Cape Flavors

Send questions, comments and recipe ideas to Denise at deniseclemons1008@gmail.com.

Local cantaloupes bring the sweet taste of summer

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
I bought my first local cantaloupe of the season last week and wasn’t disappointed with the juicy,...

Peaches are perfect for pies, pizza, potables and more

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Local peaches seem to have reached the market a little bit earlier than usual this year. Bennett...

Simple or fancy, picnic planning should include food...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
I can’t see a picnic basket without hearing the voice of Yogi Bear (the cartoon character, not to...

Who needs a calendar – watermelons mean summertime!

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Although Delaware’s watermelon season typically runs from July through September, regional grocers...

Fresh, juicy blueberries brighten up any menu

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
One of my favorite sights at the Historic Lewes Farmers Market is the bright-orange peak of the...

Capers pack a burst of flavor into a tiny bud

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
One of my favorite condiments is the oddly named, pickled plant-bud called a caper. While we’ve...

Rhubarb recipes depend on balancing sweet-tart flavors

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Once again, the appearance of rhubarb stalks in the produce aisle at Lloyd’s Market tells us the...

Arugula can rocket your taste buds into a new dimension

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Except for the ubiquitous wedge salad, it’s uncommon to find iceberg lettuce on a restaurant menu...

Pak choi – an ancient vegetable with many modern uses

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
The weather was perfect for a visit to the Historic Lewes Farmers Market last Saturday. Most times...

Buttermilk: Beloved beverage offers a myriad of...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
I bought a bottle of buttermilk to make biscuits, which got me thinking about this oddly-named...

Explore sweet surprises with strawberry soup and more

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
While I wait impatiently for tomorrow’s opening day at the Historic Lewes Farmers Market, I have...

Get the down-low on risotto

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
I was invited to present a cooking demonstration for my neighbors a few weeks ago and choose to...

In the market or garden, it’s time to pick peas

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
This is the best time of year for fresh peas, which will be in season from now until mid-May. You’...

Cornmeal is an American contribution to world cuisine

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
During the past month, I’ve had two different shrimp dishes that shared a common ingredient:...

Easter traditions include flowers, bunnies and...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
If you’re planning an Easter celebration this weekend, our local shops are well stocked with...

Try grilled cheese with a French flair – you’ll say ...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Who knew that a grilled sandwich could be the source of so much controversy? I was planning to make...

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a touch of the Irish

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Why do we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day? The Catholic Church established a feast day to honor St...

More breakfast ideas – steak & eggs, dippy eggs with...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Of course, since last week’s column was about pork products’ monopoly on breakfast, I should have...

Pork – it’s what’s for breakfast

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Why is it that almost all the breakfast meat listed on restaurant menus is pork-based? Whether...

Celebrate banana bread any way you like it

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Although today is national Banana Bread Day, it’s also National Tootsie Roll Day and International...

Demi-glace provides an elegant finishing touch to...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
A reader of last week’s column asked me to explain “demi-glace,” the sauce served in the duck...

Fifer’s cooking class brings farm bounty to table

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Last weekend, I attended a cooking class hosted by Fifer Orchards at their Farm Store in Camden-...

Crudités platter a welcome addition to gatherings

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
At a recent gathering of friends, we served Prosecco, a charcuterie plate of cured meats and...

Sumo Citrus – you’ll love it for the flavor

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
While at a local grocery store this week, I asked if they had any blood oranges in stock, since...

Raw or cooked, fennel adds zest to many dishes

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
On a recent trip to the grocery, I found a lovely fennel bulb with delicate fronds still moist and...

Cold weather tells us to cozy up with chili

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Today’s topic is chili, the stew-like dish popular in cold-weather months, flavored by the slender...

2024 food trends may bring interesting changes

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
This is the time of year when food bloggers and lifestyle websites typically post their...

New Year’s Day means hearty morning and evening meals

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
No matter how you celebrate New Year’s Day, it’s always nice to wake up to a good breakfast...

Christmas Eve dinner can go fancy or cozy – your choice

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Before we relocated to the beach, when we were still living in the greater D.C. area, one of our...

Holiday traditions can be preserved through sharing

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Last month, I spent a lovely time with the residents at The Moorings talking about holiday...

Festival of Lights brings traditional foods to the...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
Yesterday at sundown marked the start of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah (sometimes spelled Chanukah...

Homemade biscotti is twice as nice

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
As we exit the buying frenzy of Black Friday and the charity-focused Giving Tuesday, Lewes is ready...

Thanksgiving leftovers can bring a whole new taste...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
By now, we are all recovered from the annual rituals associated with Thanksgiving. Perhaps you...

Is it stuffing, or dressing, or filling? Oh my!

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
With barely a week until Thanksgiving, most of us have already made plans for turkey day. Your home...

Brussels sprouts combine great versatility and...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
One of the most curiously named vegetables popular at this time of year is the cool-weather crop...

Applesauce and apple butter bring the warm flavors...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
When it comes to making applesauce, there are two approaches – one calls for more work at the start...

Pumpkin cheating is an acceptable trick for great...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
I usually stay away from boxed cake and cookie mixes or packaged side dishes. I prefer to have...

Harvest of Discontent program highlights Colonial...

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
This past weekend, the Lewes Historical Society presented a set of immersive programs on its...

Moving a kitchen is a major undertaking

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
As some of you may know, I have spent the past few weeks packing for a move from my house into an...

Follow recipe directions when using butter in batter

Denise Clemons
1 year ago
How many times have you found a recipe that begins with instructions to “cream butter” or “cream...

Try 15 Bean Soup for a hearty warm-up

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
During the height of last weekend’s wind-lashed rainstorms, I found myself craving a hot bowl of...

Nanticoke squash brings local history to the kitchen

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
If you happened to walk down Third Street during the past month, as you neared the corner of...

Down the rabbit hole on legumes, beans and pulses

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
Not sure if it’s because of all the recent rain or if I’m just craving fiber-rich food, but I’ve...

Early apples herald the crisp bite of autumn

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
Although it’s technically not the start of autumn until we reach the equinox later this month,...

Melons - an ancient fruit with many modern varieties

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
The familiar high temperatures of August have given the region’s melon crops exactly what they need...

Don’t be afraid of that weird-looking corn

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has encountered the problem illustrated by the photograph...

August is tomato time in Sussex County

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
It’s prime time for tomatoes. Vine-ripened beauties are piled high at farmers markets, roadside...

U.S.-grown rice offers a world of taste and texture...

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
An interesting email with the subject line “USA Rice” arrived in my inbox last week. The content of...

Savor the crisp summer crunch of cucumbers

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
At this time of year, it’s easy to appreciate the expression “cool as a cucumber.” With recent...

‘Tis the season for tomato pie; just choose a style

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
If you’ve been to Lloyd’s Market in Lewes lately, you may have seen the signs advertising “tomato...

Mac and cheese meals can go from simple to special...

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
It would appear I made a reporting error in last week’s column, neglecting to let you know that...

Delaware’s peach history hasn’t been a bed of roses

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
Peach season is in high gear a little bit earlier than the more typical mid-August. From wooden...

Zucchini and other squash add variety to summer menus

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
If you’ve been to a farmers market, supermarket or roadside stand lately, you’ve likely seen a wide...

Summer recipes for blueberry bruschetta and beyond

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
Last weekend, Bennett Orchards filled its signature orange tent at the Historic Lewes Farmers...

Celebrate summer with sweet taste of cantaloupe

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
As I began my research for this week’s column, I repeatedly ran into claims from food historians...

Kohlrabi is an attention-getter any way you slice it

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
If you want to spark a conversation at the farmers market, just ask a grower their opinion on the...

Peas and pasta offer many different meal options

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
Earlier this week, I was invited to conduct a cooking demonstration for the newly launched local...

Recipes from Mrs. Child - but not the one you’re...

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
As many of you may know, I enjoy reading historical cookbooks. Although they are called cookbooks (...

Tahini brings Middle Eastern flavor to diverse dishes

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
Tahini is one of the backbone ingredients in Middle Eastern cuisine, according to authors Sam...

Rhubarb - a vegetable that identifies as a fruit

Denise Clemons
2 years ago
One of the earliest vegetables to appear at the start of the growing season is rhubarb. With...