Thumbnail image for Honey-Rhubarb Ice Cream

Honey-Rhubarb Ice Cream

May 15, 2012

Rhubarb is one of those ingredients that people either adore or avoid. I fall into the former, and use it as much as possible during its rather short growing season. I’ve made it into crisps, pies and even eaten it raw, dipped in sugar (which is admittedly hard core). Combining the mouth-puckering sour flavor of [...]
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Lemon-Lime Mousse with Fresh Strawberries

May 1, 2012

I adore Key Lime Pie and order it as often as it appears on a dessert menu. Most of the time I’m disappointed. It is usually too sweet, not tart enough and the texture just screams gelatin. When I took a bite of this mousse it reminded me of a super light key lime pie [...]
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Mother’s Day Meringues (light and simple summer desserts)

April 26, 2012

On mother’s day, I personally think there should be over-the-top displays of appreciation and beauty. This will come in the form of children helping their mom plant flowers in the garden, cleaning the garage, a foot massage, a favorite meal (basically anything cooked by someone else) and, of course, a gorgeous dessert. After eating the [...]
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Chocolate Caramel Matzo for Passover (Updated!)

April 9, 2012

This year I added a little extra flavor power to this classic recipe. I made a triple batch to make sure I could send gift bags home after the seder. All the toppings were a hit, but the toasted sesame seeds with the milk or dark chocolate is my new favorite. Every Passover I make [...]
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Thumbnail image for Butterscotch Pot de Crème (a $10 name for a kickin’ pudding)

Butterscotch Pot de Crème (a $10 name for a kickin’ pudding)

March 21, 2012

This is a recipe I developed for Tilia‘s dessert menu. Steven Brown, the chef/owner wanted a turbo charged version of the butterscotch pudding from his childhood. We went with a Pot de crème, which is essentially as decadent as creme brulee, without the crack of caramel resting on top. The texture is like silk and [...]
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Mint Cheesecake for St. Patrick’s Day

March 13, 2012

When I was growing up in Vermont we celebrated St. Patricks Day at school by dressing up in green. It was fun, although green really isn’t my color, but I had no idea what any of it meant. It never occurred to me that it went beyond shamrock knee-highs, until I went to Chicago on March [...]
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Icebox Cake (homemade chocolate wafers with caramel cream)

March 5, 2012

Icebox cake, is really not a cake at all; it’s layers of chocolate wafer cookies and whip cream. So, what’s up with the name? Once the cookies and the cream have a chance to sit together, in their little rows, the cookies soften and in a blind taste test you’d never know you weren’t eating [...]
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Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

February 27, 2012

Almost 13 years ago I had this dessert on the menu at The Local, where I was the pastry chef. It was hands down the most popular thing we ever made. Perhaps its success is due to the blend of the comforting banana bread and decadent chocolate ganache, all baked together in a warm pudding. [...]
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Banana Bread

February 27, 2012

Here in Minnesota there is a timeless tradition of going to the “cabin.” During the summer everyone heads out of the city on the weekend to fish and during the winter they still fish, but on frozen lakes. I am not originally from around here and have not quite embraced this weekend exodus, but I [...]
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S’mores – rainy days can bring sweet inspiration!

January 31, 2012

Sometimes great ideas can come from the strangest places. Who would have imagined that spending my birthday, in the rain, making S’mores with people I didn’t know, could have been so much fun and such creative inspiration. In November my good friend, and partner in many culinary adventures, Jen, treated me to a luxurious night [...]
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How-to Videos: Easy Pie Dough and Double Crusted Apple Pie

January 23, 2012

Today is national Pie Day according the National Pie Council, so there is no better time to perfect our crust. Pie dough is one of those things that once you master it, your life in the kitchen is a happier place. It frees you to make fruit pies, quiche, potpies and anything else, sweet or [...]
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Homemade Vanilla Extract

January 3, 2012

It is a brand new year and I figured I should start 2012 with a fresh start; right at the pastry beginning. For me that’s vanilla extract, probably the most used ingredient in my kitchen after flour and sugar. I always have a stack of beans and bottles of extract. I admit I don’t always make [...]
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