dessert

just when you think it can’t get any better.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

05/24/2009 | 2 Comments | Topics: dessert

If I am a collector of anything, if I search high and low, near and far to find something worthy of safe keeping… it would have to be recipes. So when I ran across a post by Chez Pim, I skimmed her blog and hit a few links an a hunt for a prized ‘best chocolate chip cookie recipe.‘ My finger flinched, my printer whirred and alas my… [more]

creme brulee

04/10/2009 | 8 Comments | Topics: dessert

Today is a good day to be my family: my homework for class is to make creme brulee. It is on our final practical exam and I want to make it at home a few times, to get out the kinks. In fact, I have made creme brulee quite a few times, based on a very simple recipe from Barefoot Contessa. And it is her recipe that I… [more]

nanaimo bars

08/19/2008 | 25 Comments | Topics: dessert

I am trying to remember the first time I tried a Nanaimo Bar… And I think I was in high school, working at a restaurant called Dutch Mothers. I could hardly resist consuming one of these each time I worked a shift. This isn’t their exact recipe, but it is appropriately out of a collection of community recipes, bound with a typical black plastic spiral, tattered and old looking. Have… [more]

rustic pie crust

06/03/2008 | 2 Comments | Topics: culinary school, dessert

So my lab class this quarter is Introduction to Baking; the hardcore cooking classes kick in come fall. Which means summer, whilst not learning about safety and sanitation in the kitchen, I will be practicing my culinary skills—especially knife cuts and sauces—and generally trying to beat/whisk/slice/pound some cooking info into my brain before fall practical kicks in. In baking, we have been learning about breads and last week we… [more]

because when it comes to cheesecake, all you really need is a bite or two…

02/11/2008 | 9 Comments | Topics: dessert, food.

I cringe to put this photo here; for gorgeousness to define this recipe, hop over to Pinch My Salt. I ran out of time to take a brilliant photo; I made this recipe, skipped the whip topping (no time), cut these beauties out of their muffin tin, dumped them on a plate and ran out the door. Shocking I even snapped a photo, though if I hadn’t… [more]

skip dinner: go straight to dessert.

01/19/2008 | 8 Comments | Topics: dessert, food., recipes, snacks

How would that be for a New Year resolution? (I know what you are thinking, too late for New Year Resolutions. But I like to be a bit unconventional, and sometimes waiting until February to apply resolutions isn’t a bad idea: besides, the gym is far less crowded in Feb than it is in Jan). I have heard of those who eat dessert first. Those who deliberately skip to their… [more]

Need an easy, impressive fall dessert?

11/07/2007 | 7 Comments | Topics: dessert, food.

I was shocked how little time and effort were required to make these little rounds of harvest bliss. In fact, I had the ingredients on hand for over two weeks before I finally capitalized on an opportunity to deliver them to my table top. And now, in hindsight? I wonder why I didn’t make them earlier. (Okay, to be honest I have the ingredients on hand again. My intention is… [more]

dessert first?

09/19/2007 | 6 Comments | Topics: dessert, food., starters

If you know me, you know I like simple-to-prepare, yet impressive food with chef-worthy results. Sometimes I find inspiration when out to dine. My husband and I recently found a restaurant in Seattle—CRUSH—to add to our list of favorites. It is modern and swank; the food was so divine we couldn’t help but take long pauses where conversation waited while we focused on a bite or sip. We uncharacteristically… [more]

brioche caramel croutons & vanilla ice cream

07/01/2007 | 13 Comments | Topics: dessert, food.

This is one of those classic recipes. Not that it has been made numerous times. It is classic in that I ripped it out of a magazine and shoved it into my ‘recipe binder’ and forgot about it. Have you done that? I do occasionally make a good effort to organize my binder, to decide which recipes to keep, to paste nicely onto paper, then slide into slipcovers. I… [more]

Want an easy recipe for Tiramisu?

05/18/2007 | 9 Comments | Topics: dessert, food., Italian food

I promised I would make it, photo it and showcase it on my blog: a little, lovely, Italianesque dessert fondly known as tiramisu. This recipe is borrowed from Barefoot Contessa, in her cookbook Family Style. I am not trying to be boring, because this dessert is far from that: it is just that it is late in the day on Friday and my brain is on fumes. Or… [more]