Category Archives: Desserts

Eowyn’s Apple Pie with Vanilla Bean Gelato

August 28, 2012

There once was a little girl named Eowyn. Her hair was like golden silk, and her eyes glowed with innocence, though as she grew, a spark of mischief began to grow as well. Despite living in a region known for its abundance of apples, she hadn’t yet experienced the glory that is revealed when nature’s jewels are transformed into pie, not that it stopped her from exclaiming, at seemingly random intervals, “Apple pie!” “What’s that?” asked her mother. “Apple pie! Apple pie!” she said with joy and confidence. The mother was perplexed; she considered the past and was quite certain …

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Chocolate-Painted Sugar Cones with Summer Fruit

August 21, 2012

It’s a happy day any time simplicity collides with oh-my-gosh-these-are-amazing, and it’s made better when I can get my girl in on the fun, too. Eowyn loves to paint; she gladly dips her paintbrush in the rainbow of colors squeezed onto leftover party plates, smearing them across the page and displaying her work with pride once it’s complete. “Woooow!” she says to me with bright eyes, and instantly I know those few moments playing together equaled time well spent. If painting is enjoyable with non-edible (yet also, thankfully, non-toxic!) matter, how much more so with chocolate. The idea for this …

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Roasted Blueberry Fool with Maple-Candied Walnuts

August 7, 2012

It may sound odd, but there’s something about typing up a recipe that I find mildly therapeutic. The sequence, the logic, the detail; it makes sense to me, and there lies a certain amount of comfort in the technical nature of it all. Art, for me, is laborious. I find it challenging, and I have to push myself to persevere in the frequent moments that I want to give up. Yet that is not so when it comes to numbers, instructions, and things with clear boundaries. I have often wished that I was more carefree and didn’t cling so tightly …

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Rustic Champagne Grape Galette

July 10, 2012

One of my favorite things about food is that there is always more to learn. I’ve been an avid eater for as long as I can recall, yet still, I discover new foods continually. Last week, my husband’s side of the family was in town, so we headed over to Seattle’s Pike Place Market to play tourist for an afternoon. Naturally, I was drawn to the vast array of produce and was gleeful when I spotted something I’d never seen before. Miniature Champagne grapes were there for the taking as long as one could pony up the cash. $5.99 a …

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Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova with Coconut and Cacao Nibs

July 3, 2012

Our recent foray into fruit-studded sweets has proved to be educational and delicious, and today I am delighted to share with you the final recipe in this unofficial series. If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating pavlova, I implore to make plans for this dessert as soon as you can. It’s about as good as it gets for a meringue-lover like me, and with fresh berries abounding in our midst, there’s never been a better time to indulge. There are several flavors and textures going on here, yet they all come together harmoniously. The base is composed of a …

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Lavender Crème Brûlée with Fresh Blueberries

June 30, 2012

If you have kids (and even if you don’t), you know how crazy life can be sometimes. It’s often 8:30 before the wee ones are down for the night, then comes cleaning, responding to emails, and gearing up for the next day. With so many tasks on the docket and usually very little time, it’s not surprising that quality marital moments are hard to come by. Life swells and easily overtakes us unless we are intentional about carving out space to have meaningful connections. Last night, thanks in large part to my sister-in-law and her husband letting us put the …

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Fresh Ricotta Ice Cream with Roasted Grapes and Toasted Walnuts

June 26, 2012

Last week, we talked frozen yogurt, and today it’s all about the ice cream. Fresh ricotta ice cream, to be exact. Yes, you read that right: this dessert is composed primarily of a soft cheese that I curdled right in my own kitchen, and it’s easier than you might think. Before we get into the details of how to make this magic happen in your own home, let’s consider the experience for a moment. The ice cream itself is, of course, cold, though I like to serve it straight from the ice cream maker to ensure a soft-serve consistency. Bright …

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Blackberry Sage Frozen Yogurt

June 21, 2012

I think it’s only right that I give you fair warning. The next two weeks on the blog will include a generous portion of fruit, a good amount of dairy, and not a single vegetable. It’s not that I’m anti-vegetable or anything, it’s just that, well, I haven’t exactly been eating any lately. It’s a trend I’m hoping to reverse, but I’ve suddenly found myself with four dessert recipes developed, photographed, and ready to go. How it happened is still a mystery to me, though I’m certainly not complaining (my jeans, on the other hand…). Instead of bombarding you with …

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Basil-Macerated Berries with Lemon Mascarpone

June 17, 2012

After living in the Pacific Northwest for over six years, I know I should expect the month of June to be replete with unpredictable weather, yet still I find myself surprised. May brought warmer temperatures that had me thinking thoughts of summer, then the cool air and clouds returned a couple weeks ago. The rain poured and we were chilled to the bone, particularly during the 24 hour period in which our furnace ceased all productive activity. It seemed like summer might arrive as scheduled on July 5thand not a moment sooner, but of course, that thought vanished almost as …

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BlogHer Food Recap and a Cookbook Giveaway

June 13, 2012

Oh my goodness. I’m not sure I quite understood what I was in for when I registered for BlogHer Food, but either way, my experience this past weekend did not disappoint. The conference was exhausting and exhilarating, beneficial and memorable. My brain is overflowing with ideas and to-dos, and I am grateful for having made so many new friends. If I were to make a list of the top nine things I learned during the conference, it would look a little like this: Food bloggers are a seriously talented and hardworking bunch (and if you want to see what I …

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