Posts Labeled ‘dessert’

June 24th, 2011

Add some pop to your popsicle.

In the midst of summertime heat anything cold and refreshing sounds wonderful. These spiked ice pops from Bon Appetit look wonderful, indeed. A mixture of Campari and orange juice, they sound like they’d hit the spot on a hot summer day.

 

To make the pops there are countless popsicle molds to choose from. I really like the look of these from Tovolo and the convenience of being able to take out just one or all six at a time is appealing, too.

campari-orange ice pops from Bon Appetit

Tovolo Groovy Ice Pop Molds via Amazon.com

June 17th, 2011

The best pie crust ever.

I’ve been making a lot of pie lately. Mini blueberry pies on my Breville individual pie maker, mostly. In my attempts to make the perfect mini pies I tried a lot of pie crust dough recipes. None were as good as this one from The Bon Appetit Cookbook. Find an excuse to make pie (do you really need one?!), try this out, and see if you agree.

Butter Pie Crust Dough
*bakes two pie crust disks

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Blend flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons water. Using on/off turns, blend just until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into a ball; divide dough in half. Flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate one hour.

(Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

June 13th, 2011

It’s the bombe. Sorbet bombe.

Frozen sorbet bombes

Sorbet is often overshadowed by its frozen colleagues ice cream and yogurt, but it is no less delicious. It can also be served in beautiful ways like these frozen sorbet bombes by Martha Stewart. I love the shapes and the fun colors. You could get really creative using molds from around the house like the vase they used to create this beautiful sorbet tower. It’s the bombe!

 

May 16th, 2011

Frozen Funny Faces with the Zoku Ice Pop Maker

I was visiting with friends yesterday and as we sat on their sunny patio their three-year-old, having just completed session of swinging on the playset, asked (nay, begged) her mom for a popsicle. Since there were no popsicles to be had, the little one was not so happy. It made me think that soon most of our freezers will be stocked with popsicles as summer (crazy as it may seem) is just around the corner.

If you are looking for a fun frozen treat, the Williams-Sonoma Zoku Duo Quick Pop Machine allows you to create your own ice pops in whatever flavor you like. And their new character creation add-on kit makes each pop unique and would be a fun project for the whole family.

The Pop Machine would be a great gift for families or would be so fun to add to a wedding registry.

Zoku Duo Ice Pop Machine

make your own frozen ice pop characters with Williams-Sonoma's Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker

April 4th, 2011

My Kind of Cereal

On our last visit to New York City, my husband and I stopped at the Momofuku Ssam Bar for lunch and went next door to its sister, Milk Bar, where we tasted Cereal Milk Ice Cream. We fell in love. So much so that my husband recently bought David Chang’s Momofuku cookbook so we could try to replicate our lunch.

My husband followed the Cereal Milk Ice Cream recipe to a tee and it tasted just like… cereal milk. Sweet decadence! If you have the time and inclination, you have to try it.

I think others are getting inspired to use cereal as sweet treats. Check out Jacques Torres’s chocolate-covered cheerios. He also makes chocolate covered-corn flakes.

Now that is my kind of cereal!

photo and recipe of cereal milk ice cream via Cafe Fernando

Jacques Torres' Chocolate-Covered Cheerios

 

March 28th, 2011

Take a shot

These ice shot glasses from The Spoon Sisters would be so fun to use at a party. Greet guests with a shot of a fun, festive drink; serve gazpacho shooters as an hors d’oeuvre; or fill the “glass” with cold milk to serve with cookies at the end of the night. The possibilities are endless!

Now let’s raise our [ice] glasses!

ice shot glasses from Spoon Sisters

February 8th, 2011

DIY Hand Pie Box

Pies are all the rage this year — especially individual or hand pies. Don’t you just love this hand pie box created by Twig and Twistle? The design is fresh and perfect for the shape of a hand pie — it’s also just in time for Valentine’s Day when you can give a sweet pie to your sweetie pie!

via Twig & Thistle

September 22nd, 2010

Make Ahead Dessert: Yogurt Panna Cotta with Pineapple Granita

via Food & Wine, photo by Con Poulos

I always like to have a few tried-and-true recipes in my back pocket for when we are expecting guests. My rule is never to make a recipe for the first time when guests are over for fear that it will be a flop. Instead, I test the recipe and work out any kinks before I decide if I want to add it to my “guest-worthy” recipe list.

The most recent recipe I tested with an eye toward serving to some upcoming guests is Yogurt Panna Cotta with Pineapple Granita, which I pulled from a back issue of Food & Wine magazine.

While the recipe appears somewhat involved, the active time is only 45 minutes. Both the panna cotta and the granita can be made up to 4 days in advance, which means all you have to do is assemble it when your guests arrive. I love anything that can be done ahead of time when entertaining so time can be spent with your guests, rather than trapped in the kitchen.

The panna cotta tastes rich and refreshing, but thanks to one of its star ingredients – Greek yogurt — it won’t break the calorie bank. Bonus!

In my test-run of the panna cotta this week, I experimented with the serving vessel and used a tall glass instead of a low glass like that in the recipe’s picture. I would not recommend that! Even with a long iced-tea spoon, it was difficult to eat. This is another great reason to test recipes in advance — so you can play not only with the preparation, but also with the presentation.

The panna cotta was delicious even if the serving glass was a FAIL!