Pumpkin-Ricotta Pie

Another great recipe from Food Network. We always have pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but I wanted to make it more interesting than the traditional pumpkin pie that I usually make. This recipe intrigued me because it’s half pure pumpkin and half ricotta cheese. It came out moist and delicious. The cream cheese crust is made from scratch—don’t worry, it’s not that complicated to make, as you will see if you try this recipe. 

Chocolate Pecan Pie

I made this easy-to-make but delicious dessert for our Thanksgiving dinner. It's adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe, and it's a welcome change from the standard pecan pie, which always tends to be cloyingly sweet. The addition of chocolate tempered the sweetness perfectly. The original recipe called for a caramel sauce for garnish, but I did away with it because it would have made the pie too sweet. Finally, I always try to make my crust from scratch because it's not really that difficult to make, but I have to admit that for this pie I used a pre-made crust, which I found in my daughter's freezer -- it wasn't too bad.

Cassava Bibingka (Cake)

Today I attended the monthly meeting of CHoWDC (Culinary Historians of Washington, DC). I love it that the group has this very nice tradition of members bringing a home-made dish or two. I decided to bring Cassava Bibingka, to give them a taste of Filipino desserts. This is another Chef Romy Dorotan recipe, from his and Amy Besa's cookbook, Memories of Philippine Kitchens (reviewed on this blogsite). I made a few minor changes, but basically remained faithful to the recipe--the bibingka was delicious, and they loved it (somebody even asked for the recipe). 

Today's guest speaker was Joan Nathan, the doyenne of Jewish cooking, and she gave a very interesting and informative account of the history of Jewish food, which is the subject of her latest cookbook (more on this in a separate blog posting).

Spiced Nuts (Yum!)

I have company coming for drinks and cocktails tonight, and I wanted to add something to the usual boring cheese board, prosciutto and salami that I'm serving. I remembered having seen this nuts recipe in a Cooks Illustrated magazine, so I thought I'd give it a try. Excellent results, if I may say so myself -- the nuts were crispy and well-flavored with the mild spices in it. They're truly so more-ish -- once you start eating them you can't stop! I will definitely make this for the coming holidays. [Note:  I used a mixture of almonds and walnuts, which were what I had at hand. Next time I will add cashews, macadamia, and pecans.]
   I have always found it tricky to make the spices adhere to the nuts, and the secret in this recipe is the water-diluted egg white, while the salt prevents it from coagulating. I have added some variations at the end of the recipe, for other exciting flavors.

Chocolate & Nuts Tart (Gluten-Free)

I have adapted this recipe to make it gluten-free, combining a standard recipe for a chocolate/nut tart (substituting gluten-free all-purpose flour for the regular flour, and agave nectar for the corn syrup) and Elana Amsterdam's gluten-free basic crust for pies and tarts. The recipe for this crust is posted on this blog site, but I have added it to this posting so you won't need to go looking, if you decide to try making this delicious dessert. I have made this into both a tart and in a deep-dish pie pan, and the tart came out better -- the flavor is the same, but the tart is easier to slice and serve because of the pan's removable bottom. [Note: You can use the recipe for the filling and make your own crust, if you don't need to worry about gluten.]

Basic Gluten-Free Crust for Pies & Tarts

[Photo to follow]

This is another of Elana Amsterdam's recipes (slightly adapted by me) from her "The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook." It's very easy and simple to make, and you won't need a rolling pin since the dough is soft and is "pressed" into the cake or tart pan using your hands. Ms. Amsterdam says that the almond meal that is readily available at supermarkets (Bob's Red Mill brand) will not work in her recipes, and I would like to test this out because blanched almond is impossible to find anywhere except online (which makes it a bit expensive especially because of the shipping costs). We shall see.

Flourless Orange & Almond Cake (Gluten-Free; Dairy-Free)

I'm always on the lookout for gluten-free or dairy-free recipes to test, because I have friends and family who are allergic or sensitive to gluten and dairy. I found--and adapted--this recipe from "Planet Cake" by Paris Cutler, and it was a success at first try--delicious, moist, with a subtle almond taste, intensified by a wonderful orange aroma and flavor. The cake is yummy as a dessert, snack, or breakfast item. Try to buy oranges with unwaxed and unblemished skin, since the whole fruit is going to be used. Finally, enjoy the nice orangey smell that envelops your kitchen while the oranges are boiling. [Note: I'm afraid you'll need a weighing scale to accurately measure the orange purée.]

Triple-Berry Sabayon

 

I call this one of my "do-ahead" desserts because you can make the sabayon (a variation of whipped cream) hours ahead and chill it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can wash and prep the berries ahead of time too, and refrigerate them, then when you're ready to serve the dessert, just take them out of the refrigerator and assemble them in your beautiful dessert glasses (champagne glasses will make your dessert look sexy!).

Pavlova

Anna Pavlova, the principal dancer of the Russian Imperial Ballet, visited Australia and New Zealand in the 1920's, and the natives went crazy over her and concocted this fluffy, crunchy yet chewy, flamboyant dessert in her honor. Both countries claim they invented this truly scrumptious creation, but that doesn't matter to those of us who break into a swoon at the prospect of having a generous slice of it for dessert!

Triple-Chocolate Cookies

I have made these to-die-for cookies so many times now -- my daughter has a standing order for them whenever we visit them in Boston (or whenever they come to visit). She loves eating them warmed up as a dessert after dinner, with a glass of milk. I also like them warm and soft and gooey, but my hubby says they're perfect just as they are. Put them in a sealed container and they will keep on the kitchen counter for a couple of weeks!

Macadamia & Pistachio Sans Rival (Rich Nut Torte)

       My son asked last weekend if I could make Sans Rival for our next Christmas dinner, so I thought I'd bake one today. Sans Rival is one of the most challenging Filipino torte desserts, and I hadn't made one in years, so I figured I better practice making it. (My daughter has also asked me to make Pavlova for Thanksgiving, so that will be the next one on my practice list.)

    Sans Rival (which is French for "without a rival") is a very rich dessert, made with lots of eggs, butter, sugar, and nuts, and I have yet to find a pastry chef who has attempted to make a "lite" version of this torte (or perhaps I just haven't looked closely enough). It is a bit labor-intensive to make, but well worth the time and effort the minute you bite into that first mouthful, which just melts in your mouth and transports you to dessert heaven. 

Sugar-Free Stained-Glass Jell-O (a.k.a. Cathedral Jell-O)

My sister Ada made this Jell-O in Manila for an afternoon tea with her friends. She based it on one that I had made a year ago, which had a slight variation (see photo below). It's a great guilt-free dessert, especially for those who are watching their diet.

In my version, which I made for one of the meetings of CHOP in Manila, I added some slices of jarred peaches, which gave a touch of sweetness to the dish. I also used a bigger mold, which was actually a bundt cake pan, which provided the finished dish with some height.(Note: The packs of gelatin have Manila measurements; it would be different here in the U.S., so you may need to tweak the amount of water needed.)

Zucchini & Chocolate Bread

I adapted this recipe from the one I found on the Food Network website, and it was a big success. Like the gluten-free zucchini bread that I made previously (posted in this blog), I would consider this more of a cake than a bread -- I served it tonight as a dessert, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side -- delicious! The zucchini provided good moisture to the cake, and I love the idea of including the peel of the vegetable (healthy!) -- it's nice to think that you are eating a vegetable while indulging in the deliciousness of the cake. The chocolate chunks and the cocoa powder added a lot of zing to the flavor, and the nuts gave it a wonderful finish.

Peach Blueberry Crumble

Another steal from Elana Amsterdam's gluten-free cookbook! I made this for dinner tonight -- it tasted great but I thought it had been over-baked a little. I would have preferred the peaches and blueberries to be more firm after the cooking, and not almost mushy like this one turned out. Perhaps I should use peaches that are not nearly as ripe as the ones I used. I will certainly test this recipe again.

Zero-Fat, Gluten & Dairy-Free Banana-Strawberry Ice Cream

A totally guilt-free ice cream!! There's no fat, no gluten, no dairy, in this delicious, pink indulgence. There are only two ingredients, bananas and strawberries, and there's no added sugar because ripe bananas are naturally sweet. I made this ice cream for my granddaughter Rocky, because her favorite color in ice cream is pink! And now she can eat as much ice cream as she wants.

No-Fat Banana Chocolate Ice Cream (Gluten-Free too!)

I tested this recipe with my dear Rocky in mind (my almost-two-year-old granddaughter), who loves ice cream like any toddler. We try not to give  her store-bought ice cream because of its high sugar and fat content. Making the ice cream at home is an option, of course, but not everyone owns an ice-cream maker—you don’t need one for this dish. I was excited about testing this dish, after my good friend Tatiana served it as an after-dinner dessert. You need only 2 ingredients, it has zero-fat, and since the bananas are naturally sweet, you don't need to add any sweetener. It's one of the simplest, but most rewarding recipes I have ever tested -- try it!

Chocolate Macarons (Gluten-Free)

This afternoon I took my first bold attempt at making those heavenly-tasting macarons, you know, those bite-sized silky buttons, two tiny half-moons sandwiching a delicious filling. Macarons are famously notorious for being very very difficult to make - the recipe I used even had the exact number of strokes for folding in the dry ingredients into

Raspberry Clafouti (Gluten-Free)

My first attempt at gluten-free baking, and it was a success! Clafouti is a French dessert where fresh fruits are baked in a custard-like batter. Almond flour is the basic ingredient (and, of course, the fresh fruits), making this safe to eat for people who are allergic to gluten. 

 

 My good friend Maricoy tried this recipe for a dinner with friends last night, and it was a success -- she didn't have half-and-half, but she substituted almond milk and it worked! Her clafouti looks even better than mine - congrats, Coy!

Brazo de Mercedes

This is a very popular meringue-based Filipino dessert, despite its high calorie and cholesterol content (or may be because of it!). A couple of bites surely won't hurt, I suppose, to satisfy one's sweet tooth. This is adapted from my Tito Danny's recipe, and I baked the one in the photograph for him when he and my Tita Chit visited us in Washington, D.C. The recipe is a bit labor-intensive, but well worth all the effort!

Tarte Tatin (French Apple Tart)

I learned how to make this delicious tart in culinary school. I found it challenging at first attempt, but have mastered the technique after making it a couple of times. Now I make this winning dish every time we entertain friends and family, and it is always a big hit.