Mini cupcakes; Post-Dispatch photos by David Carson

Cravings owner/pastry chef Tim Brennan will use this rich chocolate ganache to top his Mini Chocolate Cranberry Cupcakes at a fundraiser Nov. 14 for the St. Louis Public Library.

Chocolate Ganache > Tim Brennan, Cravings

1 cup…

The winner: Scandinavian-American Potato Salad With Dill

Hungry for potato salad? You’re in luck. Check out STLtoday.com/food for the three winning recipes and half-dozen finalists selected in our recent recipe contest.

Still not enough? Check out this recipe that combines two classics, mayonnaise-based American…

Photo courtesy of Prevention magazine

I’ve been watching “Top Chef Masters” each week (9 p.m. Wednesdays on Bravo), and frankly, the show has been making me hungry. It’s also has made me appreciate the skills — and the charms — of many…

In this week’s Wine Finds column, Gail Appleson talks about two French wines that she greatly enjoyed at a party. They went especially well with some of the food. Here are the recipes, provided by the guests who brought the dishes:

FRUIT…

In this week’s Readers’ Recipe Exchange column, I’m reprinting a fabulously easy recipe for artisan bread. The dough can be made in advance and isn’t kneaded. Keep it in the refrigerator, breaking off as much or as little as you…

Most recipes for black walnut cookies are the icebox variety. (For a recipe, click here.) After the dough has been mixed, it is formed into logs and refrigerated. After several hours (or longer), the dough is sliced into discs and…

Plank-grilled chicken thighs

Plank-cooked fish has been all the rage for several years. Here’s an interesting switch, from “Weber’s Way to Grill” by Jamie Purviance.

Weber also has posted a video of the process. To see it, click HERE.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Way to…

I’m on vacation until June 8. While I’m gone, let’s turn this into a foodie forum. What are your favorite recipes and cooking tips?

This recipe is adapted from “Great Year-Round Grilling in the Midwest,” by Ellen Brown (The Lyons Press, $19.95). The original calls for fresh kielbasa, which is hard to find locally. You can substitute kielbasa links or use other fresh sausage links.

Kielbasa…

Rhubarb crumb bars

Rhubarb is a bit of a contradiction. It’s a vegetable that we use like a fruit. It’s so tart it’s puckery, but we add so much sugar or other sweetener that it tastes sweet. And it’s supremely edible, but…