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Chocolate Orange Mini Cheesecakes
With the holidays approaching, I start craving a touch of decadence with dessert. Candied citrus is where I turn for that luxe, almost stained glass finish on these mini cheesecakes. In a mixture of sugar and water, whole citrus slices become juicy, chewy candy that intensifies the flavor in each creamy, chocolate and orange bite. Ingredients Candied Orange Slices 1 unwaxed orange2 cups water1 cup sugar Mini Cheesecakes ⅔ cup fresh orange juice30 chocolate wafer cookies4 tablespoons unsalted butter8 oz. cream cheese (1 standard package)½ cup sour cream⅓ cup sugar2 eggs, slightly beaten½ teaspoon vanilla extractPinch salt12 cupcake liners Watching the orange slices transform is the most satisfying part of…
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Blueberry Upside-Down Cake with Lavender Whipped Cream
Giving a peek at what lies under the frosting, a naked cake is rustic and undone. Fat berries, split figs, or a few blooms are the decorations that indicate this stack of layers is ready for the table. These cakes invite us for a romp, a slice. If a berry rolls this way or that as we dig in, we have just made it more rustic. No one is afraid to cut a naked cake. The original undone cakes were the upside-down type – thin, buttery layers topped with caramelized fruit and maybe a dollop of whipped cream. The allure of a blueberry version goes further. Other fruits may brown…
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Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Muffins
We all love butter for the way it makes virtually any dish more flavorful and decadent. Take your favorite loaf of sourdough or your best pan sauce, and it’s hard to imagine how a pat of butter won’t make it even better. For bakers, butter is more than a finishing touch. It is the key to tender, flaky crusts and delicate cake crumb. Since I crave the goodness of butter, trust me when I say that you will not miss it in this muffin recipe. While many bakers turn to oils as a healthier alternative, I turn to olive oil for flavor. Not just any olive oil will do, unless…
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Roasted Strawberry and Black Sesame Granola Bars
Most granola bar recipes call for dried fruit, but I prefer roasted berries as they become jam-like when baked in an oat mixture. Instead of cooking them down into a full jam, toss fresh strawberries with a small amount of sugar and allow their natural flavor to concentrate in the oven. Beyond adding flavor to the granola, the thickened berry juice partners with honey to help the ingredients stick together so that they can easily be cut into bars after baking. When strawberries are in season, this is a breakfast or snack that helps to make use of berries that are past their peak or overripe. In place of poppy…
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Chocolate Plum Upside-Down Cake
Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold – William Carlos Williams (Excerpt from “This Is Just To Say”) With a delicious plum layer, this chocolate upside-down cake sparked me to repeat William Carlos Williams’ lines in the way that lyrics might play in your mind. As a lover and writer of poetry, I count his work as one of the sensual pieces that is as likely to pop up as any song. Having “eaten / the plums / that were in / the icebox,” the speaker apologizes…sort of. They were so sweet and cold, after all. Other poets have turned to the fruit and flowers of the…
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