Posts from the ‘Desserts’ Category

Jul 1

Boozy Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Pops

I am dedicating the next few posts to frozen treats, ice cream. sorbet and popsicles. These popsicles are so simple to make and sort of nutritionally sound because they contain very little sugar and if you omit the booze it’s like a frozen breakfast popsicle. A few posts back I told you I made a rhubarb cordial, I used it in the Pavlova and now in these popsicles. They are so easy to make, all you need is a popsicle mold and a few ingredients, no cooking required. You don’t need to use any alcohol in your pops, honestly there is so little in this it’s almost not there, but for a family friendly popsicle simply omit. I didn’t really use a recipe for this, eyeballed and the measurements below are approximate, it just happens that it made pretty much the right amount to fill the molds. I added and tasted so bear in mind that this is not exact.

I just got a great popsicle mold made my onyx, it’s stainless steel, freezes quickly and the popsicles come out like a dream. I am very happy with it because it also has a feature that ensures the stick remains in place and can be inserted when you first place it in the freezer, genius.

I’ve got my ice packs and insulated carrier ready because I’m bringing these beauties to Fiesta Friday #126 . This is a holiday weekend and Angie’s co hosts are all of us. It is up to us to vote on our favorite recipes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Popsicles

Makes 8

measurements are approximate

Strawberries

2 cups strawberries cleaned and sliced

2 tbs sugar (use if you like and sweeten to taste)

1/4 cup rhubarb cordial

Yogurt

2 cups whole milk greek yogurt (approximately 14 oz)

sugar to taste

2 tbs rhubarb cordial

1 tsp vanilla

Mash the macerated strawberries with a fork. Mix the yogurt with the sugar, rhubarb cordial and vanilla. The cordial thins the very thick greek yogurt slightly, if using greek yogurt you will want to thin it a bit with either the cordial or a liquor, water, milk or cream or fruit juice, your choice. Layer the strawberries first, then the yogurt and end with the yogurt. Place in freezer and enjoy in 4+ hours. See how easy this is.

Jun 20

119 Comments

Pavlova With Strawberries And Elderflower Whipped Cream

Normally I don’t post 2 days in a row, but today is the summer soltice which happens to also fall on the same day as the full moon, the strawberry moon, a once in a lifetime occurrence the last time this happened was in 1948, so to celebrate I made Pavlova, an ethereal, light and beautiful dessert, I used strawberries in honor of the strawberry moon and they happen to be at their peak now. I’ve never made one before, I’ve seen them all over blogs and food websites and it’s been on my bucket list for a while now. After making the rhubarb cordial I have been thinking of different ways to use it besides in drinks. This dessert came to mind, pavlova with strawberries that are macerated in the rhubarb cordial piled onto the meringue layer and topped with whipped cream that is gently flavored with elderflower. I found so many recipes online for the meringue and believe it or not they all varied in cooking temp, ranging from 180 degrees up to 300. I opted for 225 degree’s.

It is a dreamy dessert, beautiful to look at, I love the way the layers are each a little different making it just a little off, slightly cracked, perfect in it’s imperfection. It is elegant and delicious. If I sound smitten it’s because I am. Strawberry and rhubarb are a great combination and although this contains only a rhubarb liquor the flavor though subtle is still there. This is a decidedly adult dessert, and if you don’t happen to have any of the rhubarb cordial, macerating the strawberries in sugar is delicious and will be family friendly or you do not have to macerate the berries, slicing and layering on the cake is perfectly fine. The lovely syrup that the strawberries were sitting in is then drizzled over the finished cake when served. The recipe was delicious as it was but next time I would make a few minor changes.

Pavlova

4 extra large egg whites at room temperature (I used large eggs)

pinch of kosher salt

1 cup sugar (Next time I will use 3/4 cup sugar)

2 tsp corn starch (I would increase the cornstarch to 3 tsp)

1 tsp white wine vinegar or cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

Slice some strawberries and sprinkle with sugar, I poured a scant 1/2 cup of rhubarb cordial on them and macerated for an hour or two. Remove strawberries, drain in sieve over a bowl and set aside, save the rhubarb syrup it’s wonderful drizzled on the pavlova.

Pre heat the oven to 200-225 degree’s. Prepare a sheet pan by lining with parchment and draw circles 8 inch round on the parchment and turn over so the pencil or pen is not touching the batter, or do as I did and use three 8 inch parchment rounds (had to use a half and quarter sheet pan) I wanted 3 thinner layers rather than one thick layer.

Put the egg whites in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the pinch of salt and whip until they are thick and foamy, slowly add the sugar about a tbs at a time and beat them until they are glossy and stiff (about 2-3 minutes). Fold the corn starch and vanilla into the egg whites. Spoon onto the parchment rounds and smooth. Bake for 1 1/2 hours turn off the oven and leave in the oven until completely cooled. I liked using the parchment rounds because it was very easy to peel them off the meringue rounds.

To Assemble

Whip the cream, add the sugar and vanilla and if you have a tsp of elderflower syrup. I used 1 cup of heavy cream, a generous tbs of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

Place a meringue round on serving plate or cake stand. Spoon some of the strawberries on and top and some whipped cream. Place the other meringue round on top, repeat and top with last meringue, spoon some of the whipped cream on top and decorate with berries.

Jun 15

110 Comments

Banana Bread

I didn’t want to share this, really who needs another banana bread recipe, there are a zillion out there right? Well, this turned out so good I had to share. I tweaked the recipe I always use which is really good but this bread was outstanding. What did I do, not that much really. Added 1/2 cup spelt flour, increased the banana, added dark chocolate chips and sprinkled some homemade granola on top. The end result is really wonderful. I have to admit it’s the best banana bread I have ever made, that say’s alot because I have made MANY loaves. The recipe makes one standard size but I like to make 3 mini loaves. I had guests arriving to stay in my air bnb room so I left one loaf in the room, kept one for me and gave the other one to friends. Works out perfectly.

Banana Bread

1 stick, 4 oz or 8 tbs unsalted butter- I used Kerrygold- softened at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup spelt flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 large very ripe banana’s (close to 1 1/2 cups) mashed with a fork

1/2 cup full fat sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

dark chocolate chunks or chips you judge how much I didn’t measure, I guesstimate around 1 1/2 cups

enough granola to sprinkle on top

Pre heat oven to 350 degree’s

Butter or spray your loaf pan or pans

Preheat oven to 350

In stand mixer with paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda and add to the butter/egg mixture beating only until combined. Add the banana, sour cream and vanilla and again beat until combined, remove the bowl and fold in the chocolate. Spoon into loaf pan or pans and bake for large loaf 60-70 minutes, will be golden brown and cake tester inserted in center should come out clean. If making mini loaves, bake 25-35 minutes.

Jun 10

103 Comments

Plum And Nectarine Tart With Creme Fraiche/Sour Cream Sweetened with Brown Sugar

I absolutely love stone fruits, plums, peaches. nectarines, apricots are all so delicious especially when they are perfectly ripe. Biting into one is pure happiness and along with fresh berries, tomatoes and corn is one of the hallmarks of the summer season. When I visit the farmers market I always over buy, I think its a genetic defect in me, when I see something beautiful like the best of the season fruits and vegetables I always get more than I can reasonably consume. At that point I start thinking of different ways to use the fruit that I haven’t eaten. Such was the case when I found myself with an over abundance of delicious nectrarines and various varieties of plums. I had some pie dough frozen that I needed to use so thought a tart would be lovely.

I used plums that were just perfectly ripe and white and yellow nectarines, tried to make a pretty pattern with the fruit, sprinkled some sugar, cinnamon and flour on, dotted with butter, added a few strands of orange zest and baked. It is really delicious and even better when served with creme fraiche or sour cream gently sweetened with brown sugar.

Since it’s that time again, you know the every Friday event that I rarely miss, Fiesta Friday and what better dish than a delicious stone fruit tart to share with my fellow party goers. It’s Fiesta Friday #123 this week and Angie’s co hosts are Margy @ La Petite Casserole and Linda @ La Petite Paniere

plum and nectarine tart

makes one 9 inch round or rectangular tart

your favorite pie or tart crust (I used my usual Julia Childs flaky pie crust recipe)

2 ripe nectarines washed and skin left on and sliced

4 plums whatever variety you like, I mixed 2 varieties , sliced

2-3 tbs sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit and your taste)

1-2 tbs flour (depending on how juicy your fruit is)

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of salt

butter for dotting on pie

turbinado or natural sugar to sprinkle on top

optional orange zest

Line your tart pan with pie dough, dock with fork and freeze for 30 minutes. Meanwhile pre heat oven to 400 degree’s. When dough is done remove from freezer, line with parchment and fill with pie weights, beans or whatever you like to use, bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20 minutes just so it’s very lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Slice the fruit and when the pie crust is cooled layer fruit or dump it in whatever you like, sprinkle with the flour, sugar,cinnamon mixture or you can mix the fruit with the mixture and then arrange the fruit, dot with butter, sprinkle a little orange zest (optional) and bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Juices will be bubbling and the crust will be a golden brown. Let cool completely before serving.

Another super easy and delicious recipe is homemade creme fraiche, all you do is add 2 bs buttermilk to 1 cup heavy cream stir to combine , use a glass or ceramic jar, cover with damp paper towel and secure. Let sit at room temperature (ideal is 72-78) overnight and up to 48 hrs until thick, if your room is cool then it will take longer. Refrigerate after, use generously it’s delicious.

Jun 3

85 Comments

Ice Cream Cake With Hot Fudge Sauce, A Guest Post And Fiesta Friday #122

This is a very special post, first of all it’s a guest post for my dear friend Cheryl of Cheryl “Cheffie Cooks” Wiser. Now if you don’t know Cheryl, in a nutshell she is Super Woman, mother of 5 (including twins), she has 9 (yes NINE) blogs that she keeps up with daily. I can barely manage one, how does she do it, like I said she is Super Woman. Well, Cheryl is going away on a much needed family vacation and has asked some of her friends to do guest posts, I am honored and thrilled to be the first guest post while Cheryl is away. She lives in Florida and her recipes are family friendly, simple, tasty and are made with readily available ingredients. I also have to mention that she has published 1477 (maybe more now) recipes on the Tasty Kitchen website. Visit Cheryl and her 9 blogs, you will be amazed as I am and she is one of the nicest people you will meet.

I wanted to make dessert, a cake,the first cake in theory would have been great but it flopped big time and went straight to the circular file if you know what I mean, as I lamented my failure I got an email from the editors at Food 52, my recipe for Brooklyn Blackout Semifreddo Cake is going to be in their new Ice Cream cookbook, what an incredible honor, it gave me an idea, an Ice Cream Cake will be the perfect dessert. I used the same sponge cake recipe for the blackout cake but instead of a semifreddo I decided to just use ice cream from the supermarket. Lazy, maybe but it’s ok it’s still delicious. You can use what ever ice cream you like, homemade is wonderful but if not, buy your favorite flavors. It is served with a rich, thick warm hot fudge sauce that I like to spike with kahlua, that is purely optional of course but it’s really good.

This special ice cream cake is going to be rushed (before it melts) over to Angie’s for Fiesta Friday #122. This week’s co hosts are Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau and Aruna @ Aharam

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Makes 1 large (10-inch) loaf cake plus extra scraps

1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place milk and butter in a glass measuring cup and microwave for 45 seconds, or until the butter is melted. Using a stand mixer with the wire whisk attachment (or a hand-held electric mixer), whip the eggs and sugar on medium-high for approximately 8 minutes, or until the mixture is pale yellow, tripled in volume, and thick.
With the machine still running, slowly add the heated milk and butter. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Fold it into the egg mixture; there should be no lumps. Fold in the vanilla.
Grease a 1/2 sheet pan, line with parchment, grease the parchment, and sprinkle with sugar or dust with flour. Pour batter into the pan, spread so that it is evenly distributed, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes in the pan, then run a knife or flexible offset spatula around the edges to loosen. Invert onto a wire rack, remove parchment, and let cool completely.

Hot Fudge Sauce:

4 oz milk chocolate cut into pieces

4 oz dark chocolate cut into pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbs vanilla extract( or optional 2 tbs kahlua coffee liquor)

Place chocolate pieces in mixing bowl, bring cream almost to a boil, scalding. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and creamy, add the vanilla or optional kailua if like

Assembling the cake:

2 pints of your favorite ice cream flavors softened. I used Il laboratorio del Gelato brand (made right here in NYC, it’s amazing),the flavors are malt and bourbon pecan.

The cake should be cut into rectangular slices that will fit snuggly into the loaf pan, I used a 10 in pan and cut three 5×9 1/2 inch slices, make sure to save the scraps. Line the pan with plastic wrap with enough overhang so that it will cover the top of the cake.

Soften the ice cream so that it is spreadable consistency. Place first layer of cake at the bottom of the pan add ice cream and smooth. If the ice cream is melting place in freezer between layers. Add another layer on top of the ice cream and repeat. Place top layer of cake on, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer all day or overnight or at a minimum 2-4 hours. NOTE: I use a pint of ice cream in between each layer

To serve, take the cake out of the freezer about 10-15 minutes before serving. Slice and spoon some of the hot fudge sauce on top.

May 27

109 Comments

Persian Cantaloupe Drink- Ab Talebi For Dessert

I used to make this drink years ago but have not made for such a long time. It’s really delicious and refreshing and chock full of vitamins and minerals. I think I have mentioned before my love of Persian Food and I follow several blogs that have wonderful Persian recipes Fae, Azita and one I discovered recently through Instagram is Ahu Eats, Ahu knows a thing or two about Iranian or Persian food and I love perusing her blog, her photographs are amazing and the food is too. When I saw this drink on her site I knew I needed to make it again, I used to often serve it as dessert with ice cream, it’s wonderfully cool and refreshing in the heat of the summer . There really is no recipe required, all you need is ripe canaloupe, ice and sugar or honey. You put it in the blender and voila a cantaloupe smoothie.

I am bringing this cool and refreshing dessert/drink to Fiesta Friday #121. I hope everyone enjoys. It’s exciting that we will all be celebrating Memorial Day with Angie and her wonderful co hosts are all of us, yep we all get a chance to vote on the features for this party.

Happy Memorial Day to Everyone!!

Persian Cantaloupe Drink- Ab Talebi

One cantaloupe makes approx two or three 8 oz glasses (depending on size)

1 cantaloupe flesh removed and cut in pieces

1 cup crushed or cubed ice

1-2 tbs sugar (optional) depending on the sweetness of the melon and to taste

Place everything in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and garnish with a sprig of mint.

May 25

91 Comments

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Not Re-Inventing The Wheel And A Garden

Chocolate chip cookies are iconic, delicious and probably the most made cookie in the US. There are probably as many recipes as there are cookies made, well maybe not but close. I have a couple of recipes that I like to use and they always produce a great cookie. The other day I got an email from King Arthur flour, The Bakers Catalog disecting, demystifying and decoding the chocolate chip cookie.

It is actually a great article with suggestions for different types of cookies from chewy and soft to crisp and crunchy. I decided that I would make her favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and see what all the hype is about. I was a little put off that it contains some shortening, mind you I have nothing against vegetable shortening but really like my cookies made using only butter for the most part. This uses butter and shortening. The method is also very different,creaming the butter straight from the fridge (love not having to bring to room temp) with shortening, vinegar, baking soda, sugars and vanilla.

The cookies are really fantastic crispy edges with a soft middle. You know that the butter is there but using some shortening gives the cookies a wonderful texture. All in all a really good recipe that I will add to my favorites and will be making again.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe by PJ Hamel for King Arthur Flour

2/3 cup light brown sugar packed

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup, 1 stick, 8 tbs or 4 oz butter straight from the refrigerator

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3/4 tsp salt or 1/2 tsp if you used salted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp apple cider or white vinegar

1 large egg

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups chocolate chunks or chips (I mixed milk and dark chocolate)

In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment mix the butter, sugars, shortening, salt, vanilla. baking soda, and vinegar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and contine mixing until combined. Add the flour and mix gently only until the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients. Remove bowl from stand and mix in chocolate by hand. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour before baking. Pre heat oven to 375 degree’s while dough chills and line baking sheet with parchment or silpat.

Scoop onto baking sheet using a 1 1/4 inch scoop placing each ball about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes edges will be golden brown.

In closing I wanted to share photo’s of the garden which right now is in full bloom. The flowers are just beautiful and I have hundreds of beautiful fragrant roses, peonies and the annuals that I bought. I am also very excited that my tomato plants are doing well and already have those yellow blossoms.

May 8

77 Comments

Mom’s Texas Chocolate Cake, Happy Mothers Day

A few years ago I got an envelope from my Mom that was chock full of her recipes. Most are hand written, some are clippings from magazines and newspapers. I saw this hand written recipe for Texas Chocolate cake and immediately knew which cake it was, I remember it vividly it was one of my favorites that she made. Deeply chocolate, moist and rich, it’s a fantastic cake that is so simple and so delicious. I decided to make this cake as an homage to my Mom, she is brave, determined, kind and caring and I am so lucky to have her. She is a cancer survivor, she surpassed her doctors expectations and surprised them by remaining cancer free now for over 10 years. She is a great cook, recipe developer and an inspiring woman. She has a kind heart, loves animals and was always ready to rescue an animal in distress, her example of love and kindness was engrained in me and from her example I also am an animal lover and try to do my part with rescue. She taught me to love and appreciate and make good food, that it was important for the family to sit down to at least one meal together every day, she was the backbone of our family and thinking back I don’t know how she did it with 5 children only a few years apart. I wish I could be with her this Mothers Day and that we did not live so far apart, we talk often and I am trying desperately to convince her to use the ipad she has that still sits in the box 2 years after she got it. She’s stubborn, smart, and has more energy than I do, still mowing her lawn and gardening, that is how she stays young. She devoted her life to her family, left college when she met and married my Dad but she always emphasized the importance of learning, and when we were all old enough to fend for ourselves Mom went back to college and finished her degree in accounting. Happy Mothers Day Mom (even though she refuses to use a computer and will not see this).

The top picture is some of the recipes she has sent me, I included the cookbook from the Global Family Reunion, they published 5 of the recipes I got from my Mom and I am immensely proud of that.

I asked Mom where she got the recipe for this cake, she thinks it was circulating at a ladies bridge club thing, she loved playing bridge and was very good at it. It really is a fantastic cake, great to bring to parties or anywhere where you need to feed a lot of people. It is is substantial in size.

Wishing a very Happy Mothers Day to all of you, you don’t have to be a Mother of human children to celebrate this day, how about our fur kids, they count right? I think Mothers day is a celebration of women, all women who love, nurture and nourish.

I am bringing this Texas size cake to Fiesta Friday #118, I am not just celebrating Mothers and Women but I finished my courses and passed and renewed my Real Estate License. YAY!!! This week sweet Angie has 2 great co hosts Kaila @ GF Life 24/7 and Laurena @ Life Diet Health!

Thank you all for being here on the sometimes rocky road with me, sticking with me and being so supportive. Happy Mothers Day to all!!

Makes One 9×13 cake
The cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 sticks salted butter or margarine
1 cup water
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons good quality unsweetened cocoa
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
In large mixing bowl whisk together the flour and sugar and salt, set aside. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour (to optimize chocolate flavor instead of flour use cocoa powder) a 9×13 baking dish.
In saucepan combine butter, cocoa and water. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. When it comes to a boil and is smooth turn off heat.
Lightly beat your eggs in small mixing bowl, measure your buttermilk and add the baking soda to the buttermilk, stir to combine. Add this to the eggs along with the vanilla. Add the egg buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients along with the butter and cocoa,water mixture. Mix with hand held mixer until smooth approximately 2 minutes. Pour into prepared cake pan and bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. A few minutes before the cake is done start making the frosting. You pour the frosting on the cake right after it comes out of the oven.

Frosting:
1 stick butter or margarine
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 box confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In saucepan on med/high heat add the butter, cocoa and milk,whisking to combine let it come to a boil then remove from heat and add confectioners sugar and vanilla mix well. Pour over hot cake. Let cool on rack. The frosting will be soft and gooey. Serve while cake is slightly warm or room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream

Apr 9

132 Comments

The Versatile Crepe

Does anyone remember Magic Pan Creperie? I don’t know if they are still around but it was always one of my favorite places to eat. Crepes are such a wonderful food you can have them at any meal, they can be a lovely breakfast either sweet or savory and make an amazing dessert, think Crepe Suzette. They are light and paper thin pancakes, more egg than flour, a very runny batter swirled in a crepe pan. They take only minutes to cook and are so delicious. I have used this recipe for many years, it’s from Julia Child and it never fails to produce a perfect crepe.

Fill with ricotta or farmers cheese and serve with a mound of berries, they are delicious served as shown in my photo at the top of the page, very simple, folded, topped with blackberries macerated in orange or tangerine syrup and a squeeze of orange or tangerine juice and dust with some confectioners sugar, or a savory breakfast crepe can be filled with scrambled eggs, chives, cheese and if you like bacon. ham or sausage. A dinner crepe can be filled with meat or vegetables or make manicotti . For dessert you can serve Crepe Suzette or simply fill with vanilla ice cream and add roasted apples or pears. The possibilities are endless, and it’s all good.

I am bringing the manicotti to Fiesta Friday #114, steadfast Angie has this party every week without fail and this week her co host, yep co host this week is the lovely Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook

I am also bringing Mr. Percy I hope it’s a pet friendly party, maybe there will be some other dogs for Percy to play with and I got him an assortment of bow ties just for the occasion. Which one should Percy wear to the party, they are all so festive. Percy is part of a pug pack on Instagram and you will see many of the pugs wearing these adorable bow ties. I got these ties from Mollys Pawtique in case anyone wants a super cute bow tie for their fur kid.

Crepes

Makes 10 8 inch crepes

1 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup cold milk

2/3 cup cold water

3 large eggs

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbs melted unsalted butter

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until it’s all combined and there is no trace of lumps or flour. Refrigerate at least 1/2 hour or more before making the crepes.

Heat your pan (I recommend non stick) until drops of water dance on the surface. Brush pan with butter and pour approximatly 3 or 4 tbs of batter into the pan swirling the pan in all directions until the bottom is covered. Cook on medium high until the edges start to come away from the sides of the pan, gently flip with spatula the crepe will be lightly browned, let the other side brown, stack on rack with parchment in between each crepe. If serving immediately you can keep them in the oven with the temperature on warm. They freeze beautifully as well separated by parchment and place in zip lock bag.

Manicotti

Makes 4

1-1 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta

1 egg lightly beaten

small handfull Italian flat leaf parsley chopped

1/4 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese, plus more to sprinkle on top

salt and pepper

your favorite marinara sauce

Coat the bottom of a baking dish with some of the marinara. Place a crepe on work surface and add a few tbs of the ricotta filling, roll the crepe and place seam side down in baking dish. Spoon more of the marinara on top of the manicotti and sprinkle with some grated cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 20-30 minutes. Serve immediately with some more sauce and grated cheese.

Apr 4

132 Comments

Lemon Meringue Tart

I’ve been wanting lemon meringue pie or tart for a while now. I planned on making it last week but got sick. I have had this recipe in my to do pile for a while now and since lemon is one of my favorite flavors it went straight to the top of recipes I wanted to try. Usually when I make a lemon tart I use the tartine lemon cream recipe, It has the perfect consistency and holds up beautifully giving a perfect slice. Most recipes for lemon meringue pie that I have tried have been really tasty but are a bit on the runny side. When I saw the photo that came with this recipe I thought I had found nirvana, a lemon meringue pie that looks perfect, produces a clean slice and sounds like it’s very tasty. This recipe is all that except that it is still a bit on the runny side even after sitting overnight in the refrigerator. Don’t get me wrong it tastes amazing but it does not produce a clean slice. Next time I will add more cornstarch, while I was making it my gut instinct was to add more but I held myself back. Oh well, should have gone with my gut.

Pate Sucré

Makes 9 inch tart or 6 tartlets
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
8 ounces cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
3 egg yolks from large eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Put the flour, salt and sugar in the food processor, pulse to combine, add the butter and pulse until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk and cream and pulse until the dough comes together, it will be shaggy but thats ok, test it by pinching a piece and if it holds together it’s fine. Divide in two, press into disks and refrigerate for an hour. Pre heat the oven to 375, line tart pan or tartlet pans, prick with fork and place in freezer for 30 minutes. Place a piece of parchment in the tart pan or pans and pour in pie weights or beans. Bake 20 minutes remove the parchment and weights and place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on rack.

Lemon Filling

Fills a 9 inch pie or tart

1 cup water

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch (Next time I would add an additional 1-2tbs of cornstarch)

pinch of salt

4 eggs separated – the yolks are for the filling and whites for meringue

5 tbs cold unsalted butter

4 tsp lemon zest

In medium sauce pan add the water. lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and salt and whisk to combine so there are no lumps. Turn heat to medium and cook stirring constantly until mixture is thick, Whisk the egg yolks and slowely add the hot lemon mixture whisking while adding. Pour back into the pan and cook for 60 seconds (1 minute). Remove from heat and add the butter and lemon zest. Let come to room temparature and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Swiss Meringue

4 egg whites

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl of the stand mixer over a double boiler and cook, stirring occasionally, until the egg whites are very warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved. Whip the egg whites on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Add in the salt and vanilla extract and whip to combine.