Crepes

Always in demand in my household and really easy to make savory or sweet (eliminate sugar and vanilla from the savory versions) if you pay attention to a few details. We make these very frequently, mostly for dessert or breakfast. The few rules of note that I think make for great crepes are: Mix only…… Continue reading Crepes

Tapioca Coconut Pudding, Mango Sorbet and Brittle

Tapioca pudding is so often looked down on I think. Not sure why. Many think of it as that goopy thing that comes out of a box and old people eat it in nursing homes. When made right though using tapioca pearls, dairy and sugar it is delightful. It has great snappy texture and just…… Continue reading Tapioca Coconut Pudding, Mango Sorbet and Brittle

Granny Smith Apple Ice Cream

It’s rare that I proclaim something “the best”. Even when I do -like I am doing about this ice cream- it’s sort of a hyperbole. Maybe it should be “up until now, in my humble opinion, this is the best apple ice cream I’ve had”. So, if you had not gotten my point yet, what…… Continue reading Granny Smith Apple Ice Cream

Plums and Pistachio: Olive Oil Cake, Pistachio Gelato, Poached Plums, Yogurt

This is the second installment of the Plums/Pistachio pairing and this one has a much better gelato. This one is an easier plate to pull together and delivers excellent flavor and texture. We have a fragrant Italian olive oil rosemary cake, excellent pistachio gelato, plums poached in a juniper syrup and a yogurt vanilla sauce.…… Continue reading Plums and Pistachio: Olive Oil Cake, Pistachio Gelato, Poached Plums, Yogurt

Plums and Pistachio: Dacquoise, Blueberry Poached Plums, Ice Cream, Chantilly Cream

This is a very good combination of flavors that I tried out in two separate desserts, both are delicious, both imperfect and need some tweaking. The first one is another lift from Daniel Bouloud that features a disk of crunchy chewy pistachio dacquoise with whipped cream and poached plums with a scoop of pistachio gelato. The…… Continue reading Plums and Pistachio: Dacquoise, Blueberry Poached Plums, Ice Cream, Chantilly Cream

Buckwheat Cake, Honey-Almond Semifreddo and Red Wine Poached Apples

Buckwheat is such an assertive flavor with a unique earthy and somewhat grassy flavor. It is not a flavor that you can use as a background in dishes. Some people like that while others really cannot stand it. I fall in the first camp firmly and have enjoyed it in desserts ever since I first…… Continue reading Buckwheat Cake, Honey-Almond Semifreddo and Red Wine Poached Apples

Apple Mille Feuille with Buttermilk Waffle Ice Cream

The fourth and final course of our Valentine’s Day dinner is one I am very proud of. It worked so well and was a delight to make, look at and eat that I could not have been happier with how it turned out. Well, like everything, it can be improved upon and perfected some more,…… Continue reading Apple Mille Feuille with Buttermilk Waffle Ice Cream

Alinea: PERSIMMON, Aroma Strip, Carrot, Red Curry

Persimmons are one of my favorite fruit. I bet one does not hear that too often, but these orange fruits really are one of my favorites. To be specific I am talking about the acorn shaped Hachiya persimmon not the squat round Fuyu one. The Hachiya persimmon is very astringent and really inedible unless very…… Continue reading Alinea: PERSIMMON, Aroma Strip, Carrot, Red Curry