A Few Things With Claire And Erica

Today, we bring you love and affection for a renowned butter sculptor, complicated feelings about baking, and some pretty sweet recipes for Q4 2021.   The retirement of the Minnesota State Fair butter sculptor, per The StarTribune! Related: the Christopher Guest-ish movie Butter.   Andy Murray and the case of the stolen tennis shoes and wedding ring that were returned.    Dorie Greenspan’s compelling argument for baking in a recent Garden & Gun interview.   Three baking cookbooks Erica loves: The Cake Bible, Cannelle Et Vanille: Nourishing, Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Meal and Mood, and The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes.   Some baking recipes we have up our sleeves: Claudia Roden’s Orange and Almond Cake, Julia Turshen’s Afternoon Cake, Smitten Kitchen Strawberry Summer Cake, Yotam Ottolenghi’s Flourless Coconut Cake, Julia Child’s Genoa Almond Cake / Pain de Gênes (page 78 here), Emily Luchetti’s Ginger Cookies (and Emily Luchetti’s Stareos), Ovenly's Salted Peanut Butter Cook