February 4th, 2010

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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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January 19th, 2010

10

Pomegranate Mousse Pie

by Candice
This is an amazingly light pie, fluffy and airy. Normally, I would present something this light and fruity in the summer, but it’s pink and pretty, making it a good choice for Valentine’s Day. In the summer, you could add some fresh raspberries or strawberries to top it off. The natural tartness of the pomegranate juice means you don’t need to add any lemon juice to get a sweet/tart taste. As you are eating this, you should feel very justified with every bite, after all, it’s full of anti-oxidants.

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January 6th, 2010

4

Apple Cheesecake Tostadas

by Candice
This one is just for fun! A local Mexican restaurant serves deep fried cheesecake, and the combo of that dessert plus the tostadas they serve kind of popped this into my head. They are anything but authentic, but they still taste good! Although you really should fry the tortillas just before serving, it takes almost no time to assemble these with the apple filling made ahead of time. This would be fun to do for Cinco de Mayo.

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January 1st, 2010

2

Frangelico Custard

by Candice
This is a basic dessert custard, with a hazelnut twist! I designed it to go with Chocolate Decadence, but you can serve it with many different desserts. This could liven up any pound cake or bread pudding. Change around the liqueur as you wish. I can picture this with Amaretto, Chambord, Gran Marnier, Kirsch…whatever your favorite happens to be. If you don’t want any liqueur, you could just add an extra teaspoon of vanilla.

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