Entries categorized as ‘Desserts’

A Sensuous Fruit Salad

July 22, 2010 · 104 Comments

OOooo lala figured I’d do a sexy recipe just in time for the weekend!  So let me explain the title of this recipe: I find fruits like figs, plums, blueberries, very sensual.  Sensual in the sense of their color, texture, apperance — I mean come on, figs?  They are sexy! 

Now just because it’s called a sensuous fruit salad doesn’t mean it’s strictly for lovers.  I am sure friends and family would enjoy it too, just don’t be too sexy when serving it (they might think you’re really weird).

The recipe showcases simplicity at its best — there is literally no other ingredients than the fruit itself.  I think it is really important for any cook to learn how to pick good quality produce — that way the ingredient can showcase its beauty on its own.   So today, I will give you a few tips on how to pick summer produce.

How to pick Brown Turkish Figs:

  • Look at the color — a ripe turkish fig should have a brownish yellow skin with purple hues
  • Ripe figs are soft to the touch, similar to a ripe peach.  The skin is very thin and can even crack due to the plump juicy flesh within.
  • Look underneath the fig, do you see droplets of “syrup” collecting around the eye?  That is a sure tell-tale sign you’ve picked a sweet fig.

How to pick Plums:

  • I always use my nose when picking plums.  Smell at the top of the plum, where it was picked — if the scent is very fragrant and sweet it is a winner for sure.  If you don’t smell nothin…put it back.
  • Depending on the type of plum you are buying, pick colors that are rich in dark purples (almost black) and reds.
  • Feel the plum, if it is rock hard it’s not ready yet.  It should be plump and soft, the flesh should slightly sink with the pressure from your fingers.

How to pick Melons:

  • Use your nose again! Same rule of thumb with plums, smell at the top of the melon where it was picked.  Remember: fragrant and sweet smells!
  • Thump the mellon — if it sounds nice and dense it is packed with juice.  Also if the belly of the melon is yellow that is another sign it is ripe.
  • Make sure the outerskin is nice and firm, any soft spots on a melon is a no go.

How to pick Blueberries:

  • Pick berries that are not smushed and are rich in blue/purplish hues.  Avoid blueberries that look red or even white — those are definitely NOT RIPE.
  • Blueberries that are large in size are usually very sweet, avoid eating any blueberries that feel very hard — they are very sour!

Ingredients for Sensuous Fruit Salad: (serves 2-4)

  • 6 brown turkey figs, washed and quartered
  • 1 cup blueberries, washed
  • 1 cup melon balls
  • 3 black plums, washed pitted and quartered

Gentle mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Serve chilled with some vanilla ice cream or eat it plain.  For those who want more sweetness, feel free to drizzle some honey on top!

So below are some pictures of our new home — please excuse the mess and random assortment of furniture scattered around.  There’s still much to be done but we are getting close :) !!!

My mom will actually be staying with us mid August until…well whenever she feels like leaving.  Hopefully NEVER…but in reality probably a month…or two? *keeping fingers crossed*  Then she will be moving to Shanghai permanently to enjoy retirement and to be closer to her hubby and family.  Once she moves in a lot of recipes I’ll be featuring on here will probably be the meals she teaches me to cook — I’ve asked her to teach me everything she knows before she leaves!

The End. Have a great weekend yall :) !

Categories: Desserts · Easy · Healthy · Low Fat · Raw Food · Vegan · Vegetarian
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Electrolux #splits: Caramel Banana Split with Bourbon Praline Pecans

July 15, 2010 · 32 Comments

When Foodbuzz sent out an e-mail about supporting Ovarian Cancer Research, it really touched a special place in my heart  My late grandmother battled Ovarian Cancer and throughout her struggle we offered her endless love and support.  I miss her dearly and wish she were still here so I could’ve fed her this Banana Split:) (Love you nainai!)


Foodbuzz is offering to donate $50 for every banana split entry done by a Featured Publisher, so I knew I had to support the cause! The cause is run by Electrolux who has teamed up with Kelly Ripa to raise money for Ovarian Cancer Research, you can find more information at Kelly’s website here.

Ovarian cancer effects tens of thousands of women each year.  It is hard to say why one woman will be effected while another will not but there are certain risk factors.  Women who have family histories of cancer, personal history of cancer, menopause, any woman over 55 and those who have never been pregnant all pose as risk factors for ovarian cancer.  Therefore it is important to get annual exams at your gynecologist to ensure the health of your reproductive system.

So without further ado, here is my version of Banana Splits.  I decided to make some caramel from scratch and paired it with some bourbon praline pecans — it’s pretty much heaven in your mouth. :)

Ingredients for Bourbon Praline Pecans:

  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup pecan halves, toasted
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon

Grease two baking sheets; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in the sugars, then cream; cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 236F° (soft-ball stage), about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat; stir in the pecan halves, chopped pecans and bourbon. Immediately drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Let stand until pralines are set and no longer glossy. Chop the pralines into small chunks using a large knife.  Store in an airtight container.

Ingredients for Caramel:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • Few drops of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

In a small, deep saucepan, combine the sugar, water and lemon juice. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down the side of the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over moderately high heat and cook without stirring, until the caramel just begins to color around the edges, about 5 minutes. Gently swirl the pan and simmer until the caramel turns a medium amber color, about 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Using a long-handled wooden spoon, stir in the heavy cream. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Ingredients for Caramel Banana Split: (serves 2)

  • 1 pint of vanilla ice cream (I like Haagen Daz)
  • 1 banana, halved vertically
  • 1/2 cup whipped cream
  • 1/2 cup caramel
  • 1/4 cup bourbon praline pecans

You can assemble your banana splits however you like!  I like to put my bananas down first, then place a couple scoops of ice cream on top.  Then I will top it with whipped cream and garnish with the pecans and drizzle GENEROUSLY with the caramel :) You can garnish with a cherry if you’d like, I’m not such a fan of Maraschino so I used fresh cherries!

Categories: Desserts · Easy
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Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Brandy Soaked Strawberries and Chantilly Cream

June 24, 2010 · 37 Comments

If there’s one thing in life I can’t live without (besides french fries) it would have to be cupcakes.  Even on my worst days, if there was the perfect cupcake waiting for me at home all my troubles would melt away during that brief moment when I’m stuffing my face.
Let’s get real people, life is too short to go on those crazy “no carb, no meat, no sugar aka nothing fun” diets.  I feel anything in moderation is fine, but don’t get me wrong — this recipe will definitely be hard for any normal person to resist from just eating one.  The secret ingredient for this chocolate cake is coffee, it really makes the chocolate taste richer adding a nice body to it and BOY is it moist!  Not to mention the grownup filling of the brandy soaked strawberries topped off with a sweet chantilly cream, these cupcakes would be perfect for any occassion.
I think one of my favorite parts about desserts is the give-ability factor.  Not only does it save YOU calories but you are spreading the love to others.  Whenever I bake I usually send some to my neighbors, friends and family — it’s kind of a nice unexpected “pick me up” for maybe a stressful, boring, or busy week.  Plus, when you give these bad boys away I can gurantee you will suddenly have many “best friends”, hell, girls you may even win a husband with this recipe.  Anyways, enough talk about how freaking delicious these cupcakes are — here’s the recipe!
(I don’t know why I can’t revert my text out of italics — WP is being strange, but I kinda like it :) ) Have a great weekend folks :)

Ingredients for Moist Chocolate Cupcakes: (Makes 12-18 cupcakes)
  • 1 3/4 cup All-Purpose flour
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 c cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup coffee

Preheat the oven to 350F.

For the chocolate cake, mix all of the dry ingredients together so they are evenly distributed.  Add the wet ingredients one at a time as listed, until fully incorporated.  This ensures the batter comes out nice and smooth. Line the muffin pans with cupcake liners and pour the batter about 3/4 of the way, leaving room for the cake to rise when baking.  Place in the oven for 20 minutes, you can check the doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle, if it comes out clean it is ready (Because oven temperatures differ, if the batter is still wet leave for 5 minutes longer, repeat until done.)  Set aside and cool.

Ingredients for Brandy Soaked Strawberries:

  • 1 lb container fresh strawberries, cleaned thoroughly and hulled
  • 1 cup brandy
  • 1/4 cup honey

In a large container or bowl, whisk the brandy and honey together.  Small dice the strawberries and immerse completely in the brandy honey mixture.  Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.

(You can use any remaining strawberries you don’t use in the cupcakes as an ice cream topping!)

Ingredients for Chantilly Cream:

  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Using an hand held beater or electric stand mixer, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Add in the sugar and vanilla and beat until just stiff.  Be sure not to over whip your cream, if your cream curdles gradually beat in more cream until it becomes smooth again.

To assemble cupcakes first cut a cone like shape off the top of each cupcake in order to create a space for the strawberry filling. (Baking Bites offers a nice step-by-step photos here.) Carefully spoon the brandied strawberries into each cupcake and place the lids on top.  Using a pastry bag with a star tip, apply the chantilly cream on the top of each cupcake — you can be creative as to how you would like to apply the topping, I chose to do a simple swirl.  Decorate with chocolate sprinkles and sliced strawberries if desired.

Categories: Desserts · Easy · Uncategorized
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Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

June 15, 2010 · 31 Comments

I’ve fallen in love with Nashville, Tennessee.  I never imagined the south to be so beautiful but Nashville has everything I have ever dreamed of — huge front and back yards adorned with beautiful hydrangeas,  soft rolling hills filled with Dogwoods, Maple and Magnolia trees, and SWEET TEA oh man do I love a tall glass of sweet tea on a warm Summer evening… I was there for one of my dear friend’s wedding, Tammy Cheng Anderson, as her wedding photographer and I had a blast.  I want to move there, seriously.

I love the South, and as a tribute I wanted to make some muffins.  I’ve realized I don’t post much breakfast food on here — probably because I usually skip breakfast.  I KNOW I KNOW, it’s the most important meal of the day which is why I’ve made a conscious effort this year to eat every morning.  I admit I have certain bad eating habits, I always go for the late night snack and it’s usually ice cream or cookies (I am so glad my mother doesn’t read this or she would flip out).  I realize as a result, I don’t wake up very hungry in the mornings and skip breakfast.  Now I’ve cut out my late night snacks (mostly) and lone behold, I wake up hungry.

Since Summer is the best season for berries, I opted to make these moist blueberry muffins from the Le Cordon Bleu textbook.  These are perfect for a weekend breakfast or brunch and they are not only easy to make but the results are phenomenal.  I also like to cut any leftover muffins up and put them in the freezer, they are awesome on top of some vanilla ice cream!

Muffins are known as “quick breads” where only slight gluten development is desirable.  Tenderness is a desirable quality opposed to the chewy quality of many yeast breads.  Over mixing muffin batter produces not only chewiness but irregular shapes and large, elongated holes inside the muffins known as tunneling.

The muffin method is used largely for muffins, pancakes and waffles.  Muffin batter should be mixed only until the dry ingredients are just moistened.  Do not attempt to achieve a smooth batter, remember low gluten development is necessary to develop a delicate and moist texture for your muffins.

Ingredients for Blueberry Muffins:

  • 2 1/2 cups pastry flour
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup eggs, beaten
  • 1 3/4 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup butter or shortening, softened
  • 1 cup blueberries, rinsed

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine the butter, vanilla, milk  and sugar and cream the ingredients together in a large bowl until light.  Add the eggs in two or three stages.  Cream well after each addition before adding more eggs.  Sift together the flour, baking powder and other dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Stir together the liquid ingredients until well combined.  Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the liquids, adding 1/4 of the dry ingredients with 1/3 of the liquid, mix until just blended in.  Carefully fold in blueberries and remember to not over mix the batter!

Ingredients for Streusel Topping:
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp. soft butter
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp flour

Mix all together, using a fork or spoon to combine ingredients. Sprinkle over the top of the muffins before baking.

Grease and flour muffin tins.  Fill tins 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full.  Place in the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins.  Place muffins on cooling rack and serve with milk, tea, or coffee.  Muffins can keep in airtight box in the fridge for up to a week and for up to a month in the freezer.

Categories: Breakfast · Desserts · Easy · Vegetarian
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Mother’s Day Treats

May 7, 2010 · 50 Comments

This  Sunday is Mother’s Day and what better way to say “Mom, I love you” than baking up a batch of treats?  Every woman loves her sweets :) .

I will be featuring 3 easy to make treats for today — Pecan Bars, Coconut Macarons and Brownies.  You may choose to be fierce and make all 3 or simply pick your favorite one for your mommy dearest.

Ingredients for Coconut Macaroons:

  • 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Ingredients for Chewy Pecan Bars:

Crust

  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Topping

  • 1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 4 cups coarsely chopped pecans (about 14 1/2 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, leaving 1-inch overhang on all sides. Butter foil. Blend flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt in processor. Add butter and process until mixture begins to clump together. Press dough evenly onto bottom of foil-lined pan. Bake crust until set and light golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand while preparing topping. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Ingredients for Espresso Brownies:
  • 8oz unsweetened chocolate
  • 12 oz butter
  • 12 oz eggs
  • 24 oz sugar
  • 0.12 oz salt
  • 1/2 oz vanilla
  • 1/2 oz instant espresso powder/coffee
  • 16 oz all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 325F.  Grease and flour two 9″x13″ sheetpans or 3 9″ square pans.  Set aside.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler.  Let the mixture cool to room temperature.  Mix the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla together until well blended, but do not whip.  Whipping to a foam reates more leaveningm resulting in a more crumbly, less fudgy brownie.
Gently fold in with the chocolate mixture.  Sift in the flour and gradually fold in the wet batter and mix thoroughly.  Pour equal amounts into your baking pans and bake for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center.
Ingredients for Ganache Filling:
  • 12 oz of dark chocolate discs or bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons espresso powder/coffee

Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Stir in espresso powder.  Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake. Start at the center of the cake and work outward.

To assemble brownies, pour the ganache filling evenly onto one sheet pan.  Very carefully take the second sheet pan and place on top of the first, sandwiching both brownies together.
***Helpful til: By freezing/refrigerating the brownie beforehand will make assembly easier.
To make brownie bites, simply cut your brownies with a 2-4″ round cookie cutter.  Dip the tops of the brownies in ganache (see recipe above) and set aside on wax paper.  To finish, drizzle the tops with more ganache and garnish with whipped cream and edible flowers.  You can use different toppings like sprinkles, fruit etc — be creative!
This recipe makes about 16-20 brownie bites.
I hope everyone enjoys their Mother’s Day this weekend.  I am very fortunate to have a wonderful mother who is not only caring and loving but funny as all hell.  I find that the older I become, the more I appreciate my mother — the things that she does, the things that she’s done and I’m sure the many things she will do as I grow up.  It’s hard enough to be a good parent, but a good mother?  Those women deserve more than just a day out of the year.  But in the spirit of Mother’s day don’t forget to tell her all the ways you love her, appreciate her and how lucky you really are to have the best mother in the world.

Also today will be your last chance to enter my giveaway which will end at 7PM. (CT)

The lovely folks of Challenge Butter sent me a loooovely Zoo Animals Pancake Griddle from Nordic Ware($35 value), it is the most ADORABLE thing I’ve ever seen.

And you will win your choice of a 5″x7″ framed and matted color photo from my Spring Flower collection listed below ($50 value).

I will select one winner on Friday, May 7th at 7:00 PM using a random number generator service.  In order to be eligible for this giveaway please:

1. Leave a comment about your favorite Zoo animal and why.

2. Become a fan of Joylicious on Facebook.

3. Follow me on Twitter.

Good Luck!

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Categories: Desserts · Easy · Holidays
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