Memorial Day Weekend is upon us!! Do you have a BBQ to attend? You should totally bring this Coconut Lime Semifreddo. With the exotic Thai flavor profile of coconut, lime & mango, your friends might think you worked really hard in the kitchen. Truth is– you didn’t. But go ahead, act like you did. My lips are sealed.
One bite of this Coconut Lime Semifreddo and you’re transported to a sunny beach in Thailand…. You’re sitting under a red striped umbrella eating creamy coconut- lime ice cream with a layer of toasted coconut, and fresh mango slices on top…. and when you turn your head, there’s a girl riding an elephant coming up behind you. What? You’re not in Thailand? Oh yeah, that’s right. You’re at a Memorial Day weekend BBQ and your friend with the elephant print shirt is asking you for the recipe. Whoops.
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My mom made a cherry clafouti for company when I was a little, and I’ve been smitten with the word *clafouti* ever since. Clafouti. CLAH- FOO-TEE. It’s a fun word to say. Go ahead, try it. See what I mean? I wish I could tell you that I was an immediate fan of clafouti, but unfortunately I can’t. When I was a kid, I wasn’t keen on anything that tasted like egg. There was an incident at a Mexican restaurant involving FLAN that totally scarred me. Flan is not the dessert you want to eat on your 9th birthday while you’re wearing an obligatory sombrero, trust me. So when I tried a hunk of clafouti expecting it to be like cake, I was truly disappointed! Through the maturing process I have learned the beauty of an eggy custard-like cake batter. Isn’t growing up fun?
Those gorgeous strawberries I brought back from Driscoll’s found a home in this simple Strawberry Clafouti recipe! The batter required a quick whirl in the blender, much like the Chocolate Dutch Baby I recently made and the strawberries get all roasted and gooey delicious like those dreamy Roasted Strawberries I posted. There’s also no shortage of buttered crispy edges. I love crispy edges! And can we just take a moment for that beautiful spongy middle mixed with a crazy amount of sweet roasted strawberries? I’ve never made anything like it. Sprinkle powdered sugar on a hunk and you can call it breakfast. Or position a scoop of vanilla bean gelato on top and you can call it dessert! Clafouti. Keep saying it. CLA-FOU-TI!
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I’m no stranger to roasted fruit. I know how intense fruit becomes when it’s been sizzling & caramelizing in a high temperature oven. I also know how intense those thick, syrupy juices are when they burst out of the roasted fruit. I know because I’m the first one to dip my finger along the sides of the pan to collect the run off. Can we just have a moment to look at this? Thank you.
What I didn’t know about roasting strawberries is that the seeds add a whole new dimension to the experience. Their poppy crunch is pretty unreal mixed with the tender, supple structure of the roasted strawberry. I think I might really like it! Wait. I really do! How does your house smell when you roast strawberries? Divine. It’s like the fruit roll-up factory made a new Strawberry Pie flavor in your kitchen. A whole new revelation is waiting for you. You’re gonna love it!
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There are a few things I can guarantee in life. I can guarantee that my fingernail polish won’t last for more than a day. I can guarantee that it will rain the day after I wash my car. I can guarantee that I will always pick the worst lane to be in at the grocery store. I can guarantee that my brother will always open my fridge the second he walks into my house, and I can pretty much guarantee that this cake won’t last long in anyone’s presence.
See this cake? It’s a very moist cake filled with fragrant blueberries. A cinnamon spiced walnut layer is slugged right in the middle and a crunchy layer rests on top! I cut out a hunk to take this picture, and when I went to focus my lens on the pan, I suddenly noticed that almost half the cake was missing. Cooper and Casey were standing there… guilty. But really, who can blame them? The house smelled so good and they had to wait 45 painful minutes for it to finish!! If you make this cake, you’ll clearly see why I had none left only a few hours after it came out of the oven. Also…save yourself a few corner pieces. They will blow your mind.
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Remember that post I did on some of my recipe fails?? When I started making my own jam for the filling of these mini cheesecakes, I was super close to adding another entry to that list! Everything was going swimmingly until…..I decided to add more cornstarch! My jam wasn’t thickening fast enough and I was in a hurry because I had to bring these babies to my sister-in-law’s house. With just the slightest shake from the box, an avalanche of cornstarch clumps dumped into the hot strawberry slurry. I was left absolutely stunned. Crap crap CRAAAP!! I tried to push the jam through a fine mesh sieve to save it, but no dice. I learned a good lesson: Always measure/sift your cornstarch in advance. Have a little on the side or maybe even mix it with water so you have your thickening agent ready to go just in case you need it! I mean… I already knew that but…I get a little impatient in the kitchen sometimes.
What does one do in a such a desperate situation? QUICK! Time is limited and your strawberry supply has dwindled! Buy a dessert from the store? HELL to the NO! Run to the fridge and pull out some strawberry jam?! YES!! It will totally save your ass. It saved mine.
As I took my first bite to test my improv, I closed my eyes and was instantly beamed onto the steps of my back porch. If I remember correctly, I was wearing a cute sundress from anthropologie paired with flip flops and freshly pedicured toes. I was dipping a buttery graham cracker into a creamy sweet strawberry milkshake and it was hot outside. Yes…these little cheesecakes brought that summery feeling I’ve been so desperate for. I’m sooo over thick winters sweaters and boots right now. Aren’t you? If you wanna go ahead and make your own jam for this recipe, DO IT. You’ll totally get extra credit points…but then I might call you teacher’s pet. BTW! There’s something brown on your nose!
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WANTED: A simple banana dessert that could easily pass as a snack or breakfast item. Must have a juicy caramelized layer because I’m looking to impress the internet. Bonus if you’re easy to make and require very few ingredients. I’m a working mom so it’s gotta be quick. Must be OK with toddler fingers poking at you and multiple chunks taken out of you by the hands of a greedy baker. You must pair well with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Please don’t be too ridiculously sweet. If you’re up to the task, I’d love to talk to you. No weirdos please! Well…maybe.
FOUND!!!!!!
And oh boy was it good.
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“I’ve never had almond cheesecake before!” my neighbor exclaimed after she stuffed her THIRD mini ginger almond cheesecake into her mouth. “Same here,” I muttered through my mouth full of cheesecake. We were standing around a plate of mini ginger almond cheesecakes on my kitchen island as if we were two college students huddled over a bong. You can be rest assured, we were just making sure to test each and every cheesecake for quality assurance! One bite after the next, I fell in love with the whipped cream & cream cheese ALCHEMY. Oh the fluffiness! The creaminess! And that thick spicy salty gingersnap crust? It slayed me. How many minis add up to an actual slice of cheesecake? Who cares!?
So…another faux cheesecake recipe that prevents me from making an official cheesecake! I’ve never made a real cheesecake and I kind of have no desire to when I find simple recipes like this one. I love the cream cheese aspect of cheesecakes….how it’s subtly savory and a little thick. But the thought of eating a whole slice of cheesecake makes my stomach turn. It’s just too rich and dense for my bones. I like creamy desserts that are light & fluffy with a little bit of savory crunch, and these little minis do just the trick! Now you’ll have to excuse me. I have one last mini cheesecake calling my name……
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We’ve had a slew of gray mornings in the past few weeks. A few Saturdays ago, I decided to make this cake to summon the sunshine. Even if it didn’t work, at least the taste of the cake would give the illusion of a warm sunny morning. All I had to do was whip out an orange and my zester and the sun immediately peered through the clouds and heated up my kitchen island. The last time this happened was during my cocktail hour a few weeks ago. There’s something about citrus in my kitchen; it has the power to cut through clouds the same way a good dish washing soap cuts through grease.
Walnuts, oranges & olive oil…the foundation in which dreams are built uopn. The walnuts are ground– not chunky and add a fantastic texture to this cake. The orange perfumes this treat and the olive oil adds that hint of earthy greenness in a way only olive oil can. The sweet Greek yogurt and the orange zest to the side add some fun, but honestly the powdered sugar on top of the cake is enough. This is the perfect cake for breakfast or as a snack in the afternoon with a good book and a huge mug of tea. Bring on the sun!
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The other night, Casey and I had a discussion about chocolate cake. He seems to think that the best part of chocolate cake is the frosting. I disagree. I think the CAKE in chocolate cake is the best part. I’m actually one of those people who scrapes the frosting off chocolate cake and leaves it to the side of my plate. Does that make you think less of me? I hope not… It’s just too much chocolate for me to take! I always make sure to give Casey my extra frosting. This is love.
This cake is the perfect compromise for both of us. A cake that needs NO frosting because it’s moist, delicate, fluffy and oh so fudge-y. Frosting on top of this cake would be absolutely insane. I do believe that a light dusting of powdered sugar spruces it up and makes it cute! Slightly sweetened whipped cream makes is decadent but somehow even lighter! Who would have thought that was possible? See the heart on top? I made this sweet little cake for our Valentine’s Day last year and in the course of a few days that cake disappeared hunk by hunk from the kitchen counter. It’s no wonder Molly decided to serve this cake as her wedding cake. Hope you win some Hearts & Minds this Valentine’s Day! XOXO
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Whenever I see a recipe described as “life changing,” I feel like I’m Marty McFly and Biff is calling me chicken! OH YEAH? I’ll be the judge if it’s life changing or not! Let me prove you wrong! How could cookies possibly change my life?!? I accepted this challenge and am happy to report that these cookies are life changing in the sense that it’s now acceptable for me to eat cookies for breakfast. That in itself is a good enough reason to make these. They pair ridiculously well with my morning cappuccino & make a fantastic snack in the afternoon with some tea. They are like an energy bar in cookie form!
They’re a little dense, crunchy and kinda buttery with all of the almonds in them. They’re a snap to make, totally kid friendly (as long as there are no nut allergies in your household) and the recipe makes a ton! I definitely think I’ll make this WITH Cooper when he’s not prone to dumping flour all over the place (that may take awhile). It’s no big deal if he eats the batter! The only problem I encountered was figuring out which one of the jams I liked most. I used blueberry jam (I made from scratch) as well as apricot & raspberry jam (from Trader Joe’s). I really liked the the seedy raspberry ones; they were the prettiest. I did love the tang of the apricot too! I dunno! I can’t decide. Let me just take another sample….
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