In the first few months of dating my current boyfriend, I got to experience his signature fruit salad. It sounds a bit underwhelming, but read on for proof of the glory of this collage of summer hues. One afternoon, he casually tossed together this incredible mixture: light with berries, apples, pomegranate seeds, kiwis, and crowned with a delicate syrup of honey, the juice of a lemon, lime, and orange, mint, and orange blossom water. Needless to say, this is still one of the staples for guests, for a healthier dessert to share over Netflix, or to round out a satisfying weekend lunch. This cake is the first of what I’m…
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Pistachio Swiss Roll with Raspberry Rose Cream
Ladurée is hands down the best shop for macarons in Paris. The rose flavor is undoubtedly the best (if you like floral dessert flavors), and is the perfect pairing of deeply satisfying chew, light almond cap, and ephemeral rose flavor. Since trying my first rose macaron from Ladurée, I’ve wanted to create something even remotely similar to at least the flavor of that delicately-pink treasure. The rose gold financiers come close, but this pistachio Swiss roll with raspberry rose cream is the closest I’ve come so far. Pistachio and rose is a classic pairing in Persian sweets, and the two create a sublime harmony of earthy green nut and lighter-than-air…
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Pumpkin Molasses Whoopie Pies
These little clam-like cookie sandwiches are apparently called whoopie pies – and what a delightful name. Upon investigation of the name origin, it seems the Amish were very fond of using up leftover cookie batter (I’ve personally never heard of having leftover anything when baking cookies – it all gets used) and Amish bakers turn the leftover dollops into these cream-filled drops of happiness. The story gets even better, though, because the name Whoopie Pie is said to come from the exclamation of joy each child makes if one of these treats is found in said child’s lunch box. Thanks to the Amish for these things and for Amish children…
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Gluten Free Rose Gold Financiers
In Paris, and apparently in shops in London and LA as well now, you can enjoy the epitome of floral delicacies in the shape of small, perfect French macarons. Ladurée is my go-to source for these bite-sized almond-flour clouds, and the rose flavor is by far my favorite. Whoever thought of putting the intoxicating perfume of roses into baked goods was struck by genius – who would have thought that a flower could translate so well into an other-worldly flavor sensation in addition to being one of the better fragrances known to humankind. Thanks to that first person who decided rosewater or petals or syrup was destined for a cake…
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Pumpkin Swiss Roll
Tis the season for all things orange! And get ready for the onslaught of pumpkin recipes (which have undoubtedly already inundated your Instagram feeds, we’re a bit late on our side). Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies or cakes or muffins have an enduring comfort to them that other baked goods may fall short on. The warmth of the color, quite simply, lends itself to cozy evenings and afternoons or time curled up on the couch next to a fire after a brisk walk down the street to crunch leaves and admire the brilliantly-hued trees. What I would love after such a walk, is to come inside and be met with a…
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Spiced Apple Crisp
Apple crisp is one of my enduring fall favorites. It exudes warmth (quite literally but also figuratively), the coziness of spices, the sweet, soft abundance of homey apples, and the crunch of an earthy, deeply spiced crumble. It’s a humble dessert that melts me back into worn couches, a cracking fire, and cousins and family members teasing and laughing over plates and plates of food. Or to after dinner instant apple crisps that my grandma would whip together in about 10 minutes (without measuring a single ingredient much to the lament of me, who wanted her recipe) and that we would dig in to once the dishwasher was rumbling away…
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Raspberry Drops with Chocolate Caps
It’s October, and in October, all sorts of clever, colorful Halloween-themed treats abound. These were entirely a mistake – made because I discovered that if I blitzed up freeze dried berries, I got something akin to berry powder that could easily be subbed in for a bit of flour and which lends brilliant color to anything oven-bound. The chocolate caps on these tiny raspberry drops just happen to look a bit like the Harry Potter sorting hat or other seasonal costumes, so I’m dubbing them a fine entry into the spooky sweets category. They’re a bit of an oddball: deep dark chocolate ganache (or something akin to ganache) with a…
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Gluten Free Brondies (Blondies + Brownies)
Brownies are the saving grace of gluten free baked goods. If nothing else quite works out, you can always make amazing brownies and no one will know they’re gluten free. They truly are the magic marker of the dessert realm. You can throw in beans, avocado, pumpkin puree, applesauce, anything! And brownies still turn out to be the most indulgent, gooiest, fudgiest treats you could ever ask for. How they manage this, I don’t know. It’s one of those baking secrets we all strive to uncover. But while we’re puzzling over the versatility and consistency of brownies, why not make some? And while you’re at it, make some cakey, buttery…
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Gluten Free Vanilla Almond Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream
Food could sincerely be an entirely new love language. Aside from the other ways people express their affection, making food for that special someone, or someones, is truly one of the greatest pleasures in life. At least for me. It’s a love that was instilled in me and my sister at a very young age by our mother, who takes her southern roots to heart whenever anyone new walks in the door or someone expresses the tiniest hint of hunger. Food is where the home is and where the heart can share its deepest and most inexpressible fondness for others. This gluten free carrot cake is one of those simple,…
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Gluten Free Vanilla Raspberry Pancakes
I’ve tried a million different gluten free pancake recipes. It seems like pancakes should be one of the simplest breakfast items to make gluten free, but you’d be surprised how sneakily dense or crumbly some turn out. Or that telltale taste of rice flour just is a bit too noticeable and you need a different combination of starches, powders, and flavorings. These are not the end all be all gluten free pancakes, because there are so many different variables to optimize for in pancakes: fluffiness, taste, chewiness, size, etc. But! These are some of my new favorite pancakes, and they have a twist that most other recipes do not: the…
