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Tag Archives: dessert
Rhubarb Ginger Maple Pie
The rhubarb patch in the garden is ready for harvest and one of my favorite things to make is pie. This recipe is sweet and tart, what I like is there is only natural sugar in the pie. It’s made with maple syrup, lemon and ginger. Very simple ingredients and easy to make. 
Ingredients:
- rhubarb
- ginger
- lemon
- cinnamon
- maple syrup
- butter
- cornstarch
- pie dough
Fluffernutter Peanut Butter Pie
I decided to share this recipe, since it was such a big hit. We shot a peanut butter pie in the studio, the stylist made two different recipes and this was the winner. I brought some home and it did not last long. If you are a peanut butter and chocolate fan this is a sweet treat, emphasis on the sweet and rich. We garnished the pie with reeses peanut butter cups and made a graham cracker crust instead of the pie dough. Both sounded like improvements. This recipe is from the pillsbury web site fluffernutter pie. I may just have to make this some day for someone special.
styled by Barb Standal
Grasshopper Pie for Easter
A Grasshopper Pie a slice of spring for Easter. This pie is a classic you don’t see around as much as we did when we were kids. So why not be retro and whip up a minty fluffy pie for the holidays? As a kid it was a big treat to order a Grasshopper at the restaurant, still one of my favorites. (can u still order those for kids theses days?) Especially when you are at a swanky supper club in the middle of rural mid-west america. And any excuse to buy a bottle of creme de menthe. This pie is one big flash back…good times
For the crust
- 1 1/2 cups fine chocolate wafer crumbs (about 30 wafers)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
- 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
- 1 1/3 cups well-chilled heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup green crème de menthe
- 1/4 cup white crème de cacao
- 4 large egg yolks
Make the crust:
In a bowl stir together the wafer crumbs, the sugar, and the butter until the mixture is combined well, pat the mixture onto the bottom and up the side of a buttered 9-inch pie plate, and bake the crust in the middle of a preheated 450°F. oven for 5 minutes. Let the crust cool.
Make the filling:
In a metal bowl mix in the gelatin with a 1/3 cup of the cream and let it soften for 5 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, the crème de menthe, the crème de cacao, and the egg yolks, set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it registers 160°F. on a candy thermometer. Transfer the bowl to a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir the mixture until it is cooled and thickened. In another bowl beat the remaining 1 cup cream until it holds stiff peaks and fold it into the crème de menthe mixture thoroughly.
Pour the filling into the crust and chill the pie for 4 hours, or until is set. Dollop with whipped cream and sprinkle the pie with the chocolate cookie crumbs.
food stylist: Barb Standal and Karla Spies
Lemon Meringue Pie
We were shooting a lemon meringue pie this week at the photo studio and I wanted to share with you this beautiful pie that the food stylist Barb Standal created. I wish I could say I could bake such a well crafted crust and wield a lovely swirl top, but I can only admire the skills of Barb. I did get to be a part of the Meringue testing that took place a few days before the photo shoot, they tested four different meringue recipes to test how they performed when baked. So of course we had to do a taste test along the way. One was too sweet, one was too saggy, one was too eggy and one was just right. I will share with you the recipe of the winner..Cuz Betty know’s best. The winner was no other than the classic Betty Crocker. Hopefully this might inspire you to bake this beautiful pie a nice treat.
Cool update Star Tribune story on Lemon Meringue:
<a href=”http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/197866881.html” target=”_blank”></a>
- 1: Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell using 9-inch glass pie pan. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- 2: Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, mix 1 1/4 cups sugar, the cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in cold water until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- 3: In small bowl, beat egg yolks with fork. Stir about 1/4 cup of hot mixture into egg yolks. Gradually stir yolk mixture into hot mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- 4: Remove from heat. Stir in butter, lemon peel and lemon juice. Cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Pour into cooled baked shell.
- 5: Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. In small deep bowl with electric mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla on medium speed about 1 minute or until soft peaks form. On high speed, gradually beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spoon meringue onto hot filling; spread to edge of crust to seal well and prevent shrinkage.
- 6: Bake at 350°F 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until filling is set, about 3 hours. Store in refrigerator.
- FYI: Eggs separate most easily when they are cold, but the whites will whip best at room temperature. To take off the chill, set the bowl of whites into a larger pan filled with warm water.
Brownie Cupcake with Chocolate Balsamic Ganache
I found this recipe for Chocolate Balsamic Ganache and had to make some. This recipe is pretty simple and looks pretty fancy. I am not above making a brownie from a box, still baking in my book. Get your favorite brownie recipe and make them in a cupcake pan, you can make each desert. I then used some Creme Fraiche to frost each brownie cupcake. I put like four fresh raspberries on top and drizzled the chocolate balsamic ganache on top. Delicious and fabulous holiday presentation.
This ganche recipe is pretty versatile, if you cool it longer you can use it as a frosting or some people make truffles. Or use a flavored balsamic to add a flavor twist. Any way you want to use it’s yummy.
Summer Time is for Creme Brulee
Summer time is great for Creme Brulee, with all the fresh berries and mint in season. It is a great custard that you can serve cold. It is a very old dessert consist of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel. The top of this is cooked using a torch or some people use flaming liquor. But, this dessert is served cold.
“The Spanish have taken credit for this sensuous custard as “crema catalana” since the eighteenth century, while the English claim it originated in seventeenth-century Britain, where it was known as “burnt cream” and the English school boys at Cambridge demanded it. It apparently wasn’t until the end of the nineteenth century that common usage of the French translation came into vogue, putting it on the map from Paris to Le Cirque in New York City. Its wide recognition today seems to have given the French credit for inventing crème brûlée.”
I worked with Karla Spies a food stylist and we came up with this very quaint idea of making the Creme Brulee in a tea-cup, very pretty. Just make sure that you put the cup in a bath of water when you put the custard in the oven to cook. Makes a very nice presentation and a great way to use that old china.
Ginger Crumble Rhubarb Pie
I have one more Rhubarb pie recipe to share with you. And my super cute niece, enjoying some desert pretty much says it all. The joy of a delicious dessert, I believe she is working on her seconds.
This pie is easy to make and I added fresh chopped up ginger to the crumble, you can never have enough ginger.
Roasted Balsamic Strawberry and Blueberry Shortcake
I have been intrigued by these roasted and grilled fruits, so far all I’ve ever done is grill up some pineapple. I was ready to expand my horizons. I teamed up with Maggie the Food Stylist and we came up with this recipe. We started by going on-line and searching for some ideas. We found these recipes for roasted strawberries.
Recipe from leite’s Culinari
The roasted berries are savory and sweet. It punched a lot more flavor into each bite. Sometimes the store-bought strawberries can be a disappointment, they look great but have no flavor. Roasting fruit extract the natural sweetness and caramelizes the juices. We decided to make a shortcake dessert out of the berries. I like to keep it simple and do what I know, and that’s Betty Crocker Original Bisquick just like mom used to make.
- In medium bowl, stir 2 1/3 cup Bisquick mix, 1/2 cup milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons butter melted, until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Make some fresh whipping cream and garnish with mint. A new twist to a classic dessert.
Food styling by Maggie Stopera www.maggiethefoodstylist.com
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Whoopie Pies are soft cake like cookies with frosting filling sandwiched between the cookies. As you can tell the holidays gets me in the mood to bake and share with friends. So I’m not the only one slacking on the diet, no one likes to snack alone. These cookies are very rich it is not just a cookie, it’s dessert. A good alternative to a pumpkin pie. Next time I will make them smaller more bite size portions. They should be stored in the refrigerator and best to eat and not let sit around too long. There are many versions of Whoopie Pies, I will need to explore more combinations. Perhaps a brownie with peanut butter filling…mmmm
Ingredients
-
For the Cream-Cheese Filling
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-
For the Pumpkin Whoopie Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- 2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
- Make the filling: Sift confectioner’ sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
- Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a zip lock bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.
RECIPE: Martha Stewart Living
Over Thanksgiving break we went to Chicago for a night and explored the Modern wing of The Art Institute. Great way to spend the rainy afternoon.
photoappetite 
