Poached Rhubarb
My whole life, the only time I ever heard the word Rhubarb uttered was with the words strawberry and pie. Why does Rhubarb get pigeon-holed into only one recipe? I feel like it needs a spokesperson like Pork or Milk have to advertise the possibilities of this lovely vegetable. Yes. I said vegetable. Rhubarb is, in fact a vegetable, although, like I said before you only see it paired with strawberries and your Grandma’s buttery-crust.
Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Ganache
Every time I eat, see, or ponder about coconut, I think of my Moma. I guess it is the fact that my whole life, she always ate coconut when she was needing a “splurge”.
Usually it was in the form of an Almond Joy or Mounds for a quick fix, but other times it was a piece of coconut cake for her birthday (made by someone else, we are not a baking family), or a chocolate tart with coconut flakes at a swanky restaurant. Needless to say My Mother=Coconut.
She doesn’t know yet, and she will if she catches this post before I bring them to her, but I am going to surprise her with them at work tomorrow. She has been having a rough couple of months, and sometimes the best thing to do is eat something that comforts you. I know it will brighten her day! Read the rest of this entry »
The Orangette Meyer Lemon Cake
I am not much of a cake maker. I can whip together a crumble if I have inspiration, but cake is a whole different story. Anything that you have to remove from a pan that you have buttered and lined with parchment slightly scares me.
This recipe was fool proof, but as I re-read the directions from Molly’s Book (and looked at pictures from her site), it looks as if MY cake is upside down (or right side up to the human eye).
I used meyer lemons in this recipe because they are sweeter and ALMOST out of season. They still have that acidic zip that a lemon creates, but it tastes as if the lemon and the mandarin have had a love child. Read the rest of this entry »
Lindsi’s Almond Joy Birthday Bars
If I only knew what a monster I had created.
These bars were first conceived many years ago after I had some leftover filling from my Mother’s birthday tart from a recipe I adapted from Epicurious. I decided to cook it up, sans the chocolate crust on my Mother’s tart (which actually wasn’t that good), and give it to my best friend Lindsi.
Lindsi has the biggest sweet tooth that I have ever seen in action. She is always trying to con me into getting her a snickerdoodle at our metropolitan market, or bake her something rather than REST on my weekend off. Generally, I cave, because she is one of my favorite people in the world. The excitement when bringing her something homemade is priceless. Her eyes brighten and her smile could be imprinted in your heart forever. How could you not continue to cook and bake for those pearly whites?
Bing Cherry and Rosemary Crisp
Rosemary? In a Crisp?
I know it sounds odd. But, it works. The rosemary adds a lemony pine flavor to the sweet topping.
I made this for an impromptu dinner party. The kind I only have when I am off of work for five weeks, and bored out of my mind! I start researching recipes, getting inspired, and get an itch to make a giant production.
These are also the kind of parties where the wine flows, and you can never drink enough water to feel good the next day.
Cafe Juanita’s Pear Crisp with Vanilla Butter
I love fruit crisps. Erik and I actually had a berry crisp at our wedding, instead of wedding cake. Also, for a “non-baker”, it is almost a fool proof method of making a dessert.
This recipe was originally published in the October 2007 issue of Gourmet Magazine. It is from a restaurant in Kirkland, WA (outside of Seattle) called Cafe Juanita. I made the crisp according to Gourmet’s instructions for a dinner party I had over the holidays, and everyone agreed that it was excellent. However, when I decided to make it again, I went to epicurious.com to read some reviews. The original creator of the recipe, Holly Smith, wrote a review that said the recipe was incorrect, and she said to contact her by email if you wanted the original recipe. So, that is just what I did!
Her recipe is even more amazing than the recipe I had from Gourmet magazine (and it was already one of my favorite desserts). I am happy to show you Holly’s original recipe now. Enjoy!
Caramel Banana Bread Puddings
Bread puddings are so comforting, but not what I would consider a sophisticated dessert. However, after I put the bread pudding into individual ramekins, they came out elegant and gourmet. I am not a huge fan of cooked bananas, but if you love banana bread, or bananas foster, you will love this dessert. There was also no need for vanilla ice cream. This dessert can stand alone!
Honey Goat Cheese Apple Tartlets
I got this recipe from the October 2007 Issue of Bon Appetit magazine. My friend Kylee originally pointed it out to me because she loves goat cheese. I decided to attempt this recipe because it seemed elegant, yet simple (which is my kind of dessert!). I actually ended up making the entire meal that the tartlets came with, which included the cover recipe “Cabernet-Brazed Short Ribs with Gorgonzola Polenta”. I changed the recipe a little bit after reading the review online at Epicurious.com. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
