Tag Archives: dessert

February 15, 2013 · 3:02 PM

Coeur à la Crème (and a Couple Catch-Ups!)

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This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe was a Valentine’s Day-themed dessert.  Coeur à la Crème means “heart with cream”.  The dessert is most traditionally made in a heart-shaped mold.

I have never had anything quite like Coeur à la Crème before.  Cream cheese (I used Neufchâtel) is blended with plenty of whipped cream and a bit of confectioner’s sugar.  It is flavored with vanilla and optional liqueur.  I chose to use crème de cassis.

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Next, the mixture is poured into the mold and allowed to sit overnight.  I appreciated that Dorie suggested using a cheesecloth-lined strainer in place of the heart-shaped Coeur à la Crème mold.

I am not quite sure how to describe this dessert.  Dorie  says it has “a texture so light you could fool yourself into thinking you were eating sweetened air”.  That’s pretty close.  I think it’s kind of like ice cream that isn’t frozen.  However you describe it, I loved the flavor!

My daughter ate the serving I used for photos (she loved it!), but my husband and I waited until after she went to bed to eat ours as a Valentine’s Day treat.  I served it with a home made strawberry sauce.

Catching Up

This week I also made last week’s recipe, Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin.

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We agreed with the general consensus that this dish was only OK.  It was fine, but I have many other pork recipes I would prefer to make.  I also didn’t care for the way the onions were cooked.  I would have preferred to have them sauteed before adding the orange juice.

In other catching-up news, I also made Hachis Parmentier, which the group made in their very first month!  For those who don’t have the book, it is like a French version of Shepherd’s Pie.  It was homey and delicious!  We all loved it.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

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November 9, 2012 · 10:14 PM

Top-Secret Chocolate Mousse

My husband loves chocolate.  Really loves it.  He doesn’t consider something a real dessert if it doesn’t feature chocolate.  So when I told him that this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe was Chocolate Mousse he said, “Finally!”.

Chocolate mousse is the quintessential French dessert.  The “top-secret” part of this recipe is that it took Dorie years to discover that the wonderful chocolate mousse all her friends made came from a recipe on the back of a Nestle chocolate bar.  The French equivalent to Nestle Toll House Cookies?

This mousse is really quick to “whip” together.  Start to finish in maybe 20 minutes (as long as the eggs are room temperature).  Dorie suggests adding a flavor while mixing in the egg yolks, and I chose to add vanilla.

We loved this chocolate mousse.  I served it with lightly sweetened whipped cream, and we felt it was essential to the dish.

My husband declared this his favorite French Fridays recipe.  When I reminded him of all the other dishes he has really liked, he said that if they were all lined up in front of him, he would eat the chocolate mousse first.  I made the mistake of telling him how quick and easy it was to make, and he requested it again the next night (unfortunately for him, we did not have all the ingredients on hand, though he offered to go get them).  I have a feeling I will be making this one often!

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August 27, 2012 · 2:50 PM

Peach Melba + Café-Style Grated Carrot Salad

I’m back! Well, I wasn’t really gone, but I have felt very out of touch the last few months. I don’t get much personal time during the summer months, so have not been able to do nearly as much blog reading or writing as I would have liked. School started today, so now I have more time!

I’m a few days late, but this past week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe is the group’s 100th! Depending on how I count, I have completed either 88 or 91 of them (Update: My official count is 90. I found a couple recipes “hidden” in other posts, and it turns out one week last November we had “cook’s choice” instead of a specific recipe, so the actual recipe count is 99 even though this is the 100th week.). Either way, I am pretty pleased with how many I have done.

Peach Melba

The 100th recipe was the perfect dessert for celebrating our milestone: Peach Melba. This classic French dessert is easy and delicious.

Perfectly ripe peaches were poached whole in a simple syrup flavored with lemon zest, vanilla, and crème de cassis. The peaches were halved and served with vanilla ice cream, raspberry sauce, and whipped cream, then topped off with sliced almonds.

The flavors of this dessert worked so well together! I am generally not a fan of raspberry but I decided to give it a try in honor of this classic flavor combination. I have to admit, the raspberry flavor was the perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the peaches and ice cream. This was a big hit, and I can see myself making it every summer to celebrate peach season.

Grated Carrot Salad

This past week I also made Café-Style Grated Carrot Salad. For some reason, I kept putting off making this one. I think it was mostly the thought of grating a pound of carrots that gave me pause. Of course it finally occurred to me that I could use my food processor and the grating went quite quickly.

Other than grating all those carrots, this salad couldn’t be more simple. The carrots are tossed with a simple honey-mustard vinaigrette and raisins. I had considered leaving out the optional raisins, but I am very glad I included them. The flavor and texture of the raisins really added to the salad.

I discovered the night I made this that carrot-raisin salads are one of my husband’s favorite salads. Who knew? This salad didn’t quite live up to his memory of the salad his mom used to make, but he still enjoyed it.

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July 20, 2012 · 9:26 PM

Salmon with Basil Tapenade + Blueberry-Mascarpone Roulade

I’m back to my every-other-week schedule this week!  I have two French Fridays with Dorie recipes to share with you:  Salmon with Basil Tapenade and Blueberry-Mascarpone Roulade (although mine is not a roulade).

First we’ll talk about the Salmon with Basil Tapenade.  This was a very simple, but tasty, dish.  First off, a mixture is made with black olive tapenade (I purchased mine at Trader Joe’s), minced basil, lemon zest and juice, and freshly ground pepper.  This mixture is stuffed into slits in the salmon, which is roasted.  Finally, a sauce is made from a bit of the tapenade mixture, olive oil, more basil, and more lemon zest and juice.  The sauce is spooned over the salmon on the plate.

Salmon with Basil Tapenade

This was delicious!  The flavors all went so nicely together and the whole family enjoyed it.  I served the salmon with one of my favorite green bean dishes ever:  Warm Green Bean Salad with Pine Nuts and Basil.  A great meal!

Next is a wonderful dessert called Blueberry-Mascarpone Roulade.  Except instead of doing a roulade, I took inspiration from the two Bonne Idées included with this recipe.  Apparently, the batter for this cake is the same as the batter for ladyfingers, so I decided to try my hand at making ladyfingers.  Fun!

Ladyfingers

To asseble the dessert, I made what I called “Blueberry Tiramisu Parfaits”.  I layered ladyfingers and the blueberry-mascarpone filling in glass dishes for a very pretty dessert.  I brushed a little creme de cassis on the ladyfingers, but I had too light a hand and couldn’t taste it.  I wish I had used more.

Blueberry Tiramisu Parfaits

I loved this dessert!  I could have eaten spoonfuls of the vanilla-flavored mascarpone cream filling – it was fabulous!  The blueberries were a delicious counterpoint to the sweet cream, and the ladyfingers rounded out the flavors and textures perfectly.

All in all, a delicious two weeks of French Fridays with Dorie eating!

 

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June 29, 2012 · 4:17 PM

Mud Pie

Happy 4th of July to all of you in the U.S. – I hope you all had a fun day!  We had a relaxing family day.  I grilled some chicken and made homemade baked beans.  Yum!

I have always loved ice cream desserts and this Mud Pie recipe is one of my favorites. I often requested it for my birthday when I was growing up. This year I decided to make it myself to celebrate my birthday last week. Does anyone else find joy in making your own birthday cake?

My Mom got this recipe from The Seattle Times in the late 1970′s.  I usually make it with vanilla ice cream, but use whatever flavor you like! Coffee ice cream would be especially good.

Mud Pie

Print Recipe

  • 1½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, divided
  • ½ gallon vanilla ice cream
  • 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup milk (I used 1%)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Melt ¼ cup of the butter and mix into the cookie crumbs. Press mixture firmly and evenly into a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Cool completely.

Soften the ice cream and spoon it over the prepared crust, spreading it evenly.  Freeze until firm.

Melt the chocolate with the remaining ¼ cup butter.  Add the sugar and stir to mix.  Slowly stir in the milk and cook until the mixture boils.  Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and almond extracts.  Pour the chocolate mixture over the ice cream.  It’s OK if some of the ice cream melts into the chocolate.  Place in the freezer until the chocolate begins to firm up, 10 – 30 minutes.  Sprinkle the top of the pie with the walnuts.  Continue freezing until the chocolate is completely firm.

To serve, take the pie out of the freezer and let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.  Remove the outer ring from the pan and cut into slices.  Serve with dollops of whipped cream, if desired.

Note:  I used a springform pan, but you can also use a 9″ pie dish or a 7 1/2″ x 12″ baking dish.

Serves 12

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May 26, 2012 · 2:42 PM

Lyonnaise Garlic and Herb Cheese + Double Chocolate and Banana Tart

I feel like I’ve fallen off the face of the blogosphere the last two weeks.  I haven’t been reading OR writing and I miss it!  The end of the school year is always hectic, plus my husband has been working very intensely the last several weeks (he is done now so we will be able to enjoy lots of family time over the Memorial Day weekend).

I have still managed to keep up with my French Fridays with Dorie cooking, even if I missed writing about it last week.

First, let’s talk about this week’s recipe:  Lyonnaise Garlic and Herb Cheese.  In this simple recipe, ricotta cheese is mixed with chopped shallot, minced garlic, fresh chives, parsley, tarragon, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and white pepper.  After resting in the refrigerator for several hours to blend the flavors, Lyonnaise Garlic and Herb Cheese can be served with raw veggies, or spread on crackers or bread.

I served my herb cheese for dinner on home made bread (I used Jim Lahey’s No Knead Pane Integrale – or Whole Wheat Bread – from his book My Bread) with a salad on the side.  We thought the cheese was only OK.  It was not as flavorful as we would have liked.  The bread was fantastic though!

The next day I added extra garlic to the cheese as well as more salt and pepper.  Better!  I used the cheese in one of my favorite Springtime recipes:  Herbed Cheese Scrambled Eggs on Asparagus.  I generally use purchased Boursin when I make this, and I found it to be just as good with my home made cheese.

Finally, I spread some of the cheese on a whole grain tortilla and made a turkey wrap for lunch.  Yummy!  Last night I used the last of the cheese layered with some pasta and leftover Marinara sauce.  I baked it in the oven and it was quite good!

I doubt I will make Lyonnaise Garlic and Herb Cheese again.  While it was fine, it didn’t “wow” us.

Next up is last week’s recipe, Double Chocolate and Banana Tart.  This one definitely did wow us!

Since only two of us would be eating this one, and we didn’t want to gain 5 pounds each, I made two individual tartlets and froze the extra dough for future use.  I halved the rest of the recipe.

These little tartlets were wonderful!  We love the caramelized banana layer and of course the chocolate.  The bananas on top were perfect with the rich chocolate ganache filling.  The whole thing was a perfect blend of flavors and textures.

I can’t wait to use the rest of my dough to make more of these.  Maybe I will try the Nutella variation, which sounds delicious too.

I hope all my US readers have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

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April 20, 2012 · 3:12 PM

Coconut Friands

It’s interesting how so many of Dorie Greenspan’s recipes (and I’m sure French recipes in general) start with the same basic ingredients (eggs, sugar, flour, and butter), yet proportions and technique transform them into such a variety of delicious treats.

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe starts with the same basic ingredients, then adds coconut and vanilla for a tasty little treat.  Coconut Friands are a moist little cake related to financiers.

These little cakes are quick and easy to make.  You can even make the batter ahead of time and bake the cakes a day or two later.  Egg whites are whisked in a bowl, then the additional ingredients are whisked in one by one.  These are meant to be baked in mini-muffin tins, and luckily I already had one.

I loved these little cakes!  Very moist and coconut-y.  I love vanilla so I enjoyed the vanilla flavor, but I can also imagine these made with almond extract or lemon zest and flavoring.  These would also be very good drizzled with a little bittersweet chocolate.  They are perfect for a tea party or shower.

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group, cooking our way through Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.  Join us!

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December 23, 2011 · 1:52 PM

Creme Brulee

I was super excited about this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe.  I love crème brûlée.

I got to use my little ramekins meant for crème brûlée.

I got to use my kitchen torch!

I love the crunchy, sugary topping.

I love the creamy vanilla custard.

I love how easy this impressive dessert was to make.

What’s not to love about crème brûlée?

The best crème brûlée I ever made.  Delightful!

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July 29, 2011 · 10:41 PM

Citrus-Berry Terrine

I was very excited about this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, a dessert called Citrus-Berry Terrine.  It is not like anything I’ve ever made before, and it’s probably one of those recipes I would not have made if not for participating in FFwD.

Before Unmolding

If this were an American dish it would be called “Jello mold”, but since it is French it gets to be an elegant terrine.

Freshly Unmolded

What is it exactly?  First of all, a fruit juice “jello” (gelée in French) is made using orange juice, sugar, and unflavored gelatin.  When the gelée is partially solidified, bite-size pieces of fruit are folded in.  I used orange and grapefruit segments, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. The mixture is poured into a bread pan and allowed to chill until completely solidified.

The cut fruit looks beautiful!

This was a fun dish!  The whole family enjoyed it.  My daughter ate some for her afternoon snack and really liked it (she has always loved fruit).  My husband surprised me by really liking this one as well (although he also loves fruit).  I knew it was a winner when he asked if he could have seconds and then cut himself a thick slice!

Citrus-Berry Terrine makes a refreshing, light dessert that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating.  I will be making this one again!

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June 17, 2011 · 7:46 AM

Rhubarb Shortcake Sundaes

Rhubarb is something I have hardly ever cooked with.  For one thing, I used to not like it. Secondly, I have always considered rhubarb to be something you harvest from your garden, not buy from a store.  (And of course I don’t grow rhubarb because I used to not like it).  So I was excited to find out that this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe was Roasted Rhubarb.  I would get to try something new!

Making Roasted Rhubarb couldn’t be more simple.  Simply toss cut up rhubarb with orange or lemon zest (I used lemon) and plenty of sugar.  Cover with foil and roast for 15 – 20 minutes at 400°F.  Uncover and roast another 5 minutes.  (The actual recipe can be found in Dorie’s book Around My French Table on page 397).

Because this recipe is essentially a sauce to be served as an accompaniment to other things, I got to decide how to serve it.  I liked the idea of rhubarb shortcakes, but I also knew it would be good with vanilla ice cream, so I settled on “rhubarb shortcake sundaes”. I filled sweet biscuits with ice cream and topped it with the Roasted Rhubarb.

I am now a rhubarb lover!  I enjoyed the sweet-tart flavor of the roasted rhubarb against the sweet vanilla ice cream.  It was a great combination.  Perhaps I’ll have to plant my own rhubarb now…

The sweet biscuit I used came from Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts.  It’s a simple, versatile, and delicious recipe.  The biscuits were sturdy enough to hold the ice cream yet still had a tender bite.

Oh, and by the way, I did actually make last week’s French Fridays recipe (Cola and Jam Spareribs), I just couldn’t find the time to write my post.  I thought the ribs were delicious and I enjoyed the complex flavors.  When I asked my husband what he thought of them he said, “They’re ribs!”, which apparently was a good thing.  I will cook them a little less next time, but otherwise thought they were great!

Fluffy Sweet Biscuits

(click here to print)

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter, very cold
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the butter into small pieces.  Return the butter to the refrigerator so it stays c0ld while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.  Using a pastry cutter (or two knives), cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly and resembles a coarse meal.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg.  Blend in the buttermilk and vanilla.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the buttermilk mixture into it.  Stir quickly until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently, folding the dough over four or five times.  (I found the dough to be very wet and sticky so I had to add quite a bit of flour).  If necessary, lightly flour the surface again and flatten the dough to about a ½-inch thickness, using your hands or a rolling pin.  Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter and place on an unoiled baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Makes about 12 biscuits

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