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No-Churn Mexican Ice Cream
From cinnamon to honey, classic Mexican dessert ingredients range from earthy to sweet. So do the notes of tequila. An unaged variety has the sweetness of blue agave, but as it matures in the barrel, notes of vanilla, spice, and oak develop. For this no-churn Mexican ice cream, I incorporated añejo for its smooth and smoky qualities, which bring out the deep side of vanilla. You can skip the tequila altogether to make this dessert suitable for everyone, but I recommend making one batch for adults and a separate one for kids, since it adds a flavor you won’t want to miss. As if the tequila and vanilla weren’t enough…
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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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Coconut Honey Lace Cookies
Lace cookies are sweet, crispy thins all the more enticing because they break so easily. Still pliable when removed from a hot oven, they cool quickly, and some likely won’t survive the first transfer from cookie sheet to plate. That’s the best part, as you get to eat all the coconut cookie shards. The inspiration for these cookies came while making last week’s custard tart. I wanted to create a topping that would be brittle like the torched sugar coating on crema catalana or crème brûlée. Thin and crispy coconut lace cookies were a satisfying and crunchy topping for natillas, and they are just as delicious on their own. Ingredients…
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Natillas Tart
Natillas is a rich Spanish custard with vanilla and cinnamon. Delicious on its own, or with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, it also makes a flavorful filling for almond flavored tart pastry. Top it with thin and crispy coconut lace cookies, and you have a combination of favorite dessert textures and flavors in one. Unlike crema catalana or crème brûlée, natillas does not include the thin layer of caramelized sugar that breaks into shards when tapped with the spoon. Arguably the golden layer is the best part of these European desserts. Instead of torched sugar, I top my natillas tart with cookie crisps that have a similar color and…
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Elderflower Grapefruit Cake
“The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.” – Robert Frost After a string of blustery, gray, flurry-filled days, I was in the mood for bright flavors and created this elderflower grapefruit cake. With a floral sweetness from St. Germain and a vibrant touch from ruby red grapefruit, this cake disappeared from my counter so quickly that I regard it with a rather magical quality. I love it warm, but the flavors intensify as it cools. From cider poached pears to citrus desserts, crisp fruitiness is the perfect match to classic winter days. A decadent hot chocolate is warming, but bright flavors are a true mid-winter…
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