Rich & Sweet
by Bia Rich
Desserts Salads Drinks About

Recipes, stories & kitchen wisdom from Bia Rich

Large roasted meat joint with charred crust and pink interior resting on a rack, warm kitchen background
Close-up plate with sliced meat, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions and gravy, warm brown tones
Bowl of sautéed kale with corn kernels and caramelized onions, dark green and yellow tones

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From the Kitchen

Warm, inviting food blog logo with rich amber and cream tones, elegant serif lettering

Meet Bia Rich
Cook, gardener, storyteller

Bia Rich spent 20 years in the NYC restaurant business before moving to the countryside of North Carolina. Now she cooks, gardens, and shares the recipes she loves — drawing on restaurant experience, family canning traditions, and a belief that too much of a good thing can be wonderful.

Hearty bowl of vegetable soup with rustic bread, deep green and earthy brown tones Soups & Breads
Plate with sliced meat, roasted potatoes, and caramelized onions with gravy Entrees
Bowl of sautéed kale with corn and caramelized onions Sides & Sauces

Blog

  1. Why a splash of vinegar makes better pie doughPie dough has a reputation for being temperamental. A little too much water can make it sticky, while too little leaves it cracked and difficult to roll. Warm…
  2. How to Build a Dessert Platter with Cookies, Candied Nuts, and Fresh FruitA dessert platter turns a few familiar ingredients into a generous centerpiece. Cookies provide buttery texture, candied nuts bring crunch and caramel warmth,…
  3. Rich and creamy polenta with slow-braised mushrooms and ParmesanA bowl of soft polenta has a way of making a meal feel generous. Its gentle corn flavor and spoonable texture create a warm foundation for mushrooms cooked…
  4. The easiest way to deseed a pomegranate without a messPomegranates are one of those ingredients that look wonderfully festive until the juice starts spraying across the counter. The ruby-red arils are worth the…
  5. The four mother sauces and how to use themFrench cooking has a reputation for precision, yet its most useful lessons are remarkably practical. A small group of foundational sauces teaches cooks how to…
  6. Roasted Carrot and Tahini Salad With Toasted CuminSweet roasted carrots, creamy tahini, and warm toasted cumin make a salad with remarkable depth for such a short ingredient list. The carrots become tender and…
  7. How to Grate Your Own Fresh Nutmeg and Why It MattersNutmeg is a small seed with an outsized effect on food. A few delicate shavings can warm a pot of béchamel, deepen a holiday dessert, or give a creamy soup a…
  8. Spiced pear and ginger upside-down cake for fall bakingWhen autumn pears arrive with their soft perfume and pale green skin, they deserve more than a place in the fruit bowl. Baked beneath a layer of buttery brown…
  9. Bia’s Tips for Fixing Over-Salted Soups and SaucesA heavy hand with the salt can happen to anyone, including cooks who have spent years tasting as they go. A stock reduces more than expected, a salted…
  10. A bright and spicy Thai green papaya salad for hot summer daysWhen summer settles over the garden, the best meals often come from ingredients that need very little cooking. Thai green papaya salad, or som tam, is one of…