Tuile garnish is a very versatile garnish to use on cakes or plated desserts. The only enemy to tuile is humidity, keep them in an airtight container and don’t even try these in the sultry days of late August in MN. Read More
Category: basic
Orange Scented Sponge Cake
I made this fresh orange scented sponge cake from my The Fannie Farmer Baking Book
. It is a classic and really nothing about it needs changing. It is light and the orange gives the cake a fresh flavor that isn’t overly sweet. I combined it with a dacquoise, strawberry whipped cream and homemade jam to make a birthday torte for my stepmother. Even though there is no butter or oil in the cake I find it moist enough that I didn’t use a simple syrup soak. But you certainly could add it for flavor. Read More
Lime-Lavender Granita with Fresh Figs
I’m finally home from all of my traveling. I’ve never been so happy to be in my kitchen, despite the 94°F forecast and no air conditioner. Something frozen, tart and a little floral is exactly what I need to get through this day. I just went to the market and bought a flat of fresh, dripping-with-juices-ripe figs. The sweetness of their nectar will balance perfectly with the lime-lavender granita.
Read MoreLavender Simple Syrup
This gorgeous lavender* (salvia) plant is from Stephen Durfee’s garden in Napa, CA. It inspired my to make a lavender simple syrup on a hot day and drizzle it on a honey cake with blueberries.
The following recipe can be made with rosemary, lemon thyme, star anise, cinnamon sticks, organic edible rose petals or any other aromatic that you want to flavor your syrup with. I love to have these flavored syrups around to sweeten tea, use as a drizzle over sponge cake, flavor cocktails, granitas, sorbets and lemonade. Read More
Perfect Pie Dough 101 — Lattice Pie Crust
With very few ingredients you can make one of America’s most beloved desserts, the pie. We start with the crust, the frame which holds the filling, in this case, white peach and raspberry. It should be tender and flaky, buttery and a lovely compliment to whatever you have put inside. I am forever hunting for what I consider the perfect pie crust. There are as many recipes as there are households. Every family seems to have their own prized recipe. If you are having a tough time recreating your grandmother’s crust, it may not be the fault of the recipe, but the technique you are using. Try following my instructions on how to make this dough, with a lattice pie crust. I got the recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s latest tome Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Read MoreRhubarb and Vanilla Bean Compote
Here in Minneapolis, otherwise known as gardening Zone 4, we jump for joy when we see ramps and rhubarb. Rhubarb is the first thing to come up in my garden and it gives me tremendous joy! A sign of life, hope for warm weather and it just happens to be delicious. I love the tartness, combined with a bit of sugar and vanilla it is near perfection, which is why I made this rhubarb and vanilla bean compote.
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