Desserts

English Summer Pudding

Pull Out Your Pudding Basin! This is the most quintessential English dessert for the summer. I was hired to make it for someone when we lived in London years ago and was terrified I would get it wrong, but it turned out perfectly. This recipe is loosely based on Delia Smith’s version. Delia is the […]

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  July 21, 2010   1 comment

Key Lime Shake

Gotta find my blender! My cousin, Mari, is on an island called Port Aransas, which is near Corpus Christi, Texas. She said that next to where she is working is an ice cream parlor (I think it’s called Deserted Island). They are apparently known for their Key Lime Milk Shakes. To me, this sounds divine. […]

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  July 7, 2010   No comments

Mexican Brownies

The traditional Mexican flavor combination of cinnamon and chocolate is enhanced by a brown sugar topping. Makes 16 brownies For brownies 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar 1 Tbs ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 3 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 3/4 cup […]

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  May 5, 2010   2 comments

Mojito Cake

Tacky, but oh so good One of my favorite desserts is something called Mojito Cake. I know that the ingredients are very “tacky”, namely the cool whip, but it is really good and easy to make. Mojito Cake 20 oz can crushed pineapple, un-drained Juice of 1 lime 1 (1 lb) box angel food cake […]

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  April 20, 2010   1 comment

Almond Cake in Orange Syrup

Get Ready for Passover Claudia Roden has written numerous cookbooks on Middle Eastern food.  She was born in 1936 in Cairo, Egypt.  She lives in North London – apparently BLOCKS from our old flat!  If I had only known, I would have stalked her! This recipe is from The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from […]

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  March 22, 2010   No comments

Earthquake Cake

I’m All Shoke Up We woke up this morning at 4:04am to an earthquake. Not a big one – 4.4, but the epicenter was quite close. It certainly got one’s attention. So, here I am with a splitting headache, nursing a cup of coffee and trying to figure out what on earth to write about […]

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  March 16, 2010   No comments

Clafouti

Clafouti, that’s easy for you to say! I am catering an Oscar party on Sunday and my client wants Beef Bourguignonn, everything by Julia Child. I decided to make a clafouti for dessert. Clafouti, is a baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan like batter. […]

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  March 5, 2010   No comments

Blue Moon Ice Cream

I grew up in Goshen / Elkhart Indiana. I have many food memories. One of my favorite things was Blue Moon ice cream that I used to get at a diner called Ray’s near my mother’s interior design shop. This ice cream was to me, heaven in a cone.  It was too delicious to be […]

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  February 22, 2010   7 comments

King Cake

Caution – Small Baby Inside, May Be Choking Hazard! My friend Leila asked me for a recipe for a King Cake.  So, this is for Leila!! “The King Cake tradition came to New Orleans with the first French settlers and has stayed ever since. Like the rest of Mardi Gras during those early days, the […]

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  February 10, 2010   1 comment

Red Velvet Cake

Gâteau Rouge Velours Is it my imagination, or is Red Velvet Cake on EVERY single menu lately? I’ve noticed it in the last few months. Every bakery, large restaurant chain, etc has jumped on the bandwagon. I wasn’t too sure about where on earth it came from, so I did a little research. A Red […]

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  February 9, 2010   1 comment