Category Archives: Recipes (Sweet)

Parsnip Pie, Please

Posted on by 23 comments

Nope, not pumpkin pie, but parsnip pie.

People who know me well will tell you that I’m not the world’s biggest fan of pumpkin pie.

No, siree.

Which, of course, makes no sense when you realize that I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cake and just about everything else pumpkin.

So, I’m always on the lookout for alternative desserts for Thanksgiving.

That’s why this “Parsnip Buttermilk Pie” caught my attention. So much so that I saved it from the Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010 issue of Fine Cooking magazine, intent on trying it this holiday season.

After all, I adore parsnips, especially when they’re just simply roasted, amplifying their sweetness and nuttiness.

Sweet parsnips.

For the filling in this pie, parsnips are boiled, then mashed, and finally mixed with buttermilk, dark brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, grated nutmeg and cloves. It’s poured into an all-butter crust that’s first blind baked.

After the pie is cooled to room temperature, it’s ready to serve. Or  you can make it the day before, and bring it to room temperature before cutting into slices the next day. A dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream is a perfect crowning touch.

Read more

Sweet Potatoes Made Sweeter with See’s Candies

Posted on by 38 comments

Sweet, creamy, gooey good.

There’s a kid inside every one of us who dreams about eating candy for dinner.

Now, you can satisfy that inner child’s delight with this fun recipe from See’s Candies that makes for a perfect side dish for Halloween or Thanksgiving feasts.

“See’s Scotch Kiss Sweet Potatoes” sounds like it would be entirely too achingly sweet for adult palates. But surprisingly, it’s not.

It’s made with See’s Scotch Kisses — marshmallows sweetened with buckwheat honey for an almost molasses-like flavor that are then hand-dipped in thick, creamy caramel.

See's Scotch Kisses

Marshmallow candies dipped in creamy caramel.

Yams or sweet potatoes get roasted in their jackets, then peeled and mashed with butter, salt and orange zest. Next, take 12 See’s Scotch Kisses, unwrap them and scatter them on top of the casserole. Bake until the top is golden, gooey and melty.

Read more

Nutella Pound Cake; Need I Say More?

Posted on by 43 comments

Pound cake with a big swirl of lovely Nutella.

Nutella is like a cherished old friend.

You know the kind I mean.

The kind that you grew up all sweet on. Then, as you got older, maybe you lost touch, preoccupied instead by so many other nuts in your life.

But every time your paths would cross at the supermarket, it was like old times again. You found yourself smitten just like before by Nutella’s comforting yet indulgent nature.

If you haven’t seen your friend, Nutella, in awhile, this recipe surely will make you want to get reacquainted fast.

Read more

Hazelnut Heaven

Posted on by 20 comments

Crumbly scones with a swirl of hazelnut spread.

That’s exactly what these scones are.

Aren’t you just getting giddy looking at how thoroughly packed with crunchy hazelnuts they are?

One of my favorite baking books from 2008 was “Baked: New Frontiers in Baking” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, who own the Baked bakery in Brooklyn, NY. So I was thrilled to hear that the duo just brought out a sequel to that book. “Baked Explorations” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang), which offers 75 more recipes for irresistible homespun baked goods that are equally straightforward to make and yield exceptionally spot-on flavors.

The recipe for “Nutella Scones” caught my eye immediately after I received a review copy of the new book. Made with Nutella, toasted hazelnuts and cocoa powder, these beauties bake up as dark as a pan of brownies.

They look like they’d be too rich and heavy to enjoy for breakfast or brunch. But trust me, looks are deceiving. The crumb is actually quite light, crisp and crumbly. And the cocoa powder adds a hint of chocolate without hitting you over the head senseless with it.

Hazelnut spread with the consistency of natural peanut butter.In fact, I purposely played up the hazelnut factor by substituting hazelnut spread for the Nutella, since I happened to have a sample can of Love ‘n’ Bake’s Hazelnut Praline in my pantry. Like Nutella, it is made from roasted hazelnuts and sugar, but the one difference is there is no cocoa in it. Instead, it’s a pure nut spread with the thickness and consistency of natural peanut butter.

With any scone dough, be sure not to over-mix or else you’ll end up with leaden, tough baked goods. Never a good thing.

A generous amount of toasted, chopped hazelnuts gets stirred into the dough, before it is gently patted into a rectangle. A bit of Nutella or hazelnut praline paste is spread on top of the dough, before it is rolled up jelly roll-style. Then, you stand the roll of dough up on one end and gently flatten it down until you have a thick disk. Cut out wedges and bake.

When the scones come out of the oven, heat a little more Nutella or hazelnut praline paste in the microwave until the texture is more pourable, then drizzle over the top of each scone like glaze on cake.

Read more

Abracadabra — Nectarines!

Posted on by 39 comments

My hubby makes fun of me because I often whine, “I hate technology!”

You know the feeling — when your server goes down or your email has the hiccups or some dastardly virus has infiltrated your otherwise peaceful online existence.

At times like that, can you blame me for uttering those blasphemous words? I think not.

But a couple of weeks ago, you might have heard me proclaim instead, “I adore technology!”

You see, it all started when I tweeted that I had bought some fabulously soft, juicy, drippy-licious Suncrest peaches at the Frog Hollow Farm store at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

Then, what happens, but two days later, I find a huge box on my porch of just-picked nectarines, courtesy of Frog Hollow Farm.

Big Brother at work?

Big nectarines is more like it. Sweet, with just the right amount of tang, too.

Most of them, I just enjoyed out of hand. But I saved a few choice ones for extra special treatment: “Nectarine-Frangipane Galette.”

Read more

« Older Entries Recent Entries »