is on holiday with her family.

The day Ari asked me to be a guest on her blog, while she sails the high seas, I had just picked the very first stalks of rhubarb for the year. They are always the first thing to pop up in my garden, the first sign that we’ve survived another long winter and a tremendous source of joy! I adore rhubarb for that reason and for its lovely tart flavor that is perfect with just a touch of sugar.  Ari’s post about herbs and edible plants got me thinking about pairing the rhubarb with its classic companion, strawberries, and something a little less conventional, thyme. Strawberry-Rhubarb and Thyme Shortcakes! The flavors are perfect together and I just love that it all came from our gardens, albeit virtually.

Click here for the recipe…

It’s hard to describe the sheer awesomeness of this coffee cake, with its beautiful spirals and layers of brown sugar, pecans, walnuts and orange marmalade. But for you, I will try. Imagine the aroma of warm sugar and nuts, think about the sensation of fresh, fluffy bread melting in your mouth. That is this coffee cake.
I decided to play around …

A couple weeks ago I wrote about my container herb garden and since then my plants have more than doubled in size. The strawberry plant is humongous, as are the oregano and rosemary plants growing beside it. And my sage plant? Well, just look at the photo below. One sage leaf is nearly as big as the length of my …

There’s something about living 2,865 miles away from your family that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “home is where the heart is.” On one side of the continent are your mother, brother, father and grandmother, and on the other side your husband and a mischievous dog named Oreo. It makes a gal feel awfully conflicted. Every time …

Tomorrow I’m flying to California to visit my family and though my husband is skilled in the kitchen I still like to leave baked goods for him when I travel. It seems only fair since he’ll be pining away for me every day, eagerly awaiting the moment of my return – right? I’m kidding. Actually he’ll be watching his military …

With all the news about the recession you might think that gourmet eating is a thing of the past, but one of the best ways to get around smaller grocery budgets is planting an edible garden. Fresh herbs like sage, thyme and oregano growing on your doorstep will not only spice up your cooking and baking but will save you …