Nutty Crust for Cheesecakes, Tarts and Pies I love this walnut crust as a flavor and textural counterpoint to all things creamy: cheesecakes, cheesecake tarts, custard and mousse fillings and fruit tarts as well. There is something about it. The ingredients are humble and yet tasters always single it out in whatever dessert it is […]
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Meringue Girls’ Mixtures
An Intriguing Basic Meringue The book, Meringue Girls, is colorful, fun and inventive; the image above gives you a sense of the vibrancy of the authors’ approach. The recipes all spin off of their basic meringue mixture, which is here below. The technique of starting with superfine sugar and heating it in the oven is […]
Homemade Butter
Eating Like a Locavore in The Pioneer Valley Mary Nelen writes a blog called the Valley Locavore here near the Test Kitchen in Western, MA. If you have never made butter, read through her recipe and you might be surprised at how easy it is. We highly recommend trying to source raw milk. Of course […]
Crêpe Batter
Crêpe Batter is Easy to Make in a Blender Crêpes are easy and versatile. Leave out the sugar and these work well with savory fillings as well. They also freeze well making them a great component for party needs. The crêpe batter must rest so that the gluten in the flour relaxes a bit, so […]
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting with a Tropical Kick This coconut cream cheese frosting is extra sweet and rich with the inclusion of cream of coconut. Great for carrot cakes or your favorite coconut compatible cake – like chocolate! Print Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Author: Dédé Wilson Makes: Enough for a large 9-inch layer cake Ingredients 1½ pounds full fat cream cheese, […]
Salted Bourbon Honey Caramel Sauce
Honey Sweetens this Caramel Sauce Honey is a great sweetener for a caramel sauce and this version can be salted or not. We like the counterpoint of the salt with the extra-sweetness from the honey. The flavor of the sauce will vary depending on the honey you choose to use. Read All About Honey for […]
Gluten Free Pancakes
Now You can Have Huge Fluffy Gluten Free Pancakes These cakey, tender pancakes were a result of an experiment with the new Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Look at the pictures. Who wouldn’t want to eat these! And by the way that’s real maple syrup folks. Yes, I live in New England but […]
Crystallized Flowers
How to Make Your Own Sparkling Crystallized Flowers Crystallized flowers, sometimes called candied flowers or sugared flowers, can embellish cakes, cupcakes, creams and mousses – really any dessert. They are very pretty and elegant, feminine and colorful and are really not that hard to make – as long as you can source some unsprayed blooms, […]
Pecan Pat-In Crust
An Easy Pat-In Crust Made with Pecan Flour This pat-in crust works wonderfully for cream fillings, such as in the Vegan Chocolate Pudding Pecan Pie, because it provides a contrast in texture. The crust happens to be vegan, too, which makes it very versatile. It is nutty so take flavor and texture into consideration when […]
Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Safe-To-Eat Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough If you like to eat raw cookie dough, you are in the right place. Thank Lara Ferroni for this recipe and check out her book, Cookie Doughlicious, to get your fill. This raw chocolate chip cookie dough recipe is used in her Deep-Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Reprinted with permission from […]
Bertinet Sweet Pastry
A Version of Sweet Pastry from Famed European Chef, Richard Bertinet This pastry is used in both the Mascarpone Cheesecakes as well as the Chocolate Cherry Tart both from Pastry, by French chef Richard Bertinet. Being the teacher that he is, he gives us these very helpful guidelines about all the different ways to use the pastry. His cookery school’s site is jam-packed […]
Sherry Yard’s Fat Raisins
Plumped Raisins with Wine & Juices Odd name? Perhaps, but they are just that – raisins that have been plumped in a flavorful mixture of fruit juice, wine and liqueur. This version is from Sherry Yard from her days at Spago. Try these in your favorite oatmeal cookies. The “before” golden raisins are on the […]
Peter Reinhart’s Neo-Neopolitan Pizza Dough
Easy Homemade Pizza Dough When I have a bread question I call my friend Peter Reinhart. He knows bread and has written several books on the topic, including the James Beard Award winning Crust & Crumb. You can also watch him discuss the art of bread and yeast in his TED Talk. Of course, not everyone […]
Gluten-Free Shortcakes
Delicious Gluten-Free Shortcakes Ready for the Fruit of Your Choice In summer I like to make shortcakes often as the crumbly biscuits showcase so many different fruit so well. But for those of us eating gluten-free, we need a basic recipe of our own and I stumbled upon this version by accident. I was visiting […]
Biscuit Shortcakes
This Basic Shortcake Recipe Can Be Used With Many Different Fruit When I did a poll of favorite fruit desserts, the American classic strawberry shortcake was the number one choice. It all starts with buttery, flaky biscuit pastry and this is my go-to version. You can split them and layer them with strawberries and whipped […]
Biscuit Shortcakes
This Basic Biscuit Shortcake Recipe Can Be Used With Many Different Fruits When I did a poll of favorite fruit desserts, the American classic strawberry shortcake was the number one choice. It all starts with buttery, flaky biscuit pastry and this is my go-to version. You can split them and layer them with strawberries and […]
Big Batch Italian Meringue Buttercream
Maximize the Size of Your 5-Quart KitchenAid Mixer Years ago when making wedding cakes at home was a weekly occurrence, I quickly learned how to maximize the 5-quart capacity of my KitchenAid mixer so that I could make as few batches of Italian Meringue Buttercream as possible. An 8 egg white batch does the trick. Read […]
White Chocolate Ganache
This combination of white chocolate and cream can be used to form the centers of truffles or melted and used as a glaze over ice cream or cake. Don’t even think of making this with cheap white chocolate. I prefer El Rey Icoa, as it has a very flavorful, minimally processed cocoa-butter component, which means […]
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