Baking Obsession

Honey Cardamom Mousse with Mango Gelée and Pistachio Apricot Kernel Toasts

Vera — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:44:40 +0000

Desserts served in glasses (or any other vessels) are stress-free for entertaining hosts. All you have to do on the day you are having guests over is to transfer these glasses from the fridge onto the table. It is very nice not to slice or plate anything for a change, just try to relax and [...]

Bakewell Mini Tarts

Vera — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:58:21 +0000

Here’s another Daring Bakers’ Challenge. This month it’s a British Bakewell Tart – buttery shortcrust shell filled with jam and frangipane. We were given a complete freedom to choose any jam flavor for the filling. And that’s where I got carried away. The thing is I love making jams. I could do it all day [...]

Monkey and Ten Dozen Bananas Cake

Vera — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:26:37 +0000

I made this cake for a little boy’s birthday celebration party who loves everything related to Curious George. Fondant was not a decorating option in this case, so I used it only for a board covering and message cut-outs. For everything else I went with freshly made marzipan instead – just a little bit over a [...]

Rhubarb/Strawberry Compote Yogurt and Homemade Granola Parfait

Vera — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:40:11 +0000

I often call it a breakfast. That means I have an excuse to have a dessert afterwards with my morning espresso. Yes, I believe every meal should be followed by a sweet course. I prefer to bake rhubarb instead of cooking on a stove since it lessens the chance of overcooking. The rhubarb is such a [...]

Trompe L’oeil “Soft Boiled Egg”

Vera — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:55:24 +0000

This is the same lemon pudding I posted earlier, but presented differently. The illusion is very realistic due to the color and consistency of the pudding and a lemon curd “yolks”. For the toast, there’s an anise seed génoise-sort-of-cake, baked in a loaf pan and toasted before serving. The texture of these “toasts” is nice, [...]

Cereal Date Streusel Cake

Vera — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:56:01 +0000

Recently, I’ve been asked to develop a recipe for Nestlé, the recipe utilizing their cereal flakes. The first thing that comes to my mind when cereals are mentioned is something simple and homey, wholesome, nutritious and worthy to be packed into kids’ lunchboxes. To meet all these requirements I’ve come up with the following recipe. Makes one [...]

Lemon Pudding with Ginger Lemon Madeleines

Vera — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:14:32 +0000

When the weather is as hot as we’ve got here, cool and tangy dessert like this seems soothing and refreshing. I made the pudding late at night, after the summer heat subsided, and the idea of stirring a hot mixture on the stove didn’t look so torturous. The madeleines, unfortunately, can’t be baked in advance [...]

Gougères

Vera — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:41:16 +0000

I believe everybody is familiar with the savory cheese version of cream puffs. The technique is the same, and it’s not complicated. The only problem these little appetizers present is a possible overindulging; it’s difficult to eat just a few. This particular recipe is from the mentioned earlier Gale Gand’s “Brunch!” How are these gougères [...]

Zucchini Roasted Tomatoes and Chèvre Rounds

Vera — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:23:04 +0000

I seldom consume a large meal myself. I’m more sort of a bite-size finger-food lover. And these zucchini things are among my new favorites; the simplest but yet so flavorful. Adapted from Gale Gand. Makes 24 appetizers, about 8-10 servings Ingredients: 6 plum tomatoes ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tsp herbes de Provence Scant ½ tsp kosher salt ¼ tsp freshly ground [...]

Roasted Pineapple Coconut and Goat Cheese Strudel

Vera — Wed, 27 May 2009 03:42:43 +0000

This month’s Daring Bakers’ challenge was like a dream come true. I’d been thinking about and planning to learn how to stretch real strudel dough for years. But it always seemed quite time consuming and a bit intimidating. With phyllo dough readily available as a substitute, I’d never attempted the real thing. If I had [...]

Raspberry and Chocolate Clafouti

Vera — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:40:35 +0000

Son: “What’s for dessert, mum?” Mum: “Uh… fresh raspberries, perhaps? You see, your mum has been very busy reading your Harry Potter book left so hastily right in her view…” (and now this mum is worrying if a dreadful regressing back-to-her-childhood process has already begun, since she’s found the particular book of yours quite fascinating indeed) Son: [...]

Lemon Cake with Lemon Mascarpone Filling and Summer Berries

Vera — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:18:52 +0000

I have to admit, the cake is not lacking calories. But despite this fact, it feels light, tangy and fresh; just the right thing to serve after a spicy barbecue dinner. You can’t be too generous with berries here, pile them high – it’s so worth it! Makes one 10-inch cake, about 12 servings For the cake: 2 [...]

Rose Water Almond Tea Cookies

Vera — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:58:22 +0000

Tender and delicate, very subtly flavored with rose water, the cookies are destined not just for tea time. They are pretty good with coffee too, as well as without any beverage whatsoever. Adapted from Sherry Yard This is my submission to Jugalbandi’s CLICK “Stacks” event. Makes about 2 dozens Ingredients: ¾ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup almond meal 3 oz unsalted butter, [...]

Fresh Berry and Cream Cheese Mousse Phyllo Tartlets

Vera — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:22:38 +0000

Opening a package of phyllo dough for one project often means another one is following soon (you do have to utilize the leftover before it dries, gets brittle and unusable). In this case, I put to use not just the remaining phyllo, but also the vanilla cheesecake trimmings (it took all my willpower not to [...]

Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

Vera — Sun, 03 May 2009 01:24:45 +0000

Much easier to make than it might seem, homemade mascarpone is a tastier and less expensive alternative to a store-bought cheese. It’s marvelous with ripe summer berries, finally appeared at our farmer’s markets. Makes about 12 oz Ingredients: 500 ml whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice Preparation: Bring 1 inch of water to [...]

White Russian Panna Cotta

Vera — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:20:15 +0000

This is a gelatinized version of my favorite drink. I drink it black when I’m on a diet and with cream when I don’t count calories (I don’t sip it everyday, don’t you think that :). I adjusted the proportion, since it didn’t quite appeal to me to eat mainly vodka-tasted gelée with a spoon. [...]

Vanilla Cheesecake Mint White Chocolate Mousse and Strawberry Gelée Bites

Vera — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:08:22 +0000

This month’s Daring Bakers challenge, hosted by Jenny from JennyBakes, was Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake. My sincere thank you to Jenny not just for hosting, but also for not limiting us with rules and restrictions, for providing with an opportunity to create a dessert suiting everyone’s taste. We were free to choose any flavor combination as [...]

Fig and Olive Tapenade with Pine Nut and Thyme-Coated Goat Cheese

Vera — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 05:58:41 +0000

It doesn’t involve any baking, and I don’t think it can be considered as a dessert. But the whole combo is so good I’d readily take a pass on any pastry and have more of this instead. The goat cheese I used was a mild unripened cheese with added figs as well (quite sweet but nice). [...]

Pissaladière

Vera — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:31:32 +0000

I could live on this… and some rosé. Famous French salty topping of sautéed onions, anchovies, and olives gets a little update with an addition of ripe cherry tomatoes. Their roasted sweetness balances perfectly such intensive saltiness of the gutsy fish and olives. Makes three 9-inch round tarts; each about 6 to 8 servings For the dough [...]

Poppy Seed Raspberry Cake

Vera — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:57:13 +0000

Here’s an effortless, yet quite nice cake that doesn’t require any preliminary preparation. All can be done in one day. The filling and frosting in this cake is simply whipped cream with generous amount of seedless raspberry jam folded in. The original idea is from well-known Gayle’s bakery, although I have to admit I changed [...]

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons as Chocolate Latkes

Vera — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:03:40 +0000

Any recipe successfully utilizing egg whites is always a keeper. This recipe is adapted from Alice Medrich’s “Chocolate Holidays”. You can call these cookies macaroons and serve them for Passover, or name them latkes and include into your Hanukkah menu. But, in my opinion, these cookies deserve to be baked more often than just twice [...]

Devil’s Mini-Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Vera — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:03:47 +0000

I made these little cakes for my son’s school birthday party. We’d been arguing for a while if they should (or should not) have colored sprinkles on their tops. Tim kept saying that the sprinkles could significantly increase the cupcakes’ popularity. Well, I had my own counterarguments, and I won after all. They were very well [...]

A Fighter Jet in the Sky Cake

Vera — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:59:06 +0000

I can’t believe my little baby has just turned seven! I guess he is not a baby anymore… It seems like he was two yesterday. We’ve been busy lately with all the planning and celebrating (that’s why I’m not always here and a bit slow to respond; my apologies). There are more parties to come, [...]

Coconut Financiers with Tropical Fruits

Vera — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 06:07:02 +0000

I bake with coconut often. This is the only nut my kid can eat. And besides, I like the taste. For these financiers I went with good quality dry papaya and pineapple as a topping, the ones that can be found in a health food section. I prefer the fruits in chubby chunks rather than [...]

Hippo Cake

Vera — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:09:34 +0000

This is my attempt to recreate a girl’s favorite toy in a cake form for her 3rd birthday. I don’t exactly know why this creature turned out looking so sad. Maybe the fact that I was making it at 2AM is the reason… I didn’t want to incorporate too much coloring into the cake itself. [...]