Is it breakfast or Tuesday? Who knows. The days between Christmas and New Year are deliciously undefined. Schedules fall away, the clock loses its authority, and time opens up. If ever there were a moment to head to the kitchen, this is it. Not to fuss. Not to overthink. But to make something properly good.
We’re inspired by two women who understood that cooking is a pleasure — and who would never let a free afternoon go by without turning it into something wonderful. Women who believed that a handful of ingredients, treated well, could become something memorable.What connects them is a refusal to squander time — especially good time. Time at home. Time with family. Time that can be transformed, quite simply, into something fabulous.
Julia Child cooked with confidence and clarity. She trusted technique, embraced butter without apology, and believed that good food was meant to be made — not admired from afar. Her Tarte Tatin is proof: apples, sugar, pastry, and a little nerve.
Ada Boni, writing from Rome, cooked for daily life with equal intention. Her Torta di Mele is practical and beautiful — a cake made to be eaten, shared, and returned to. No excess. No waste. Just intelligence, balance, and pleasure.
So if the day is unclear but the kitchen is calling, take that as instruction. Put something in the oven. Use the apples. Make something that feels generous and complete.
Make Something Good
TARTE TATIN - Adapted from Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Recipe:
TARTE TATIN by Julia Child. Serves 6-8
6–8 Golden Delicious apples
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
7 tbsp (100 g) unsalted butter
1 sheet all-butter puff pastry
Pinch of salt (optional)
1. Peel, core, and halve the apples (quarter if large).
2. In a heavy, ovenproof skillet or tarte Tatin pan, heat the sugar over medium heat until melted and a deep amber caramel forms.
3. Carefully add the butter and swirl to combine. Remove from heat.
4. Tightly pack the apples, cut side up, into the caramel.
5. Return pan to medium heat and cook for 15–20 minutes, gently pressing apples down as they soften and release juices.
6. Roll puff pastry slightly larger than the pan and lay over the apples, tucking the edges down inside.
7. Bake at 375°F / 190°C for 30–35 minutes, until pastry is golden.
8. Let rest 5–10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
9. Serve warm, plain or with lightly whipped cream or crème fraîche.
TORTA DI MELE - From Ada Boni, Il Talismano della Felicità
Recipe:
TORTA DI MELE (ITALIAN APPLE CAKE) by Ada Boni. Serves 8
3–4 apples (Golden Delicious or similar)
3 eggs
¾ cup (150 g) sugar
⅔ cup (150 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Zest of 1 lemon (optional but traditional)
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar, for serving (optional)
1. Peel and thinly slice the apples. Toss with lemon juice if using.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until pale. Stir in melted butter.
3. Fold in flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
4. Fold half the apples into the batter.
5. Pour into a buttered, floured 9-inch round cake pan. Arrange remaining apples on top.
6. Bake at 350°F / 175°C for 45–50 minutes, until golden and set.
7. Cool slightly. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
