March 10th, 2010

4

Raspberry Almond Tart

by Candice
Very rich and sophisticated, this tart will impress even your mother-in-law. It’s actually not hard at all. There are a number of layers, but each layer is very simple to produce. My dad proclaimed it better than key lime pie. If you knew how much my dad loves key lime pie, you would understand just how big a statement this is. Serve this for brunch, tea, social clubs, or as a special dessert anytime. The almond taste is very pronounced.

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February 28th, 2010

4

Kitchen Sink Cookies

by Candice
These cookies have it all! Peanut butter, oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, Reese’s, M&Ms, you name it! To mix it up, you can use individual candy-bar sized packages. The more you throw in, the more fun the cookies are. Here’s a chance to use your imagination. The cookies in the picture use ½ cup of coconut, Reese’s, M&Ms, and a cup of chocolate chips. Kids will love dumping in all the fun ingredients, almost as much as they’ll love eating them.

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February 16th, 2010

4

King Cake

by Candice
King Cake is a Mardi Gras tradition! It’s not really a cake, but after a few mint juleps, do you really care? It’s actually a large cinnamon coffeecake with colored sugar in Mardi Gras colors, gold, green and purple. To make it a true King Cake, there needs to be a plastic baby hidden inside. There are different versions of what getting the baby means, anywhere from making you buy the next round to moving the party to your house. Of course, if you make it, you know where you hid the baby….Enjoy this cake, and celebrate New Orleans and Mardi Gras!

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February 4th, 2010

2

Valentine Brunch Cocktail

by Candice
On March 7, San Pellegrino is sponsoring the Almost Famous Chef Competition, where culinary students from all over the United States will compete in a food channel-type event. The winner will receive an internship with a truly famous chef. The events will be broadcast live online. As a foodie and culinary student, I like to consider myself to be an ALMOST almost famous chef. Being a “woman of a certain age” who is using her mid-life crisis to switch careers, I find such events to be very inspirational. If you read my blog, you obviously like food, and most people who like food follow the works of famous chefs. If you watch this competition, one day you can look back and say “I remember seeing xxxxxxx, when he/she was just a student. Now’s your chance to get on the bandwagon, and become a groupie of the next Emeril or Garces.

In thanks to San Pellegrino for making an almost chef’s dreams come true, here is a romantic little drink, light and refreshing, perfect for a Valentine’s day brunch. I’m also including a non-alcoholic version, since kids love fancy drinks.

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February 1st, 2010

10

Black Cherry Mascarpone Tarts

by Candice
Mascarpone is an extremely rich creamy cheese from Italy that has been gathering more and more of a following in the USA. It’s the main ingredient of Tiramisu, and is the reason for its smooth richness. It used to be hard to find, but now almost every grocery store carries it. You can find it in tubs with the gourmet meats and cheeses. I decided to make these tarts as a Valentine’s Day treat. Since fresh berries are very expensive in February, I made them with frozen berries. You can use frozen black cherries, strawberries, or any berry you can find. I only own 3 of the heart-shaped springform pans, so I just make 3 of the shells at a time. You can use any tart pans you like, or you can make this into a couple of larger tarts. The recipe can also be halved.

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