Desserts

I am a total summer-lover but there are a few things I look forward to in our colder seasons: open fires and red wine, pretty woollen jumpers (which can hide a multitude of comforting-carbohydrate-sins) and big woollen socks, slow cooked meats and cold weather thriving fruits like rhubarb, persimmons and tamarillos. Tamarillos or tree tomatoes [...]

At first glance, this cake seems innocent enough. Nothing about it screams for attention. But its plain appearance is somewhat deceptive. The sleek minimalism doesn’t quite convey the quiet deliciousness that unfolds with each bite. It all starts with a plain yogurt cake. But this canvas of simplicity gets punched up with a light touch of Kahlua simple syrup to make it a little more interesting. Then comes the filling and topping. If you don’t care for buttercream or are interested in a momentary diversion from chocolate, this cream is one to try. It’s a lovely combination of sweetened ricotta cheese, cream cheese and whipped cream punctuated with a little spot of rum and vanilla. It’s creamy and flavorful without being overly heavy or too sweet. Perfect for an initmate celebration, this cake has a sort of Italian flair that is rustic and luscious. And if you’d like to liven up the platter, you can dress it up with some fresh cherries or berries for extra bling. Bench notes: - Fresh ricotta in this is fabulous. It doesn't take long to make and it's super delicious. - If you use commercial ricotta, strain out any excess liquid, if necessary. One of my favorite brands is Bellwether Farms. They also make great creme fraiche. - Start with softened cream cheese and beat it together with the ricotta just until it combines. Mixing it for too long will cause it to become thin and runny. - The filling for this cake is from a recipe called Baby Shower Cake in Cocolat by Alice Medrich. Ricotta Cream Cake Serves 6 - 8 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz; 213 g) flour 2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (3 oz; 85 g) canola oil 3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz; 149 g) sugar 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 3/4 cup (6 oz) plain yogurt @ room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla Kahlua Simple Syrup 2 tablespoons (1 oz) water 2 tablespoons (26 g) sugar 2 tablespoons (1 oz) Kahlua Ricotta Filling adapted from Cocolat by Alice Medrich 1/2 cup (4 oz; 113g) ricotta 3 oz (85 g) cream cheese @ room temperature 1 cup (8 oz) heavy cream 1/2 cup (2 oz; 57 g ) powdered sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons rum 3/4 teaspoon vanilla Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” x 9" x 2” square pan and line the bottom with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, egg and egg yolk and blend thoroughly. Add the yogurt and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients just until there are no streaks of flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the bottom of the pan on a work surface a few times to release the air bubbles. Bake the cake until it's a light golden brown and springs back when touched or a tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool. For the syrup, heat the water and sugar until dissolved. Add the Kahlua and set aside. Strain the ricotta and beat together with the room temperature cream cheese just until combined. Slowly add the heavy cream. Then add the powdered sugar, rum and vanilla and beat until thickened and airy like whipped cream. Lift the cake out of the pan and remove the parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, trim all four edges of the cake, preserving its square shape. Cut the cake in half and, using a pastry bruch, imbibe each cut side with the Kahlu

One of the best things my grandmother made was a dessert called banana split cake. It wasn’t really a cake at all, but a layer of cookie crumbs topped with a creamy custard of some sort, whipped cream, pineapple and bananas. Over the years I’ve tried several versions of the recipe trying to get it [...]

La Maison du Chocolat are chocolatiers that I have a sense of guilt about. When I first started reviewing chocolate a few years ago I caught up in the swell created by their funkier alternatives. The Banksies of the chocolate world pushed from the underground closer to the mainstream and naively this seemed more exciting. [...]You may also like: Laurent Gerbaud Yuzu 75% Dark Chocolate Bar La Maison Du Chocolat Tastings and Ganaches for Chocolate Week 2010 Michel Cluizel 99% and 85% Ganaches

Vermont bakery My Little Cupcake has all kinds of ways of crafting donut cupcakes - see for yourself! They've also done toppings like Fruity Pebbles for some colorful crunch. Via their Facebook page. And tonight at 217 College Street in Burlington at 5 p.m. they've got a special wine pairing going on. Official description: stop by my little cupcake in burlington this friday for 3 sweet treats, a dessert and wine pairing event! in celebration of Memorial Day, we will pair a red velvet cupcake, a white chocolate pistachio cake pop and a blueberry hand pie with 3 delicious wines paired by Brad from the Burlington Wine Shop, all for just $10 per personVisit mylittlecupcakevt.com for more information and contact them at info at mylittlecupcakevt.com or 802-660-9330 (Burlington) 802-872-7676 (Essex). apple cider donut cupcake strawberry donut cupcake maple donut cupcake cinnamon munchkin cupcake Fruity Pebbles cupcake rocky road cupcake

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }Cup, originally uploaded by Marulinaaa.This is a lovely photo of a single cupcake.

Popsicles are easy to make treats that are always a hit with kids. When you make them at home instead of buying them, you have a lot more options when it comes to flavors (sweetened fruit juices are great options, for instance) than you do when picking them out at the store. You also have more choices when it comes to shapes because there are some fantastic and fanciful popsicle molds out there. These Lickety Pops Freezer Pops are especially likely to appeal to kids, since they look like silly, giant, pink tongues! The silicone pop molds are sealed at the bottom so you need to push the frozen pop up to the top to eat it. They’re less messy than popsicles on sticks, since there shouldn’t be any drips falling onto waiting hands. They also include lids for sealing the pops up while they’re freezing, so you don’t need to struggle to position them upright in your freezer. I’ve used push up silicone popsicle molds with great results, and this really is an excellent design when it comes to making ice pops. The only downside to this one is that they’re sold in a set of two, so you might want to pick up an extra pair if you’re going to be serving these to a crowd (because the odds are good that any kid who sees one is going to want one).

Heladeria Coromoto is an ice cream shop in Merida, Venezuela that offers something for everyone (that’s a picture of the shop above). While it has the usual ice cream flavors, the shop is known for its collection of bizarre options, including its claim to having the most flavors of any ice... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

I don't really keep up with you young whippersnappers' schedules, but going by the cakes coming in I'm guessing summer vacation is starting up. Soooo... Hey, hoopy froods, school's is out for summer!! You know what's awesome about summer, besides throwing all those pesky grammar rules to the wind? Jumping into pools of cubed green Jell-O, that's what: During the Winter Underlined book tour I actually had a whole Q-and-A session derailed by a discussion on the practice of combining Jell-O with cake. Apparently some of you weirdos do that. [ducking and running for cover] That's not all summer is known for, though. There's also the ice cream cones: (Honestly not sure which parts of that are edible...but I'm hoping the answer is "none of it.") And steaks on the grill: YUM. And hamburgers: (I like how even the fake plastic ants won't touch those "french fries.") And hot dog pancakes: This looks like a job for... the Special Pancake Victims' Unit! *DONK DONK* And then, after all that food, you get to stuff yourself into a bathing suit: I actually look exactly like this in a bikini, only paler*. And with more muffin tops. (HEYO.) (*People tend to think Floridians are super tan, summer-loving sun-worshippers. Hee! SO CUTE. No, we're the ones huddled inside with the AC blasting, laughing at all you crazy tourists are out there getting heat strokes. We also own more sweaters than the average Alaskan, because there is no place colder in the continental U.S. than inside a Florida public building during the month of June.) And then of course there are the fun-loving hordes of ants... I swear these things are solar-powered. Not to mention the blistering heat... ...and family vacations where everyone's miserable except the organizer of said vacation, who is homicidally determined to have a good time... [One of my most cherished Disney memories is of the family collapsed on a park bench, moaning, while the Dad stands before them, screaming, "We're not here to RELAX, we're here to HAVE FUN." "I'm having fun! I'm having fun!" Plus there's nothing good on TV, and the neighborhood kids wake you up at oh-HAIL-no-thirty with thir shrill little screams of glee and stomping feet, and all the parks and shops are crowded, and, and... Huh. How long 'til Fall, again?

Today I’m solving all problems with chips. Don’t they say that foods that crunch relieve stress? I don’t know who “they” are and unfortunately they probably suggest eating a carrot to solve the issue, but I vote chips. All day, every day. Lately I’ve run across the predicament of developing recipes that solely revolve around tex-mex situations or burgers or sandwiches. I’m sure you’ve noticed. Just when I think I’ve got a handle on it, I deal with that full force and combine the two. I sit down and make these giant lists of recipes to make for my invisible internet friends and then instead decide that weirdly flavored enchiladas are appropriate or that I can attempt to turn anything – I mean, anything – into a taco and margarita fest. Today I’m just giving you something you can eat with your burgers. Or with your beer. Or your hot dogs! Or with your emotions. You know. Whatever works. Oh… and if we’re being reeeeeal honest… something to put on top of your burgers. Or inside your sandwiches. You know it’s the best. I’ve never been a giant chip eater unless salt ‘n vinegar or bbq kettle cooked chips were staring me in the face. Sometimes I love the crunch for a sandwich-type lunch but for once in my lifetime, one of those itty bitty single sized, fairly appropriate portioned bags often does the trick. So weird. The only place I really get wacky about chips is Target because they have omgthebestflavorsever and I just cannot get enough. I usually end up buying three or four bags and opening them all at once and having a chip tasting party in my car. So trashy. It happens. And the only time I get wacky about chips in restaurants is when they are freshly homemade and served with blue cheese. Like, lots of blue cheese. Ugh. Love that. The deal? Homemade potato chips are sort of high maintenance, especially of the sweet potato variety. They just take a while. In hindsight, they are still easy to make – you simply have to be willing to stand in front of a hot pot of oil for a long while, tossing and turning and draining and seasoning. It is 100% COMPLETELY WORTH IT. Say it with me. Worth it. Maybe not worth it for a giant group of people, like a gigantic gaggle of adolescent males who will eat you out of house and home. But for one person, like maybe a husband that does the same? Or a small group? These are so fun and delicious. Or just for yourself. You deserve it. This little seasoning mix I throw on top of the chips is my go-to “bbq flavor” that I’ve perfected to our liking since first making my crockpot bbq beer chicken. I encourage you to play around with it a little if you like – use regular paprika if you don’t want smoky or add a little extra cayenne for some kick – whatever you want. This is a spice rub that I use multiple times per week in our house and I have no qualms in saying that it has taken me a year to feel like I realllllly got it right. And we are talking about me: Miss No Patience. Anyhoo, go getcha some chips this weekend. Make ‘em! You will not regret it. Even when you eat them all in on sitting… you will not regret it. Homemade BBQ Sweet Potato Chips Yield: serves 4 appropriately, 2 obnoxiously Total Time: 1 hour Ingredients: 2 large sweet potatoes, ends chopped off canola oil for frying 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1 tablespoon onion powder 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar 1/2 tablespoon garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Directions: Add about 4 inches of canola oil to a large pot and heat over medium high heat, fitting the pot with a candy thermometer. You want the oil to be at 350 degrees F, so if it continues to rise, turn down the heat a bit underneath. Cover a large cutting board with paper towels. In a bowl, combine paprika, onion powder, brown sugar, garlic salt, chili powder, salt and pepper. Scrub