Look what’s currently sitting on my kitchen counter!
And there’s a whole other group of them on the cooling rack…just chillin’
Tag: dessert
28 Oct
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
25 Oct
Pumpkin Parfaits
Look at this picture from Gourmet magazine’s website and tell me you do not want this???!?!!!?
Did you click on it?
20 Oct
Spiced Bundt Cake
CHINESE. SPICE. POWDER. It’s what pushed me over the edge to make this! I love the complex taste of it, but I’ve only had it in a few savory poultry dishes. So the thought of it being paired with sweet, ginger pieces had me.
07 Oct
Apple Cake
I volunteered to bring dessert to our weekly Girl’s Night tonight. Last night I was furiously searching the internet for “apple dessert recipes.”
Fortunately Deb at Smitten Kitchen seduced me with her pictures of her Mom’s Apple Cake.
I knew I had to make it!
11 Sep
Jen’s Zucchini Bread
This morning, Cooper and I shared some lovely Zucchini Bread. The recipe came from Jen Altman!! Her pictures make me daydream and I get especially excited when I see a food recipe! There’s something so Alice-In-Wonderland about her food photos. I imagine eating a slice at a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party 
Will it make me big? Will it make me small?
Anyways- It’s a perfect way to get a dose of vegetables in a child. And he didn’t know the difference. It was especially nice after I BATTLED last night feeding him veggies. Apparently Cooper thinks he’s on a carbs-only diet…..
It’s also a great way to fuel a sleepy adult in the morning…or a pick-me-up afternoon treat.
Thanks Jen! We enjoyed it so!
01 Aug
Raspberry Peach Pie
The other morning I was perusing my daily blog reads and saw this post by the wonderful Amanda over at Slow Like Honey. Look at that picture and tell me you that you DON’T want to make pie RIGHT NOW.
Didn’t help that I was secretly checking back AGAIN at a pics of this little beauty…a Blueberry Crostata made by L.M over at Bake & Shake. Have you ever seen anything soo perfect? Guaranteed no leftovers.
L.M. is always trying to coax me into trying the Pate Brisee recipe from Martha and I DID IT.
Are you proud L????!! Oh honey!! I can see why this is your go-to recipe!
EEEK! I have two pie discs! I never thought that would happen!
So the next thing you know, I’m whipping out my food processor whipping up some dough and making a filling. I hadn’t even finished my cup of coffee and my kitchen is buzzing.
Before I make it sound all easy, let me give you some background on my pie *situation*
I’ve had “MAKE A PIE” on my TO DO list FOREVER. I helped a friend make a quiche like 10 years ago and I over mixed the dough and was soo letdown that I convinced myself never to make pie again. I vowed that I would just eat them…and sometimes share.
Over the past few years I’ve watched about 30 different segments of Martha Stewart where she’s making pie crust so I felt a little more confident tackling this endeavor. She makes it look sooo easy and if you have a food processor it pretty much is!
And friends, this recipe did not fail. I am picky on my pie crust. I like it flaky and buttery. Actually I just really like a LOT of it. If I could make a pie that was FILLED WITH PIE CRUST I totally would. It is the reason for living. It is also the reason why diets were invented.
As for the filling…well I improvised. I knew that it needed some type of thickener so I added:
- about 1/4 cup of flour
- and stirred that with 3 cups of raspberries & about 5 large peaches (peeled & sliced)
- 1/4 cup of sugar (but I probably should have added a bit more because the raspberries were super tart)
….but hey add a little ice cream and who knows the difference.
In retrospect, I should have added more fruits, but hey- I didn’t prepare for this so now I know what I am up against next time.
Now you see it….
Now you don’t….
So folks, I cannot offer you an exact/full proof pie filling recipe (there are tons out there on the internet). But I CAN share with you (if it’s ok to) theeeee most amazing recipe for pie crust.
Pate Brisee
(Martha Stewart Baking)
2 1/2 cups AP flour
2 sticks (1 cup) frozen unsalted butter, diced/cubed
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
*****************************************************************************************
Amanda is right!!! You will feel like someone on Little House on the Prairie when you make a pie!
Having a freshly baked pie sitting on the counter is a good thing. Thanks Martha!
23 Jul
Fleur De Sel Caramels
Did I mention to you that I am dieting? Yeah well I am. I made these the other night and my neighbor was like “Aren’t you on a diet? I can’t believe you made those.”
I really don’t know what came over me…. Jenny over at Frecklewonder posted a link to the recipe on Facebook and all of sudden I am putting HEAVY CREAM on my shopping list.
Let me start off by saying that these are TOTALLY worth cheating on your diet for. I also want to tell you that I have been soooooooo good and I’ve only had one. Aren’t you proud?! There’s a bunch of them sitting in my fridge now and I am not doing it. I AM NOT DOING IT. I am actually in a zone right now and have lost all the baby weight and then some- so I am not gonna let that caramel be my gateway drug…God knows I could seriously do some damage.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…..Let me just tell you that you should stash this recipe for the future when it’s the holidays and we all don’t give a crap because we are sooo smitten with baggy holiday sweaters & loose fitting clothes that we MUST MUST MUST make some caramel. Not only is it fun to do, but it’s a GREAT gift to give. I imagine wrapping them up all festive like….Maybe make them for Halloween? Hostess gift? A gift for your husband who had a rough day at work? A going away present for a friend? How about to celebrate the day your cat puked on your rug & your son had a blowout diaper that went up to his neck? (that would be today)
anywho…the salty sweet combo will make your knees weak….and the butter- OH MY GOD. crushworthy.
It is an Ina recipe after all…
look at that action!!!
Make sure you have a candy thermometer!!!!
And some parchment paper- because they looks so pretty all wrapped up!
These ones are for Jenny!!!
Btw- you can use other Salts. It’s best if they are thick crystals! That’s really the only requisite!
Sarah over at The Small Object made some awhile back! Look at how cute her loot was!
Fleur De Sel Caramels
(recipe Ina Garten)
-1 1/2 cup sugar
-1/4 cup light corn syrup
-1 cup heavy cream
-5 tablespoons unsalted butter (i really thought there would be more!)
-1 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan (or loaf pan) with parchment paper, then brush the paper lightly with oil (I sprayed it with PAM), allowing the paper to drape over 2 sides.
In a deep saucepan (6 inches diameter by 4 1/2 inches deep) combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil until the caramel is a warm golden brown color. Don’t stir – just swirl the pan to mix. Watch carefully, as it will burn quickly at the end!
In the meantime, bring the cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon fleur de sel to a simmer in a small pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat, set aside and keep warm.
When the caramelized sugar is the right color, slowly add the cream mixture to the caramel – it will boil up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully (it’s hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate until firm.
When the caramels are cool, use the parchment paper to pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Starting at 1 end, roll the caramel up tightly until you’ve rolled up half of the sheet. Cut the sheet across and then roll the second half tightly. You will have 2 (1 by 8-inch) logs. Sprinkle both logs lightly with fleur de sel, cut each log in 8 pieces. Cut parchment papers in 6 by 4 1/2-inch squares and wrap each caramel in a paper, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
(I skipped the whole rolling it up thing. I just cut logs and made little rectangles! It produced well over 20 pieces! Also the ingredient list above was taken off the directions of her show. Apparently there is a discrepancy between the recipe on the Food Network site & the one she used for her show. The show one works and that’s what I followed. The End. Did I mention MAKE THESE?!)
17 Jul
Cherry Sherbet
You say SHER-BERT? I say SHER-BET! In this case, I say SURE-BET. Cuz it is one.
What makes it a SURE-BET?
-the tang
-the brightness
-the color
-the smooth texture
-the refreshing aftertaste
-that hint of milk
-the absence of guilt!!!!
We just enjoyed some out on our patio tonight. We sampled with putting a little Muscato (a white/sweet dessert wine) in our cups. OH BOY WAS THAT TASTY. I bet it would be killer with a lil Prosecco. NOM.
Perfect end to a day full of sun. Ahhhhh……..
Cherry Sherbet
(Sunset Magazine Recipe)
-2 cups frozen sweet cherries (juice included) or 3 cups very ripe pitted fresh sweet cherries
-1 cup sugar
-1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons kirsch or other cherry liquor (I used grenadine)
-1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1. Put cherries in a small saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring, until cherries have released their juice and pulp has softened.
2. Transfer cherry mixture to a blender and pulse 3 or 4 times to purée fruit pieces. Pour through a strainer into a medium heatproof bowl, using the back of a ladle to push any juice and purée through. Discard solids. Add sugar to hot liquid and stir until sugar has dissolved completely. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Add milk, liquor (grenadine in my case), and lemon juice and stir to combine. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze at least 4 hours. It’s torture…so try to make it in the morning!
p.s. LOOK AT ALL THE CHERRIES in there!!!
07 Jul
Chocolate Sherbet
A glimpse inside my brain:
“Ok I am making baby food, cooking dinner, fighting off hungry cats, cleaning up my mess in the kitchen, feeding Cooper–what else can I do?? Well here’s a post of a Chocolate Sherbet recipe…hmmm…I have all the ingredients….I’ve already made a mess in the kitchen- WHY NOT MAKE SOME SHERBET IN ADDITION TO EVERYTHING ELSE I’M MAKING?! Come on Tracy! The mess will be worth it!!!”
So yes, I did just that. Because I decided to make it at 7pm last night, we didn’t get to enjoy it until today. It was worth the wait! The chocolate is DECADENT and rich.
The lack of heavy cream or a custard based ice cream makes it very very light. It doesn’t make you feel weighed down and guilty- like WHAT DID I JUST DO TO MYSELF. It’s more like “Oh! That was delightful. That jolt of chocolate is just what I needed.”
I used a small cookie scoop to fill my little dish. It was a perfect amount of chocolate.
It will give you that fix you are looking for.
My goal this summer is to have a banana split party– this was just a prelude. The banana slices on top gave me a lil glimpse of what’s in store for me when I take that dive into bananasplitsville.
You can find the recipe here. Thank you David! You are a genius.
Because I’m such a tease…let me show you the dessert I made tonight for Father’s day…..
Pavlovas with mixed berries, kiwis & whipped cream-topped with a raspberry sauce= NOM.
Recipe for Raspberry sauce comes from Ina Garten- click here
My mom brought it over. What a treat!!
I made the meringues Saturday afternoon! I’ve recently started liking them- and now that I’ve made these I am smitten.
How the heck can something soo simple be soo dang good?
I was surprised they worked out! I was a bit terrified that I hadn’t whipped them to the stiff peaks stage. But I guess it worked out! The recipe said to bake them for an hour and a half-but I ended up only needing 40 mins. So make sure you check to see if they are dry to the touch and set! Make sure they don’t brown!
They absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS…..Pillowy clouds of light sweetness. The berries are perfect and the kiwi I added made the tang factor PERFECT. How I wished I made more than 1 for each of us….
Mixed Berry Pavlovas
(adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)
makes 6
meringue part:
-2 egg whites
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-confectioners sugar for dusting
creamy topping:
-2 cups assorted berries (I used blueberries, strawberries & raspberries–with kiwis too!)
-1/2 pint whipping cream
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper & set aside. In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and egg mixture is warm to the touch. This should take about 2-3 mins. Attach the bowl to the mixer and with the whisk attachment, beat on a medium high setting until you have stiff peaks. This should take between 4-8 mins. Beat in vanilla.
2. Using a large spoon, scoop six fluffy mounds of meringue onto the parchment paper. The mounds should be about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Using the back of the spoon, form a well in the center of each mound, being careful not to make the center too thin.
3. Dust mounds with confectioner’s sugar. Bake until just dry to the touch but still white in color. They say it takes about an hour and a 1/2–but check half way through! Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let meringes cool completely before easing them off the parchment.
4. Make whipping cream- beat cream with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and add a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract at the very end. Make sure it’s light & fluffy.
5. Spoon a dollop of the whipped cream on top of the meringues, then top with the mixed berries. I added a bit of the raspberry sauce my mom brought over. Holy yum.
hhhhhhhhhHEAVEN!!!!
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