Desserts

Three years ago, we asked our readers to write a few blog entries for us. Evan T. of Marlborough, MA was asked to write about his ice cream pet peeves (the things people do with ice cream that might bug you). We all have ice cream pet peeves. What are yours? EVAN WRITES: Hello, fellow [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

It’s not really necessary to go into great detail about where this bar has it’s origins (The Mekong Delta in Vietnam) but the origins of Vietcacao are worth a paragraph or two. The company has been active for five years now but was six years in the making before that. André Stengel – the founder – decided to get involved in Vietnamese cacao after a somewhat illustrious career as both head of a high school and VP of the French Confectioners & Chocolatiers Association. France was the first country to colonise Vietnam and the country was producing cacao until the Vietnam War disrupted both cultivation & supply. Vietcacao is also engaged in an ethical and sustainable development programme, with the company investing profits back into the local community. One particularly notable project involves the installation of equipment and provision of training for pupils in a school for handicapped people. With support coming from (mainly French) companies and chocolatiers, Vietcacao continues to build on early success. In the UK Marc Demarquette is both a supporter and importer of their products and it was he who supplied this bar for review. The chocolate itself is a deep reddish brown in colour with a light, vibrant scent suggesting fruity/floral notes which is borne out in the tasting. Good acidity and lots of bright, fruity cacao notes precede the deeper red fruits and woodier low notes. It has a long, clean finish and an excellent soft mouthfeel. At seventy percent cacao this bar doesn’t overwhelm in any way – it’s a light, bright tangy chocolate with a great range of flavours. I suppose one way to describe this bar would be ‘unsurprising’, which is in no way an insult. It has all the right qualities for a good chocolate but doesn’t surprise in anyway. You get bright, lively acidity sitting over moderate dark notes, a hint of bitterness and a long, clean finish and that’s all good. It’s good to see someone taking the time and trouble to resurrect the cacao growing industry in Vietnam – as is happening all over the world – and the ethical credentials of this chocolate (plus the taste) make it very desirable. A great ‘everyday’ chocolate for those who like something that isn’t too aggressive or ‘wacky’. Information Contains dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids). Cacao Origin: Vietnam Filed under france, vietcacao. Tweet This The post Vietcacao Mo Cay B?n Tre appeared first on Chocablog.

via TumblrThere's a right way and a wrong way to make Rainbow Cupcakes...obviously, splattering the batter all over the cupcake pan and liners is the wrong way. That batter is gonna burn up on the pan before the cupcakes are even done!Now here's the RIGHT way to make Rainbow Cupcakes...layer the batters so you get all the colors baked all nice and keep the batter in the liners!via Tumblrvia TumblrPerfection!

The Lovely Candy Company was a new (founded this year!) candy company that made its debut at Sweets and Snacks last month. They make gluten-free licorice, caramels, and fruit chews (gluten-free was a continuing trend from 2012 to 2013), and I grabbed a couple of free samples of their caramels for review. I got one Original Chewy Caramel and one Chocolate Swirl Caramel. The samples that I got were loose, so the photos of the packaging shown here were from Lovely. Both caramels were wrapped in wax paper. They were soft and sticky, and a few bits of caramel got left behind on the wax paper upon unwrapping. The Original Chewy was a pretty golden brown, and it was indeed chewy, with a small amount of teeth sticking. They tasted sweet with a slightly fruity sour tinge to it. The flavor was quite similar to that of Brach’s Milk Maid Caramels, more on the sweet and buttery side rather than the scorched and bittersweet. I prefer the latter type of caramel, but if you like the former, these make a nice alternative to Brach’s that’s with better ingredients. The Chocolate Swirl was a pretty swirl of the Original golden brown and a darker cocoa brown. Its texture was similarly soft and chewy. The Chocolate Swirl had a great cocoa depth of flavor. It didn’t taste of chocolate; it tasted of intense dark cocoa powder. I appreciated the deep cocoa complexity here. The Original was nice, but I prefer my caramels with a darker complexity, so an O. The Chocolate Swirl, on the other, brought plenty of cocoa complexity, and they get an OM.

I have one favorite thing about this chicken. And it’s that I made it for lunch one day, then packed up the leftovers and stuck them in the fridge, only for my husband to find them a day later and take them for his own lunch. He hates coconut. I mean, hate hate hate. And it’s not like how he “hates” ricotta, since we all know he doesn’t really hate that anymore. He can’t stand the texture of coconut, which I can’t do a darn thing about. He loves the taste (think: rum or gelato) but the squishy-squeak-beneathe-your-teeth thing? Can’t do it. I had no idea he took them that day – I just happened to ask him when he came home what he ate for lunch. He responded with… “those chicken fingers that were in the fridge?” Oh. I stopped dead in my tracks. Before I continue I should mention that reheated (most likely microwaved) crispy baked chicken is about as high on my list to eat as steamed broccoli or a bowl full of fennel seeds is. I am weird about stuff like that. Like if it’s supposed to be crispy, I want it to be crispy. Annnnnd I’m pretty sure that tossing it in the microwave for 30 seconds is not going to do that. Oh well. He could care less. Makes my life easier. So while I’m stopped dead in my tracks, I turn to look at him and ask, “were they good?” I was pretty hesitant but kind of hysterically laughing inside. For once, I wasn’t trying to trick him into eating the chicken – in fact, I had fully intended on telling him I coated the chicken in coconut, FYI, so he might want to stay away. But I forgot. Really. He said they tasted odd. Different, he claimed. Not like the usual ones that he wants once a week. Ha. Ha ha ha ha ha. I don’t know why I found it hilariously hilarious. On another note… There is something about photographing chicken fingers that I simply loathe. I can’t do it. All my pictures end up looking the same and I have no idea how to place the chicken and ugh… life is hard. Whine whine whine.  What’s so funny is that crispy chicken fingers made a two time appearance in my 2012 recipe disasters – and mainly just because I didn’t like the photos. And when something doesn’t look appealing, I automatically assume it doesn’t taste good and scrap it. Even if I liked it. It’s like I have no filtered recipe memory. One was even nearly the same as this recipe but I’m so glad I waited on it. These are so much crunchier (high heat, a wire rack and a spritz of nonstick spray/oil is necessary to reach this!) and seriously, my life revolves around crunch. And I actually soaked these in coconut milk instead of buttermilk. YES. It’s weird. But not. Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers with Peach Honey Mustard Yield: serves about 2 Prep Time: 2 hours Cook Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenders 1 can of full fat coconut milk 1 1/4 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 cup dijon mustard 1/4 cup honey 1 ripe peach, peeled and chopped Directions: Add the coconut milk to a blender and puree until completely smooth and creamy. Place chicken tenders in a baking dish, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and cover with coconut milk. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine coconut, flour, panko, salt and pepper. Stir well to coat. Remove dish with chicken from the fridge. It should have a thick coating of coconut milk on it, so remove each strip and dredge it through the coconut milk, pressing gently to adhere. Place the chicken on the well-greased wire rack and repeat until finished. Spray all the chicken tenders with a spritz of coconut oil spray or n

With chopped walnuts, these slightly crisp cookies are a little different than traditional sugar cookies. This recipe is especially appealing to folks who don't want the hassle of cutout cookies.

I was thrilled when a dear friend shared her grandmother's spice cookie recipe with me. She assured me I would love them...and she was right!

In an attempt to create the "ultimate" cookie, I took the best features from my favorite recipes to create this sweet, crisp cookie. My family can't get enough of them.

There's no reason that a key lime pie can't be something more.Something more beautiful.Something more delicious.Something more fruity.Instead of slathering the top of the pie with whipped cream, bedazzle the tart with fruits in season. You can still serve it with whipped cream on the side. A win-win for you and the key lime.KEY LIME FRUIT TART with GRAHAM PATE BRISEE(makes one 13 3/4' x 4 1/2" rectangular tart)INGREDIENTSFor the crust1/2 cup graham flour3/4 cup all purpose flour2 tablespoons sugar1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces (1 stick)1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk1 egg yolk1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon fine sea saltFor the filling1 can sweetened condensed milk (minus 1 tablespoon that you used in the crust)1/2 cup Madagascar vanilla creme fraiche from Vermont Creamery (can substitute regular creme fraiche but this stuff is FANTASTIC and a wonderful accompaniment to the key lime juice)1/2 cup key lime juice5 egg yolksFor the topping1 pint blueberries1 pint blackberries1 pint strawberries1 pint raspberries1 kiwi1 pomegranateTo finishstrawberry preservesPROCEDUREFor the crust•Preheat the oven to 325ºF.•In the bowl of a food processor fit with the blade attachment, combine the flours, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times.•Add the butter and continue pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal.•In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolk and vanilla. Continue pulsing and add the egg yolk mixture to the processor and pulse until the mixture just starts to come together.•Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Turn the dough over a few times to insure that there are no dry clumps of flour remaining. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 20 minutes.•Press the dough evenly into the tart pan. Freeze for 20 minutes. Blind bake the crust for 20 minutes. For the filling•Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Pour the filling into the pie crust and return to the oven. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the filling is set (it should barely jiggle in the very center).•Allow to cool completely.To finish•Arrange the fruits geometrically on the tart. Using a pastry brush, brush strawberry preserves onto the fruit to give them lasting sheen. Can refrigerate up to a day before serving.

Here’s something you didn’t know you needed: another variation on banana bread! This one’s especially worth saving if you’re interested in seeing how graham cracker crumbs work as a substitute for flour in banana bread. Or some of the flour, anyway. In the past I’ve tried cake and muffin recipes where crumbs take the place [...]