Cuisine: Dessert
Pink Peppercorn Shortbread
My husband went to visit his friend who has a 6,000 acre ranch in Texas. He came home with these large pink peppercorns (I'm really glad that was the only thing he brought back!). I wanted to think of something a bit out of the ordinary to do with them. This Pink Peppercorn Shortbread is slightly sweet and savory combination the works perfectly together. It goes really well with a dry rosé.
By - Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: Makes 1½ to 2 dozen
Bambi’s Bali Hai Bananas
My friend Chris told me about Bambi's Bali Hai Bananas. It's a recipe she adapted for the grill. You can also do it in the oven. You can serve them with ice cream and whipped cream. This recipe is a snap to prepare, making even the most amateur, inexperienced cook look like a rock star.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
Orange Cake
Yesterday was my husband Eric's birthday. I assigned the cake baking to my daughter Zoe. She made this fantastic Orange Cake and used the oranges from her tree. It's a recipe from Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, who are two of my favorite Los Angeles based chefs. My friend Liz gave my girls a cake pan and Zoe said it's the best pan ever. The cake came out of the pan perfectly.
- Prep: 30 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 30 mins
- Yields: 6 - 8 Servings
Malt Ball Brownies
As a kid, I loved malted milk chocolate shakes. These Malt Ball Brownies are all that you love about a chocolate malt milkshake, wrapped up in a brownie. They are chewy, crunchy and chocolatey!
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: Makes 2 dozen
Orange Custard Pie
This Orange Custard Pie was a recipe I found in the back of an old recipe box. I also happen to have an orange tree that is bursting with oranges. It's pretty simple to make and is delicious.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 45 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Tiramisu Layer Cake
My daughter Grace made this spectacular Tiramisu Layer Cake. This traditional Italian dessert is made with a sponge cake then layered with a creamy mascarpone filling, doused in coffee, coffee liqueur and topped with cocoa powder and chocolate curls.
- Prep: 40 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 12 Servings
Ginger Cake
This recipe for Ginger Cake is adapted from The Book of Jewish Food, by Claudia Roden. She has written many cookbooks and is best known as the author of Middle Eastern cookbooks including A Book of Middle Eastern Food, The New Book of Middle Eastern Food and Arabesque—Sumptuous Food from Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon.
This cake is best made 3 days before you want to eat it, and it keeps a long time. I served it with a dollop of ginger preserves.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 1 hr
- Yields: 10 Servings
Banana Butterscotch Muffins
My husband made these Banana Butterscotch Muffins from Nigella Lawson's book, Nigella Express.Nigella says you can substitute white chocolate chips for the butterscotch chips, but her favorite is dark chocolate. Personally, I love the butterscotch.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 12 Servings
Sticky Toffee Banana Cake
I happen to have a ton of bananas. I stumbled upon this recipe for Sticky Toffee Banana Cake, which is an excellent way of using them. This cake has amazing banana flavor and is topped with a rich, sticky and creamy toffee sauce. It's just too good to be true!
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 35 mins
- Yields: 10 - 12 Servings
Amarena Cheesecake
The Amarena cherry is a small bitter dark colored Italian cherry grown in Bologna and Modena, Italy. It is usually bottled in syrup and used as a decoration on desserts.
These luscious and intensely flavorful amarena cherries can be used in place of any dish that requires ordinary candied cherries. You will find no end to using them. Use them for toppings, over pancakes, ice cream, dessert, champagne and even a glass of seltzer. My husband made this cheesecake recipe which came attached to the jar.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 15 mins
- Yields: 6 - 8 Servings
