Posts Tagged ‘dessert’

• Blueberry Peach Crumble

  Date: 2010.08.20 | Category: Baking | Response: 0

  I am noticing fewer and fewer peaches at the market.  Soon we will have no more and it will be apple time!  I realized this morning I have not made a crumble yet this season so today’s recipe is a crumble.  Like most of the recipes I share, it’s very simple to create and is a delicious ending to any meal.  Sometimes it is the meal!

  Ingredients:

  1/3 c. sugar
  2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
  1 lb. peaches
  2 1/3 c. berries
  1 c. whole wheat flour
  1/2 c. oatmeal
  1/3 c. brown sugar
  2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

  Preheat oven to 325.  Spray bottom of 8 x 8 pan.  Combine first four ingredients and spread on bottom of the pan.  Toss remaining ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle over fruit.  Bake for 50 minutes.  Once slightly cooled, eat immediately with the largest spoon you can find.

  This is also heavenly with a giant scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.  Enjoy!

  xo–me

• Crispy Chocolate Treats

  Date: 2010.08.18 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  This could be the simplest way for you and your child to spend some time in the kitchen together.  The recipe requires no oven nor stove time.  They are easy to make and even easier to eat.

  Ingredients:

  10  oz. milk, dark or white chocolate (I occasionally triple the recipe and do all three!)
  1 c. crisp rice cereal

  In a large bowl, microwave chocolate, uncovered, for 1 to 2 minutes until chocolate is soft and almost melted.  Remove from microwave and stir until completely melted and smooth.  Stir in cereal.  Using a nice, round teaspoon, scoop out mixture and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate drops until firm.

  I put them in mini cupcake liners to serve at my social affairs.  You can put them in a Rubbermaid container and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Enjoy!

  xo–me

• Espresso Dark Brownie Cupcakes

  Date: 2010.08.12 | Category: Baking | Response: 0

  I love my 300 Best Chocolate Recipes cookbook.  Not only do I love everything I have tried, but there are no calories in any of them!  Kid, I kid.  This recipe combines two distinct and decadent flavors, coffee and chocolate, to create a sinful cupcake.  I top it with my Nany’s peanut butter frosting and have a perfect treat.

  Ingredients:

  1 c. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  1 c. all-purpose flour (or 1 c. + 2 Tbsp. Swan flour)
  1/4 c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
  2 Tbsp. finely ground espresso
  1/4 tsp. salt
  1 3/4 c. brown sugar
  1/2 c. granulated sugar
  4 large eggs

  Preheat oven to 350.  In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and chocolate.  Microwave, uncovered, on high for 60 seconds, until butter is melted and chocolate is soft.  Stir until smooth.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

  In a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, espresso and salt.  In a large bowl, beat together brown and granulated sugar and chocolate mixture until well combined.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add flour mixture, mixing just until blended.

  Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.  Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake is done.  Let cook in pans on rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and let cool completely on rack.  Frost with Nany’s peanut butter frosting.  Eat until your heart is content.

  These are not the kind of cupcakes you want to make for your child’s holiday party.  These are grown-up cupcakes!  Enjoy one tomorrow with your morning coffee and conquer the world!

  xo–me

• Frozen Berry Salad

  Date: 2010.08.09 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  I am trying to incorporate the final berries of the season into just about every meal I make.  I made raspberry chicken last week and of course the simplest recipe of fruit salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

  This recipe is a classic.  I am certain many of you have had it at your mother’s or grandmother’s home.  The recipe I have calls for cranberries but I make it with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.  Why not combine some of the berries as well?

  Ingredients:

  1 3/4 c. whole cranberries
  1 3/4 c. crushed pineapple
  1 can sweetened condensed milk
  1/4 c. lemon juice
  1-8 oz. container cool whip

  Combine ingredients and freeze until you are ready to serve.

  Blueberry and blackberry combined is my favorite.  I also like to swap out the citrus ingredient as well.  Try tangelos, oranges, or grapefruit.  Finally many put this in a jello-o mold to create a lovely presentation.  I prefer to spoon it out into a pretty single serving as seen in the photo.  Enjoy!

  xo–me

• Chocolate Fruit Tarts

  Date: 2010.08.07 | Category: Baking | Response: 0

  Ahh chocolate–my favorite food group. I would enjoy chocolate at each meal if my waistline would allow it. I love the recipe I am sharing today because it allows you to feast on a small chocolate treat if you choose to make these tarts in a smaller size. I usually make tartlets instead of tarts so I can watch my calories. I make these for my girl parties, luncheons and tea parties. They are an excellent ending to your meal.

  Ingredients:

  1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  1/2 c. light brown sugar
  1 tsp. baking powder
  1/2 c. salted butter
  1 egg yolk
  2 tsp. vanilla
  5 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
  1/2 c. whipping cream
  fresh blueberries and raspberries (or the fruit of your choice)

  Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Mix together flour, sugar and baking powder until mixed. Add butter, egg yolk and vanilla, until dough it smooth and begins to form a ball. Scoop dough with 1/4 c measure and place on prepared baking sheet. Flatten dough into 4-inch (I sometimes do 2-inch as mentioned above) circles, crimping edges so you have a lip around the circumference (this is how the chocolate ganache will remain inside the tart). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and just firm to the touch.

  Meanwhile, melt chocolate and cream over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thick and smooth. Spread filling over individual crusts, leaving a small border without chocolate filling. Arrange fruit over melted chocolate in a pattern of beauty. Place crusts on clean lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

  These are lovely arranged on a pretty dish. I usually put them on a cake stand if I am entertaining. The colors alone are enticing. Enjoy!

  xo–me

• Toffee Fruit Kabobs

  Date: 2010.06.23 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  I am excited for the BBQ season.  There is not much you can’t make on a grill and I enjoying trying new dishes.  I made this last summer for a last minute gathering.  It is super sweet and a perfect ending to an outdoor meal.  Kids love it because they can use their fingers to eat.  Adults love it because they think it’s healthy!  I kid, I kid.

  Ingredients:

  2 apples, cored and wedged
  2 firm pears, cored and wedged
  juice of 1/2 lemon
  2 Tbsp + 1/2 c. brown sugar
  2 Tbsp. ground allspice
  1/2 c. + 1 c. butter (1/2 c. melted)
  6 Tbsp. heavy cream
  

  Toss the apples and pears in the lemon juice.  Mix 2 Tbsp. sugar and allspice together and sprinkle over fruit.  Thread fruit onto presoaked wooden skewers.  Set aside.  Make the toffee sauce by placing the 1 c. butter and 1/2 c. brown sugar in a pan and stirring gently until butter has melted and sugar dissolved.  Add cream and bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes the let cool slightly.

  Meanwhile, place the kabobs over hot coals and cook for 5 minutes, turning and basting constantly with the melted 1/2 c. butter, until fruit is tender.  Remove to serving dish and drizzle toffee over kabobs.

  I don’t drizzle, I dump it.  Nothing is better than the oozing, gooey-ness of warm toffee.  Don’t be cautious, let it flow!

  xo–me

• Grilled Fruit Kabobs

  Date: 2010.06.19 | Category: Cooking | Response: 0

  I found another recipe that I remember being a delicious addition to my backyard BBQ shenanigans.  Oh, how I miss a yard and a BBQ.  Please make this recipe in my honor this weekend.  Raise the kabob in a salute to those of us who have given up yards to live in the city.  Sigh.

  Ingredients:

  2 nectarines, halved and pitted
  2 kiwis
  4 red plums
  1 mango, peeled, halved and pitted
  2 bananas, peeled and thickly sliced
  8 strawberries, hulled
  1 Tbsp. honey
  3 Tbsp. Cointreau

  Cut nectarine halves into wedges and place in a large, shallow dish.  Peel and quarter kiwis.  Cut plums in half and remove pits.  Cut  mango flesh into chunks and add to dish with kiwis, plums, bananas and strawberries.

  Mix honey and cointreau together in a measuring cup, or bowl with a spout, until well blended.  Pour the mixture over the fruit and toss to coat.  Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for one hour.

  Preheat the grill.  Drain the fruit, reserving the marinade.  Thread fruit onto several presoaked wooden skewers and cook over medium hot grill, turning and brushing frequently with the reserved marinade, for 6 minutes.  Serve and devour immediately.

  I love this dish as dessert after ribs or something equally as filling.  Get outside this weekend and create your own dishes!

  xo–me