eat dessert first
I love this banana pudding recipe featuring homemade Nilla wafers, pastry cream (pudding), and perfect whipped cream. It’s a simple, elegant dish that you can serve in a large glass container or in individual jars. The quintessential southern dessert is found on the back of the box of Nilla wafers. […]
When it is hot and muggy, but you want a dessert to impress this S’mores Icebox Cake is the exact answer. All the things one loves about the classic summer camping dessert without the fire (okay, just a bit of blowtorching, but that’s too fun to resist). Graham crackers layered […]
It’s 90°F in the shade and I just can’t bring myself to fire up the oven today. So, the only reasonable thing to do is make a 4th of July Baked Alaska with homemade ice cream and top it with flaming meringue. If you don’t want to make your own […]
This Blood Orange Creamsicle Semifreddo was inspired by one of my first pastry mentors, Claudia Flemming. Her book, The Last Course, was a collection of desserts she created for the venerable restaurant, Gramercy Tavern, in New York.
This Purple Sweet Potato Pie with a mound of an Italian meringue is inspired by Esther Williams (anyone younger than me will have to google her). It’s a stunning and delicious pie fit for a special occasion like Thanksgiving. I was gifted a box of super fun produce by my […]
This Mile-High Lime Meringue Tart is the more sophisticated cousin to the Lemon Meringue Pie. It has all the tartness of lemon, but with lime, which I just find a touch more interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I am in LOVE with the lemon version, but this one just sings […]
This post is from a while back, but I was inspired to bring it to the fore when I created a Baked Alaska for the Holiday issue of Better Homes and Gardens. You will find a picture of my Egg Nog version at the bottom of this post, along with […]
Order my new cookbook, Zoë Bakes Cookies, now! Sometimes you come upon greatness from the oddest paths. When I opened Rebecca Firth’s The Cookie Book, I landed on this Peanut Butter Cup Meringue Cookies recipe, not because of the gorgeous photo (or my absolute love of meringue), which are both […]
I set out to bake a traditional Opera Torte, but I ended up getting distracted and took off in an entirely different flavor direction. In the end I created this Blackberry Opera Torte (which I have named the Diva Cake) and I’m not sure I’ll ever go back.
This ethereal crown of meringue, filled with cream and berries is a Pavlova. The name comes from Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who was performing around the world in 1926 and made a stop in the land down under. From there the details get a little fuzzy and no one is […]
How do you elevate this simple chocolate mousse recipe? Add toasted meringue! Yes, you get to use my favorite kitchen tool, the blow torch, for the beautiful, toasted brown top. And the chocolate mousse is rich and delicious. For another mousse recipe, try this popular triple chocolate mousse cake! My […]
There’s nothing more satisfying than cutting into a rolled cake to reveal the swirl in the middle. It’s just fun. This banana bread roll is filled with a cream cheese frosting and it is delicious. The recipe is from one of my favorite bloggers and cookbook authors, Deb Perelman from the […]