Category Archives: DESSERT RECIPES

AMARETTO BUNDT CAKE

I just realized that there isn’t a commonly used word for a person like myself who loves all things Italian!  Francophile is universally used to describe people who love all things French.  And Anglophile is the name associated with people who love all things English. So why in the name of al dente fettuccine isn’t everyone using Italophile to describe a person like myself? (I know some of you already have a name for people like me, but that name doesn’t relate to a passion for Italy.)  But really, think how unfair it is that “Italophile” is not in the common vernacular! I mean come on, who doesn’t think, (at least those who have visited France, England and Italy) that Tuscany isn’t just about as perfect as any place in either France or England? Or who wouldn’t want to spend 6 months living in a small pensione in any one of the 5 tiny villages that constitute the Cinque Terra in Italy as much as they would want to spend time on the English coast or on the French Riviera? And who doesn’t think that Italian food is certainly the equal of, if not even more delicious than French cuisine? (I’m not even going to mention English food in this discussion!) I mean truly, if you want to consider food in this equation at all, Italian food would win hands down. All anyone has to do is go to the yellow pages under Italian, French, or English restaurants to determine that Italian restaurants are far and away the most popular of the three.

So back to my original supposition – I truly believe that the word “Italophile” should become a part of our common vocabulary and trip easily and frequently off of our tongues. I know I am going to start using it in conversation. People will think me strange at first, but every person who uses an unfamiliar term has to be prepared to suffer a few slings and arrows to get their point across. Of course after it catches on, and everyone is using Italophile in every other sentence, someone else will take the credit for its popularity. But you will know who it was that really started the craze. You can even tell your friends you were there at the very beginning. After all, if someone can make “dude” a household word, then a word as sophisticated and trendy as “Italophile” should be easy. Spread the word my friends, spread the word!

Oh and by the way, the recipe attached is really wonderful. It is every Italophiles dream of how a cake should taste. Buon Appetito!

  • 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 (3 ½-oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 3 T. + ½ c. Amaretto liqueur, divided
  • ½ c. water
  • ½ c. vegetable oil
  • ¼ tsp. almond extract
  • 1 c. sifted powdered sugar

Combine cake mix, eggs, pudding mix, 3 T. Amaretto, water, oil, and almond extract in a mixer bowl. Beat on medium low speed for 5 minutes. Spoon batter into a buttered and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Do not over-bake. Meanwhile whisk together the remaining ½ cup Amaretto and powdered sugar. Set aside. After cake has been removed from the oven and is still hot and still in the pan, poke holes all over with a toothpick. Pour the Amaretto icing into the holes and all over what will become the bottom of the cake. Allow to cool for 2 hours before gently removing from pan to a cake plate.

 

CINNAMON NUT COFFEE CAKE

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I never really liked coffee cake as a kid or as a young adult because I found the cake part way too dry and the topping way too sweet. So for many years I never even attempted to make one myself because I assumed (you know what that makes me!) mine would turn out the same. (During all that time I had watched other people buy coffee cake with their morning coffee, but I just thought they were folks who were clueless.)

Well I was in a hurry last Friday but still wanted to bring a little treat for our BlueStreet Jazz Voices Saturday morning rehearsal. So I thought about coffee cake. I went on line searching under “coffee cake made with cake mix”. I found a veritable plethora (love that word) of recipes from which to choose. They all looked easy, so I picked one and made a few changes. As it turns out, I’m the only one who was clueless! The coffee cake turned out to be moist and delicious and the filling/topping delightful and not overly sweet. And it could not have been easier to prepare.

So if I were still gainfully employed, this would definitely be a treat I would bring my fellow staff members to brighten their day. I can just picture the smiles on their faces when I showed up some dreary winter Monday morning with one of these babies in hand. You know, working for a large financial institution (or any large corporation, for that matter) can have its rather dull moments. I know that shocks you, but it’s true. But something as simple as a homemade coffee cake sitting on the counter near the coffee pot can truly lift people’s spirits. It’s just a nice way of bringing a little of the comfort of home to the sterile environment of the office. In the immortal words of the now middle aged Pillsbury Dough Boy – “nothin’ says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven”. (You know, it’s pretty darn scary when you find yourself quoting a man shaped marshmallow wearing a chef’s hat! But basically, that’s exactly how I feel!)

Enjoy the recipe.

  • 1 (18.25-oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix
  • 1 (5.1-oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix (that’s the large package of instant pudding)
  • ½ tsp. instant espresso, opt. (I use Medaglia D’oro)
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 c. water
  • 1 c. vegetable oil
  • 1 c. packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, and espresso powder. Add the eggs, oil, and water; beat for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in another bowl stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Pour just under half of the batter into a buttered 10×16-inch pan (glass is best). Spread evenly. Sprinkle with half of the brown sugar mixture. Carefully spread the rest of the batter evenly over the filling.  Sprinkle with the remaining nut mixture. Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven (glass) or 350 degree oven (metal) for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the cake comes out clean. Do not over-bake. Allow to cool completely before serving. Best made the day before.

 

ITALIAN DREAM CAKE

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So for years I have been seeing recipes for Italian Dream Cake. Years! (And yes I know it’s actually Italian Cream Cake, but once you have eaten a piece of this fabulous creation, I bet you won’t argue with my new name for this Italian classis dessert!) So like I said, I’ve been looking at recipes for this cake for years. And yet I never gave any of them a try until our last JazzVox concert. (I was planning an Italian food theme and needed more than one dessert. So in addition to one of my favorite Italian inspired cakes, Amaretto Bundt Cake (recipe to be posted in the near future), I decided to serve this cake using a recipe I found who knows how long ago. I made a few minor variations of course, but the basic easy to prepare bones of the recipe remain. All I can say is – WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS TUSCAN DID I WAIT SO BLOODY LONG TO MAKE THIS CAKE? It is incredibly delicious and almost embarrassingly easy to prepare. So do yourself a favor and don’t wait like I did. Make this cake for your next gathering and impress the pickles out of your family and friends. Or take it to work one day. Just don’t be surprised if your co-workers start begging you to “bring THAT cake” again and again. Some recipes should just plain come with warning labels. This is one of those recipes.

Warning: Will trigger adoration! Will inspire devotion! Will lead to more baking! Be prepared!

  • 1 white cake mix
  • 1 (3½-oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
  • ¾ c. half & half
  • ¾ c. water
  • 4 lg. eggs, room temperature
  • ½ c. vegetable oil
  • 1¼ c. chopped pecans, lightly toasted, divided
  • 3½ c. flaked coconut, divided
  • 3 T. unsalted butter, room temp.
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla
  • 1 T. heavy cream or more
  • 2½ c. powdered sugar or more

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the cake mix, vanilla pudding, half & half, water, eggs and oil. Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. Fold in 1 cup of the pecans and 2 cups of the coconut. Pour the batter into a lightly buttered 9 x 13-inch pan (glass is best). Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven (glass pan) or 350 degree oven (metal pan) for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not over-bake. Allow to cool completely before frosting. While cake cools, toast the remaining 1 ½ cups of coconut. Set aside.

In a medium sized mixer bowl, thoroughly cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and enough cream to make a smooth spreading consistency. (You may need to add more cream or powdered sugar to get the right consistency for you.) Frost the cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut and remaining ¼ cup pecans. Refrigerate until about an hour or two before you plan to serve. Don’t even think of serving with ice cream or whipped cream. Absolutely not necessary and would detract from the cake itself. You simply don’t want to do that!

 

 

 

FLOURLESS ORANGE CHOCOLATE CAKE (GÂTEAU AU CHOCOLAT)

As promised, this is another one of my favorite gluten free recipes. I make this cake every time I want an easy and absolutely decadent dessert. And I have yet to make it without someone (usually one of the guys) following me around like a puppy begging for more. They’ll usually even clean the bottom of the pan and the cake plate for me just to be able to scrape off the last few morsels. (I love it when someone else does the cleanup.) So if you want an easy and gluten free dessert, give this little darling a try. You will not be disappointed.

Speaking of disappointed, I know there are those of you out there that begin or end each day by reading my blog. (Don’t be ashamed, we all have our guilty little secrets.) So it is with mixed feelings that I tell you that this is the time of year I begin enjoying outdoor adventures and travel time with Mr. C. (Mixed feelings because I love to travel and spend quality time with Mr. C. and family, and I love to write on a daily basis. Sometimes they are just mutually exclusive.)

In other words, during late spring, summer and early fall, I won’t be writing up sparkling introductions and fantastic recipes for your edification as frequently as I have been these past 4 months. But don’t panic! Sit down, take a deep breath and get yourself under control! (And by-the-way, the old paper bag trick to stop simple hyperventilation actually does work!) Instead of almost daily, I will be posting entries when time and WiFi permit. (Sometimes we take our trailer way off grid. And when we go to Italy this fall, you can bet your best bottle of Chianti that I won’t be thinking about the blog at all!)

But come late fall and winter, when you too are back from vacations and have more time to read and digest (literally and figuratively) more recipes, we will once again begin our daily double routine. Me behind the computer, you in front!

But for now, I wish each and every one of you a happy late spring and a fantastic summer. And special thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I love writing it and hope it brings you cooking inspiration and every once in awhile a little chuckle to brighten your day. Now, where did I leave the keys to the trailer?

  • 1 lb. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 c. butter
  • ¼ c. + 2 tsp. Cointreau or other orange flavored liqueur
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 7 lg. eggs, room temperature
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 pint whipping cream
  • ¼ c. powdered sugar
  • zest of 1 orange

Combine chocolate chips and butter in a heavy saucepan and heat until chocolate melted. Remove from heat and add the ¼ cup Cointreau and vanilla. Set aside and cool to lukewarm. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar together for about 6 minutes or until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Ribbons should form when beaters are lifted. Slowly pour the melted chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs and pour into a buttered 9-inch spring-form pan that has been fitted with an aluminum foil leakage guard bottom. (I usually cut a circle of aluminum foil about an inch in circumference larger than my pan. Then I place the pan on the foil and fold the foil up the sides to prevent batter leakage. As further protection from run away melted butter escaping to the floor of my oven, I place the whole thing on a rimmed baking sheet.) Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes (don’t use convection if at all possible) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool for 5 minutes. Gently press down edges of cake with your fingers. Cool completely in pan. Then, run knife down edges to loosen cake. Remove sides of pan and set cake, bottom of pan and all, on cake plate. When ready to serve, whip cream to stiff peaks. Whip in powdered sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons of Cointreau. Dollop whipped cream on each thin slice serving and sprinkle with a tad bit of orange zest.

 

CAPPUCCINO BROWNIES

So, yes I know, using a brownie mix is cheating. But I purchase the big boxes of Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix at Costco because I often serve brownies at our monthly JazzVox in-home concerts and this mix really saves me money and time. Plus, the brownies are delicious. Then when you add a layer of coffee flavored butter cream and a topping of ganache, well decadence personified is not an over exaggeration!

Plus, almost everyone loves brownies. In fact, right after pizza, chocolate is the 2nd most beloved food in America according to a poll taken and reported on “The Top Tens” web site. Next on the list is chicken. I found that quite interesting; a food item high on the list that actually contained nutritional value! Next most popular food – ice cream. No surprise there. After that burgers, steak, tacos, sushi, bacon (no surprise there either) and finally French fries. So while I was researching favorite foods, I thought about my own top ten list of edibles that I find most appealing. (Given what I learned about myself during this little self-analysis, I should really weigh about 300 pounds! There must be something dramatically wrong with my metabolism that although close, I’m not there yet!)

Patti’s top ten (not necessarily in order, except for cheese burgers of course): cheese burgers (always and ever number one on my list), broccoli and zucchini (tied), poultry, mixed green salads (especially when topped with blue cheese dressing), homemade pepperoni pizza, any oven roasted vegetable, any kind of cheese, homemade soup, pasta with a rich creamy sauce, and finally bread of any kind, especially warm sour dough bread with lots of butter. Of course, honorable mention must go to very dry Tanqueray martinis, shaken not stirred, up with one olive. (You can’t live on them, but who wants to live without them either?)

Although chocolate, or any other sweet for that matter, is not on my top ten favorite foods list, it just might be on yours. If so, do yourself a favor and make a batch of these amazing brownies. They are simple to prepare and look and taste like a million dollars. Cheers to Theobroma Cacao, the fruit of Gods!

  • 1 pkg. chocolate brownie mix (or favorite from scratch recipe)
  • ¼ c. butter, room temperature
  • 2 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 T. + 1/3 c. plus 3 T. heavy cream
  • 2 tsp. + ¼ tsp. instant espresso coffee (I use Medaglia D’oro)
  • 1 ½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • coffee beans, opt. garnish

Prepare and bake brownie mix according to instructions on package in a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan. (Even if the mix says bake in an 8×8 or 9×9 pan use a 9×13.) Allow to cool. Meanwhile, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. (Will be a very dry mixture at this point.) In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 2 teaspoons coffee powder. Add the cream mixture to the butter/powdered sugar mixture. Beat until very creamy and smooth. Spread evenly over cooled brownies. Chill for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat and stir the remaining 1/3rd cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream and chocolate chips together over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken. Stir in the remaining 1/4th teaspoon instant espresso coffee. Spread over chilled brownies and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into desired size and top each piece with a coffee bean.

APPLE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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This is probably the best and easiest apple cake recipe imaginable. I received the basic bones of this recipe from my dear friend Linda’s mother Rhoda. Rhoda told me the cake was OK served the same day but was absolutely sensational after it had been frozen. I sometimes bake wedding cakes for relatives and friends and always freeze them until the day they are to be served. But until Rhoda told me about freezing this particular cake, I hadn’t really thought about why some cakes are actually moister after having been frozen.  Since vegetables and fruit are built of cells containing cytoplasm (the clear liquid that fills the cells), when frozen, water expansion causes the cell membranes to rupture. This creates a distinctly different texture. In essence, plant cells lose any remaining crispness that may have remained after having been exposed to heat during the baking process. (I’m no chemist, so this is a very rudimentary, and hopefully accurate explanation.) Bottom line: I would never dream of serving any cake containing fruit or veggie matter without first letting it spend a bit of quality time in my freezer. Same goes for quick breads such as Banana or Zucchini. The difference is simply that remarkable.

Please note: There are two recipes for cream cheese frosting below

Cake:

  • 4 c. grated apples
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 c. packed brown sugar
  • ½ c. vegetable oil
  • 1 c. chopped nuts
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 c. flour
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. soda
  • 1 tsp. salt

Combine apples, sugars, oil, nuts, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk together the flour cinnamon, soda, and salt. Add to apple mixture. Pour into a greased and floured 9 X 13-inch pan. (A glass pan is best.) Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven (for glass) or 350 degree oven (for metal) for 40-45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Cool completely, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze for at least 2 days. Defrost and spread with frosting. *Decorate with chopped nuts. Serve at room temperature.

*I always decorate a cake with nuts if there are nuts in the cake itself. You never know when someone might be allergic. So if there are nuts on top, no one has to wonder. Many people don’t like to cause a fuss, and having nuts so in evidence, nothing has to be said to the hostess except no thank you!

Regular Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • ½ c. butter, room temperature
  • 8-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar
  • ½ c. chopped nuts, decoration

Cream butter and cream cheese together until well blended. Add vanilla and enough powdered sugar to make a firm but not too stiff consistency. Beat until smooth and easy to spread.

Spiced and Spiked Cream Cheese Frosting: 

  • ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
  • pinch salt
  • 2 T. brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1½ T. liqueur – Calvados (apple flavored brandy) or regular brandy
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar, more or less

Beat the butter, cream cheese, salt, and brown sugar together until creamy. Mix in the cinnamon, vanilla, and Calvados. Add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

 

 

 

 

 

APPLE PIE BARS

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There is just nothing better than apple pie.  Apple pie is delicious, relatively inexpensive to prepare, and by golly, it’s American! But Apple Pie Bars, an Irish favorite, are simply amazing too and take about half the time to prepare. All the lovely spiced apple flavor we so dearly love is right there in this dessert. Then to make matters even more delectable, and decadent I might add, we take the whole dish over the top by adding a *cognac flavored whipped cream. (I don’t know if a liquor enhanced whipped cream is Irish or not. But when Mr. C. and our good friend Mr. H. recommended the use of cognac when I approached the subject of adding some type of booze to the whipped cream for this dessert, it sounded perfect to me. It turned out so amazing, that if the Irish don’t add liquor to their whipped cream, they sure as heck should be!)

*Some interesting information about cognac. According to the Cognac Expert web site “cognac is a type of blended brandy (distilled wine) that most commonly is produced in 3 different grades – V.S. (Very Special – aged 2-5 years), V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale – aged 5-10 years), and X.O. (Extra Old – 10 years and beyond). Blending different ages of cognacs is what determines the grade and quality of the finished product. And it doesn’t matter in what proportion these cognacs are blended, it’s the youngest one in the blend that determines the grade. So, for example, you might find that a large producer blends a few drops of a very, very old and rounded cognac with a small amount of middle aged Cognac, and then fills the bottle with seven year old cognac. They would still only be able to market the bottle as V.S.O.P. because the youngest member of the blend was within the 5 to 10 year guideline for V.S.O.P.” As with other fine liquor, aging time is often a consideration in both quality and price. So obviously an X.O. cognac is going to be considerably more expensive to purchase than a V.S. For cooking purposes, I use a V.S., whereas for sipping, Mr. C. prefers a V.S.O.P. (Of course he does.) A little hint regarding the use of cognac in cooking: I love good gravy, and in my humble opinion, I make one that’s fairly decent. (Our good friend Jim swears it’s only because I have the “grandma” gene.) But I have a secret. I often finish my gravies with a teaspoon or two of cognac. There is just something about the flavor of cognac that blends beautifully with the richness of the meat juices, especially in turkey gravy. You don’t even really taste the cognac. It just helps ramp up the other flavors. So give it a try next time you fix gravy. Just go easy, you don’t really want your family or guests to learn your secret. Just let them think you possess a “gravy” gene too. It’s more fun that way!

  • 2 c. + 1 T. flour
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 c. chilled butter, diced
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • 3 large semi-tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon + more for sprinkling
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 2 T. powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. cognac or spiced rum or 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Whisk the 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I use my fingers.) Stir in egg yolks with a regular table knife. (The dough will be crumbly.)  Remove 1/4 of the mixture and set aside. Press remainder onto bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add prepared apples. (See tip below.) Place apples on crust, and top with reserved crumb mixture sprinkled evenly over top.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes or until top is a light golden brown and filling is bubbly around the edges of the pan. Meanwhile whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add powdered sugar and cognac and whip again just until combined. Serve bars warm or at room temperature dolloped with whipped cream and sprinkled lightly with cinnamon. Absolutely delightful served with a nice hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. (Tip: cut your apples ahead of time if you want, but don’t add the brown sugar mixture until just before you are ready to bake. If the sugar mixture is added ahead of time, osmosis (the tendency of liquid to travel) will occur and just that little bit of excess liquid can make the shortbread crust soggy. This same principle also applies when baking fruit pies. Regardless of whether you are using apples, berries, or any other type of fruit, don’t add the sugar mixture until just before you place the mixture on the bottom crust. (I even go so far as to have my top crust all ready to go before I add the filling.) Believe me, the fruit will still give off plenty of juice while it is baking, but you have a better chance of your pie crust not getting soggy if you start with as little liquid as possible.)

 

BREAD PUDDING WITH SPICED RUM SAUCE

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There are few desserts as delicious as bread pudding. But it has to be good bread pudding. For decades I shied away from this incredible dessert because of my grandmother. Please allow me to explain. I think I’ve already told you that both my mother and maternal grandmother were not good cooks. My grandmother however, was excellent at homemade bread and pies. So you would think, since bread pudding is made from bread, she should have been able to make at least a passable bread pudding. Absolutely not the case. And since I never watched her put one together, I actually don’t know how hers was prepared. (Even from the ripe old age of 4 or so, I knew instinctively when to say no thank you to food that I had once tasted and knew was of poor quality. Why then would I even want to know how it was prepared? I was no dummy, even as a kid!) But, to the best of my recollection, grandma’s bread pudding starred plain old bread, soaked in a combination of milk, eggs, and a pinch of cinnamon and liberally laced with raisins. Now I like raisins, but not when they are burnt. And that was my grandmother’s forte. She could burn a raisin better than anyone I have ever known. And even if there had been some kind of warm sauce to serve with the pudding, it sure as heck didn’t contain liquor. (Not that I would have even known about cooking with liquor when I was a child. My parents weren’t teetotalers, but by any stretch of the imagination, they weren’t drinkers either. So spring forward several decades to when I left my bad memories behind and became a true devotee of bread saturated with milk, cream, and eggs and studded with little golden jewels of flavor. New Orleans. Marti Gras. Good friends (Dick, Eloise, son John and daughter-in-law Carol), fun parades, great music, and amazing food. So you know the old saying, when in Rome, well when in New Orleans you eat anything placed in front of you because it is bound to be delicious. So in order not to appear a prig (yes, I spelled it right) I went along with the crowd and ordered bread pudding for dessert one evening. Any resemblance to what I had experienced as a child was merely coincidental!  I had discovered heaven in a bowl. As soon as we got home after our 10 day adventure in Louisiana, I went to work finding the perfect recipe for bread pudding. I finally ended up with the recipe below, an amalgam of several recipes I found in cookbooks. I hope you enjoy this lovely dessert as much as we do. This bread pudding has actually made believers of others like me who, until they tried really good bread pudding, just couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. But I get it now. This recipe could make a bread pudding believer out of you too. Give it a try.

Bread Pudding Ingredients:

  • ¼ c. spiced rum
  • 1 c. golden raisins
  • 8 lg. eggs, room temperature
  • 3 ½ c. whole milk
  • 1 ½ c. heavy cream
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 (1-lb.) loaf Challah or other dense egg bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

Spiced Rum Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 c. packed brown sugar
  • ½ c. butter
  • ½ c. heavy cream
  • 2 T. spiced rum
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon

Whipped Cream Topping Ingredients:

  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 2 T. powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. spiced rum

Bread Pudding: Combine spiced rum and golden raisins in a small heavy pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until all liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and cool. Meanwhile combine eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Gently stir in bread cubes and cooled raisins. Pour mixture into a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Bake uncovered in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 75 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. (Watch carefully the last 30 minutes or so. If the pudding starts to get too brown before it is set, gently tent with aluminum foil.) Serve warm with Spiced Rum Sauce and a dollop of Whipped Cream Topping.

Spiced Rum Sauce: Combine brown sugar and butter in a medium sized heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until butter completely melted and mixture is smooth. Add heavy cream, spiced rum, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until mixture thickens and is reduced to about 1 ½ cups. Serve warm over pudding. Can be made ahead and refrigerated. Bring to a simmer again before serving.

Whipped Cream Topping:  Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks; add powdered sugar and spiced rum. Serve dolloped over top of Spiced Rum Sauce.

 

PEACH KUCHEN

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There are few recipes with which I can impress people regarding my ultimate command of all things gluten as much as when I serve these amazing bar cookies/dessert. I really should not be sharing this recipe with you because my expertise in the kitchen is going to suffer a mighty hit when you realize how easy Peach Kuchen is to prepare. But because I hold you in such high regard and want you also to be known as kitchen geniuses, I am going to make the supreme sacrifice. (Nobility obviously runs in my family. It runs alright, as fast and as far away as possible!) But back to the recipe. I found this recipe probably 25 years ago, and as with many of the recipes I am going to share with you, couldn’t name the author even if someone threatened to take away my KitchenAid mixer! So for what it’s worth, take my advice and prepare Peach Kuchen next time you need a quick and easy cookie/dessert. You are simply not going to believe how good these few pantry and refrigerator staples can taste when combined for this dessert. And yes, of course, butter, eggs, and sour cream are staples in my home! If I even run low on butter and sour cream, I break out in hives. As far as white cake mix, coconut, and sliced peaches, they too are standard ingredients I always try to have on hand. (And no, I don’t break out in hives if a white cake mix doesn’t happen to be in residence in my pantry. I lose sleep of course until I can get to the store and purchase one, but I don’t break out in hives. That would be ridiculous!)

  • ¾ c. cold butter
  • 1 box white cake mix
  • ½ c. coconut
  • 1 can (29-oz.) sliced peaches
  • 1 T. cinnamon (yes, 1 tablespoon!)
  • ½ c. sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. sour cream

Cut butter into cake mix until crumbly. Add coconut. Pat mixture into an ungreased 12×17-inch medium sized jelly roll pan (a 10×16-inch pan can be used in a pinch if you don’t own a 12×17); bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool. Meanwhile, drain the peaches and chop into pea sized pieces. When crust is cool, arrange peach pieces evenly over the surface. Mix cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle evenly over the peaches. Combine egg and sour cream and slather evenly over the top of the cinnamon and sugar. Bake another 25 minutes or until sour cream mixture is set. (Thin cracks will start to appear on the surface when the sour cream is set.)  Cool and cut into small squares.

Note: I have never served this cookie/dessert without someone asking me for the recipe. These are simply heaven on earth good.

 

 

CHERRIES JUBILEE

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I am not the biggest lover of sweets. But don’t get me wrong, like everyone else, I enjoy a really good piece of pie, or a perfectly baked cookie. But sweets are not the reason I am filled to the brim of slimness. That dubious honor belongs to bread and sauces! But even though desserts aren’t my thing, I almost always prepare one when I am having guests over for dinner. And luckily for Mr. C. that is quite often. (Unlike me, Mr. C. was blessed with not just one sweet tooth, but several!) So give this take on an old classic a try. The great thing about my version is that it is prepared ahead of time and only warmed at the last minute. Of course you will lose points because this way of serving Cherries Jubilee is not flamed at the table. But having to possibly invite the fire department to join your dinner party isn’t all that appealing either!

  • 1 can cherries, drained, juice reserved
  • 2 tsp. Demerara sugar
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 2 T. Kirschwasser (cherry flavored liqueur)
  • vanilla ice cream

Whisk together the cherry juice, sugar, cornstarch, and orange zest in a small sauce pan. Place over medium heat and cook until smooth and thick. Add the drained cherries. Turn off the heat, turn off your fan and pour liqueur over mixture. Torch the liqueur and allow the flame to go out on its own. If you are not going to serve within a few hours, refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to serve, gently warm the sauce and layer with ice cream in pretty glasses or small bowls. Serve immediately. Believe me, even without the showy presentation, your guests will love this not too sweet dessert.