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Spiral Veggie Tart
“The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution.” – Paul Cezanne. I love vegetables. I mean, really, really, really love them. So when I saw this rainbow rose vegetable tart on Food.com, it was so pretty I wanted to try it. Then I saw that some enterprising bakers were making spirals instead of roses and I was sold. Yes, there’s a lot of knife work if you don’t have a mandolin but the end result is so worth it! It’s a work of art AND it tastes wonderful.
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Meyer Lemon Soufflés
“The only thing that will make a soufflé fall is if it knows you’re afraid of it.” – James Beard. Yippee! Meyer lemons are back in season and my lovely friend brought me some from her tree. First I thought to make some classic lemon bars, but I tinkered too much with my original recipe trying to make a new crust. When those didn’t work out, I decided on these beautiful soufflés instead.
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Salted Caramel Pots de Crème
“You eat, in dreams, the custard of the day.” – Alexander Pope. Pot de crème is really just a fancy, French way of saying ‘pot of cream’ or ‘pot of custard’ and these creamy smooth caramel desserts couldn’t be easier to make. The flavor is genuinely amazing, the perfect blend of salty and sweet, and the silky texture is beyond compare.
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Roasted Red Pepper and Red Onion Pizza with Basil
“People used to ask me if there isn’t anything you can’t put on pizza, and my answer still is, ‘Anything that doesn’t taste good.'” – Ed LaDou, Spago pizza chef. Did Italians really invent pizza? It depends on what you mean by pizza. If you mean just a flatbread with oil and spices, then you can thank the ancient Greeks and Romans. If you mean the pizza we think of today, covered in cheese and toppings, then yes, it was a popular street food in late 18th-century Naples.
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Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. – Mark Twain, The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson. Gail Becker is credited with creating the first pre-made frozen cauliflower pizza crust, which was an instant success. The eating public has become increasingly hungry for good-tasting carb substitutes and her company Vegolution’s Caulipower crusts were on target to bring in $100 million in 2019.
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Chocolate Lava Cakes
“Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that, as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain.” – Dave Barry. We have brilliant chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten to thank for the magical chocolate lava cake. Or do we? Not only does chocolatier Jacques Torres also claim to have invented the dish, but Texas housewife Ella Helfrich may have beaten them both to the chocolate lava spill, with her 1966 Pillsbury bake-off second-place winning Tunnel of Fudge cake. Whoever came up with it, we’re eternally grateful. Because this is one yummy dessert.
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Cranberry Almond Cake
“Eat cake for breakfast.” – Kate Spade. This festive cake is easy to make, very pretty, and looks great on a Christmas desserts table. It’s also a delicious option to have on hand as a snack, or even a breakfast or brunch item, when entertaining or hosting family for the holidays.
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Spicy Stout Gingerbread
Her gingerbread keeps and keeps. It outlasts all daintier gifts. – Helen Oyeyemi, Gingerbread. This spicy dark gingerbread, made with Guinness stout and crystalized ginger, is packed with flavor and makes for perfect little mini loaves to give as Christmas gifts. (Or just make one big loaf for yourself – nobody’s judging.) Though wonderful when served warm, this gingerbread is really better the second day, when the spices have had a chance to come to full flavor. It’s rich, spicy, and moist, and absolutely irresistible with freshly whipped cream on top.
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Candied Ginger
I usually have a hard time finding crystallized ginger so I make up big batches of my own and store it for when I need it. It lasts for several months and tastes amazing, adding a bit of spice to any number of baked goods, like these muffins, or these delectable gingerbread scones, or this bold and spicy stout gingerbread. Best of all, making candied ginger is easy. A bit time-consuming but not a lot of active time, so all is well.
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Harvey Wallbanger Cake (from scratch)
“The name is Harvey Wallbanger and I can be made!” – Ad tagline for McKesson Imports, importers of Galliano. My sweetheart is Italian, and in his family, lamb was the traditional main event for the Christmas meal, preceded by gnocchi and cracked crab. For dessert, his mom would make a Galliano (aka Harvey Wallbanger) cake. Popular in the 70s, this cake was meant to mimic the Harvey Wallbanger cocktail, with orange juice, vodka, and the Italian liqueur Galliano, added to a boxed cake mix. While nowadays we don’t have lamb for our Christmas dinner anymore, we’ve kept the Galliano cake tradition alive and well.
