Cuisine: Dessert
Apple Tart
I love Fall, everything about it. Unfortunately, I live in Los Angeles where you have to light a damn cinnamon candle and ask Alexa to play the sound of windy leaves to even conjure up the idea of fall. I recently bought two of these rectangular tart pans with removable bottoms. If I have a larger crowd I make two different tarts. This Apple Tart is easy to make using frozen puff pastry, which is something I ALWAYS have in the freezer.
By - Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Louise Cake with Plum and Coconut
My friend Sharon from Australia sent me Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s book, Sweet. Then this morning she texted me this photo of the Louise Cake with Plum and Coconut. It consists of juicy plums, almonds, with a coconut based biscuit topped with meringue. All I can say is YUM! I will have to get one of my daughters to make this for me!
- Prep: 25 mins
- Cook: 1 hrs 5 mins
- Yields: 10 Servings
Frozen Daiquiri Pie
This recipe was originally discovered as a frozen margarita pie but I like to swap the tequila for white rum, which lends itself very nicely to the tart lime and rich graham cracker crust. Frozen Daiquiri Pie is an easy, make ahead dessert that allows you one last cocktail after dinner all the while keeping you cool. Because what’s almost better than rum and pie? And, it keeps your oven off in the summer.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake
It's a bit embarrassing because this Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake is not completely from scratch. I have made this cake for years and if you like chocolate, you'll love this cake. You could take it way over the top and make it quadruple chocolate and pour hot fudge sauce all over it.
Lemon Cake
Coming from a long line of true lemon-lovers, it’s hard for me to pass up a recipe that requires using the entire lemon, pith and all. This easy cake recipe is a great way to dip your toes into the wonderful world of citrus candying (and you get a cake out of it, too)!
If you are like me and have a citrus tree that is constantly producing: Start. Candying. Your. Citrus. Give them as a gift dipped in chocolate and topped with flaky sea salt, rolled in sugar, or floating on top of a whipped, lemony cake. This simple process lengthens the life of your citrus fruit while using every scrap. And really, it’s because I can’t watch another squirrel hollow out a perfectly good orange on my tree.
By - Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 12 Servings
Any Fruit Galette
Here's another recipe from my daughter Zoe. The versatile dessert uses any fruit you have on hand. She made this one using raspberries and strawberries.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 1 hrs
- Yields: 4 - 6 Servings
Mary Poppins Chocolate Zodiac Cake
I made this Mary Poppins Chocolate Zodiac Cake for a friend of mine who screens movies at his home. I always try to match the food to the movie. It's the 50th anniversary of the film. This recipe is from a little-known cookbook written by P.L. Travers - Mary Poppins in the Kitchen: A Cookbook with a Story.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 12 Servings
Almond Pastry Puff with Homemade Frangipane
This Almond Pastry Puff with Homemade Frangipane is from Jamie Oliver's cookbook called 5 Ingredients – Quick & Easy Food. It's basically puff pastry filled with frangipane, which is a sweet filling made from almonds and cream. This recipe is so simple and your guests will think you spent all day in the kitchen making it!
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 15 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Lemon Buttermilk Pie with Saffron
Don't you hate when you need buttermilk and they only sell it in quarts?! Didn't they use to sell buttermilk in pints? Recipes usually call for a cup or two, then you have all this leftover buttermilk to use up. I happen to stumble upon this Lemon Buttermilk Pie with Saffron and we have lemons in our backyard. Blind-baking the crust in this lemon buttermilk pie recipe is essential: It keeps it from getting soggy when the custardy filling is added.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 1 hrs 25 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Bananas Foster Layer Cake
My daughter Grace made her father this decadently rich Bananas Foster Layer Cake for his birthday. Bananas Foster is a dessert that was created in 1951 by Paul Blangé at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Prep: 25 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 12 - 14 Servings
