Salted Caramel Cashew Pie

Sometimes you just need to have a good piece of pie. If said pie is easy to make and can be stashed away in the ice box for a time to perfect itself AND stay out of sight until the dinner party, all the better. It makes that moment when you pull it out of the icebox and look at all that beauty ALL the better.

So here it is ... in all its glory ... Salted Caramel Cashew Pie. 

Christmas Spiced Chocolate Torte - Thanks, Nigella!

I haven't been making a lot of sweets of late, but today was a rainy day - all grey and sullen, buckets of rain pouring down and this end of the state under flood watch. I was in need of sweets. To boot, my friend Dom posted a round-up of cakes that his blogging friends posted in honor of his birthday month. I digested about a million calories worth of food porn along with my morning coffee. The temptation was just TOO GREAT!

When the urge hits, a chocolate cake is called for, don't you think? I scrounged around looking for just the right chocolate buzz and found it on Nigella Lawson's website. This slice of heaven is a combination of chocolate, orange zest, expresso powder, sugar, eggs, and almond flour. Yes! It's a flourless torte that reminds me of those chocolate oranges that come foil wrapped at Christmas time!

Butter for Breakfast with No Apologies !

I recently gifted myself this book about apples. Now, I suppose there are a kazillion books about apples out there in Biblioland, but this one struck me as really interesting, as most of the orchards and the places that the author writes about are within spitting distance of our little grey cottage. Amy Traverso writes a book ABOUT apples and then hits us with recipes that have apples, cider, cider vinegar, dried apples, apple juice as main ingredients or as complements to other mains. It's an awesome book with a lot of interesting tidbits about heritage apples, apple genetics and cultivation, stories about regional orchardists and the apples they grow, interviews with horticulturists, brewers, bakers, and backyard hobbyists. It was such a fun read for me that I passed it over to SB. He enjoyed it also ... which says something because SB doesn't usually give a hoot about cookbooks. Well, after SB had his way with the book, I grabbed it back and took second and third looks through it. The book rested on the floor by the bedside table for a few days, which is probably a bad place for a cookbook to be - visions of sugarplums and all that. However, it may explain the overwhelming urge this morning for these sticky apple biscuit buns...

Makin' Cake ... We Should Cocoa

I was looking back at past posts and realized that it has been an age since I made a cake. A chocolate cake - a cake that is so rich and gooey and crumbly that it makes you tremble with the initial sugar hit and puts your teeth on edge (in a good way). I realized that this chocolate cake deficit must be rectified almost immediately.

The Virtual Supper Club - Beer Battered Onion Rings !

This month, The Virtual Supper Club visits the Country Fair ... 

Can country fair fare be made 'lighter' ? Believe it or not, yes! And here's the proof ... this batter has no egg yolk and no milk. There is no deep-fried method in making the rings ... there's a quick stove-top fry in minimal canola oil and then a finish in a hot oven to complete cooking the onions and build a crispy crust (that would have been accomplished in that sea of hot grease!).  So ... let me digress a bit ...

Strawberry Custard Pie ...

Spring is here when the strawberries start tempting you, as you pass through the produce department at the supermarket. Am I right? They're not perfect, but they are just so darn promising of warmer days. I can't wait to get down on hands and knees to creep along the rows of berries, filling a colander and contemplating strawberry shortcake, stopping to brush the dirt off a particularly beautiful berry and pop it in my mouth to sample the juiciness. Berries and cream, berry smoothies, strawberry ice cream, spinach salad with strawberries and balsamic vinaigrette, strawberry jam ... is it any wonder that I always fall for the first berries that come in from 'where ever'? I'm a strawberry junkie.

Today I made strawberry custard pie.

Fame and Chocolate - A Heady Combination

This month's 'We Should Cocoa' could go a million ways ... what's the first thing you think of when someone says the word 'chocolate'? For this person, it becomes a link to chocolate chip cookies. I wonder why that is?  Whatever the reason, chocolate chip cookies are surely a favorite chocolate fix for many a chocolate hound. The recipe goes together fast, and the different varieties of chocolate chip cookies have only increased over the years, as different types of chocolate have been transformed to 'chips' by manufacturers like Nestle and Ghiaradelli.

Thin Mint Parfait - Bring on the Greens!

I sooo wanted to include this dessert as a topper for our Virtual Supper Club dinner menu, but it's hardly 'light cooking' ... so I'm tagging it along after this month's supper club post. This is an easy and totally yummy dessert ... and it couldn't be easier!

We Should Cocoa ... Pumpkin Eclairs!

These little devils have been on my culinary bucket list for a good while ! Eclairs are one of Silent Bob's favorite pastries. We oogle them whenever we go into a bakery of note and I always tell him that  I will learn how to make them for him! I'm so glad I screwed up my courage and tackled them! They weren't perfect - there was a bit too much salt in the choux and the eclair shells didn't stay as puffed as I would have liked, but they were fantastic for a beginner eclair maker ... me!

Sachertorte - For Birthday and Breakfast

Can you blame me ? I could not resist the chocolate ganache and that sweet brandy-scented apricot jam filling. A dense chocolate torte - denser than I would have liked, but still pretty darn good. I brewed really strong coffee this morning and had a repeat of yesterday's birthday dessert that we knoshed for Sprout Sara's birthday lunch.

Foodspotting ... 49th Game Changer(s) Spot Lobster Macaroni & Cheese

... a chunk of lobster in almost every bite ... this is the goal with a killer lobster mac & cheese

No longer must we go blind in any city we're visiting when it comes to picking a restaurant or finding that dish that we are dying to knosh! Join Foodspotting, an on-line foodie network! Build up a trusted group of foodies to 'follow', check out their posts for restaurants that they find worthy, and when you're in town, you've got a pretty good line on 'killer eats'. Then, go where it looks and sounds best.

If you really want to get specific, search for just what you're craving and you'll get a list of visuals and short blurbs on the posters' impressions. The posting people may be unknown, but pictures don't lie and if you link to the reviews, you can make a decision pretty quickly as to whether a restaurant's dish will hit your spot ... of not.

50 Woman Game-Changers - Edna Lewis

"Edna Lewis" - oil painting by Elayna Shakur

There is nothing like a beautiful cake and Edna Lewis's Famous Coconut Lane Cake is just that! This cake attests to the rich tradition of Southern cooking and Ms. Lewis's place in preserving it.

This is a cake that is rich with eggs, butter and sugar, coconut, pecans, and chopped raisins - three layers of confection worthy of gracing a table at a garden party with big jugs of iced tea served on the side. I made it to share with friends at a small weekend dinner party. Folks will certainly be 'wowed', don't you think?

Sichuan Green Beans

Green beans are one of my favorite green veggies ... so when I see them in the market and they are in perfect shape, I buy them. I know. I'm bad. They're NOT in season here in New England, but damn! They looked so good and I've missed them so much since late August! Cut me some slack!

Homemade Kahlua ...

This is such an easy and fun gift to give at holiday time! I've made it a few times over the years because it lasts for a good while ... unless you are a lover of coffee and Kahlua with whipped cream or Black and White Russians! We go for only an occasional souped up coffee as a post dinner dessert drink. Black Russians lost their allure for me after one particular night of severe overindulgence. Hence, I use Kahlua in a few dessert and ice cream recipes. A bottle of this stuff lasts a long time in our house, but when you need a special zing ... it does the trick!

50 Woman Game-Changers ... Dessert and Anne-Sophie Pic

“My cuisine, I would say, is simple and sophisticated. I attach supreme importance to getting the flavours just right.”
                                                                                                                
                                                                                                - Anne-Sophie Pic

Sometimes, one must leave the realm and explore the world before returning home to make one’s mark. I think Anne-Sophie Pic might agree with this statement. She left her family’s strong culinary environment to study business and design, worked in various design and merchandising fields, and then returned to her family roots and placed her energies into becoming a world-class chef. She is chef and co-owner with her husband of Maison Pic in Valence, France and a newer venue in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Following in the footsteps of her grandfather and father … both much-lauded chefs, she has busted the glass ceiling of the French Michelin judging system … being the first woman to earn a three-star chef rating by the stodgy – yet esteemed organization.

Her food sensibilities tend toward limited numbers of ingredients, but attention to the details of bringing each ingredient’s flavour to its perfect level in whatever dish she creates.

Random Recipe - Chocolate Sabayon Torte

This month's Random Recipe challenge teamed up participants and had them make a recipe that a team member randomly chose ... a neat trick! Well, I got the treat when Lyndsey from Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops chose this recipe for me! I'm making it for a Halloween treat; it's small enough that it will be gone by the end of the evening. I intend to offer our neighbor's a dessert and coffee 'trick or treat' as they bring their children by for their more traditional candy treats. This treat involves chocolate ... a lot of chocolate!

Duck With Forty Cloves of Garlic - A Silver Palate Recipe

Right now, my kitchen, my dining room, my living room, my house smells of roasting garlic, sweet fennel, and onions ... they're all roasting their way to a platter of roasted duck, made in tribute to Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Too bad those ladies couldn't be sitting down to dinner with us this evening. I would love to hear the stories of their first years together as a team at The Silver Palate. I'd enjoy hearing about the travels of Sheila, as she did her worldwide recipe search for her All Around the World Cookbook, and how Julee ended up owning an inn and restaurant on the shores of Lake Michigan. Alas, Sheila is no longer with us and Julee has her own schedule that is NOT aligned with mine ... alas.

Blackberry and Sour Apple Cake with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

I went to a birthday luncheon today! My dear friend Cathy was celebrating her July birthday with a bunch of friends and I was in charge of the cake ... my pretty plate was a blank slate!

Fettuccine and Peas in Curried Cream Sauce

No apologies ... this is such a warm, spicy, gooey, creamy, rich pasta fix that it should probably be against the law. To boot, this batch is made with the freshest of garden peas that are like little sweet bullets of flavour. This is what we knoshed for dinner last evening... this and glasses of crisp Sauvignon Blanc. My goodness, it just doesn't get any better. But wait ... as I was cleaning up and pouring a second glass of wine, Silent Bob hollered, "Rainbow alert!"

Random Recipe # 4 - Triple Truffle Cake

This month's Random Recipe challenge brought me to Debbi Fields' Great American Desserts. On page 194, you will find a recipe for a truly guilty pleasure - and I am guilty, because I loved using two entire pounds of semi-sweet chocolate in this dessert. My kitchen smells like a candy factory and I have licked every spoon and spatula from the batter, to the chocolate frosting, to the coffee Kahlua syrup. To say that there is a lot of sugar and fat in this recipe would be an understatement. Blame it on Dom. It was his idea to choose a random cookbook, open it to a random page and then ... stir, swirl, pour, and bake.