Category Archives: Dessert

Butterbeer

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Butterbeer in glass mugs surrounded by candles and Harry Potter books. Photo by Sara Klein from inlieuofcordonbleu.com

You do not have to visit Hogsmead, the magical village of J.K. Rowling’s imagination, to cozy up with a glass of butterbeer this season. Warm butterscotch forms the base for this “potion” and the spicy ginger notes are sure to have you bewitched. Beer lovers can give this drink an extra kick and a hint of classic beer flavor with a splash of Prosecco, but to me this is a rare instance where the booze-free version somehow tastes a bit more festive. The books of Harry Potter may evoke Halloween, but this spirit tastes like Christmas in a glass and you will want to sip it by the fire all autumn and winter long.

Ingredients

Butterscotch

1/4 cup heavy cream 

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Peach Ricotta Fruit Salad

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This is one of my most versatile recipes. So much so, that I almost didn’t know what to call it. Is it a fruit salad? A pudding? Who cares, it’s delicious! Creamy lemon and vanilla-scented ricotta forms the bed for bright, juicy peaches that are the essence of summer flavor. Passion fruit vinegar adds a unique tropical note and olive oil and basil lend it fresh from the garden quality. I originally made this dish to have for breakfast in the summer, but spread the ricotta in a shallow bowl and top with all of the peaches and it makes a fantastic fruit salad for a picnic or BBQ.  The ricotta can be made in advance and kept for several days in the refrigerator.

Peaches

2 1/2 lbs peaches, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 teaspoon sugar Continue reading →

Fresh Nectarine Pie

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Fresh Peach Pie Slice and Pie

I look forward to nectarine and peach season all year long!  There is something about that sweet, juicy fruit that just screams summer.  In this pie, I paired an extra thick and crumbly graham cracker crust with a luxurious cream cheese topping and bright, fresh nectarines to create a perfect bite of southern comfort.  A little bit of apricot liqueur adds some crisp acidity and intensifies the nectarine flavor.  It’s sweet, salty, creamy and exactly what I want after a BBQ on a hot summer night. And if a little of that apricot liqueur ends up in your glass with it, I won’t judge!

Graham Cracker Crust

12 whole graham crackers, roughly crumbled into pieces Continue reading →

Frosé Champagne Float

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ILCB Frosé Champagne Floats - 1 of 4

Summer is here, which means it is time for strawberries, rosé, and my birthday! For my birthday party this year I wanted to create foods that were grown-up takes on childhood favorites.  And what’s more reminiscent of childhood than ice cream floats?

For my grown-up take I started with a fruity rosé filled with notes of sweet honeysuckle, fresh strawberry and hints of lemon zest. Then I amped up all these flavors with added strawberry and lemon juice and created some wine-like complexity with star anise and vanilla bean. Top it all with champagne and it’s all the grown-up and the kid in me craves on a hot summer day!!!

Frosé

4 1/2 cups strawberries, coarsely chopped Continue reading →

Maui Brownie Bites

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Maui Brownie Bites

This recipe was inspired by a brown sugar buttercream truffle enrobed in dark chocolate at my favorite local chocolate shop in Seattle.  I’m not sure what it is about brown sugar buttercream that makes me think of Hawaii.  Perhaps it’s that the flavor reminds me, not of the coconut, but the rich sugary brown notes you smell in suntan lotion on the beach.

I wanted to take those flavors and bring them to something more easily made at home. These brownie bites are still rich and chocolatey. The graham cracker adds a bit of buttery, salty crunch and also makes the bites easier to remove from the muffin tin! But it’s the buttercream that takes it over the top.

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

6 whole cinnamon graham crackers, crumbled

2 tablespoons sugar Continue reading →

Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

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My local coffee shop makes an absolutely fantastic bread pudding. So fantastic in fact, that one day I asked the owner if he’d be willing to share the recipe.  After receiving an extremely surly, “no” in reply I decided I could make it better myself. This recipe is the result.  To me it tastes like the holidays; like warm cinnamon rolls with a little bit of sweet, tart apple pie freshness.  Not only is it the perfect festive dessert, it also makes for a wonderfully indulgent holiday breakfast. I love it because I can make it the day before and just re-heat it when I’m ready to serve, leaving me free to celebrate the season with my guests.  Continue reading →

Tasting at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream

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A few months ago a friend of mine was kind enough to share a few pints of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream that had been shipped to her.  It was hands down some of the best American-style ice cream I’ve ever had.  The flavors were intense and unique, the texture was smooth and creamy, and my favorite, the Brown Butter Almond Brittle, tasted exactly like my mother’s shortbread cookies.  So I was incredibly excited to visit one of their scoop shops.  Live vicariously through me as I taste pretty much every flavor under the sun in this previously recorded Facebook Live session! Continue reading →

Pineapple Panna Cotta

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My friend Jon challenged me to create a dessert with no flour, sugar, or artificial sweeteners and a maximum of only a teaspoon of honey per serving! Well Jon, challenge accepted!!!  I’ve adored tropical fruit ever since I first tasted pineapple and papaya on a lanai with my parents in Oahu and its natural sweetness was perfect for this challenge.

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Voodoo Doughnuts in Eugene Oregon

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Voodoo Doughnuts is an Oregon legend and one I’ve been dying to try ever since I learned they make a doughnut filled with another Oregon delicacy, Kelly’s Strawbañero Jelly. Strawbañero jelly is exactly what it sounds like, a delightful combination of sweet strawberries with a kick of heat from habanero peppers that tastes amazing with some crusty bread and a hunk of mild brie. It’s become one of my favorite appetizers.

Kelly Strawbañero Jelly with sourdough and brie

Kelly Strawbañero Jelly with sourdough and brie

I couldn’t wait to try that sweet Strawbañero heat in a doughnut. Unfortunately, it turns out they only carry that particular flavor on Thursdays in their Portland store and I was in Eugene. Not that there was a lack of options, from the a simple Buttermilk Bar doughnut to the No Name doughnut, a raised yeast doughnut with chocolate frosting, rice krispies and peanut butter, to the Triple Chocolate Penetration doughnut, a chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate frosting and coco-puffs, oh my! Continue reading →