Category Archives: Dessert

Peach Melba Popsicles

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You might have the last few fresh and local peaches at your farmers markets or grocers. If you don’t, snag some from your freezer. This is a good reminder of summer weather before the fall settles in.

Peach Melba Popsicles

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup whole raspberries
  • 2 cups peeled chopped peaches in small/medium chunks, fresh or frozen
  • 1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt or non-dairy vanilla ice cream of your choice, slightly softened (think: soft-serve consistency) Or peach ice cream (https://scrumptiousbits.com/2018/08/29/nectarine-ice-cream/)

Heat sugar and water in a medium pot. Once dissolved, pour 1/4 of the syrup over the bowl of raspberries.

Add the peaches to the remaining syrup in the pot and simmer on low until soft.

Blend the peaches with the syrup and set aside.

Blend the raspberries with their syrup and set aside.

Now assemble the popsicles by adding a little bit of raspberry puree, a little of the peach purée and then add the ice cream. Freeze overnight and then enjoy!

Green Goddess Salmon with Crispy Potatoes

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I’m holding on to the last glimmers of summer with this fresh dinner option. When a meal is loved by all the family members we say, “definitely put this on the menu” for our make-believe family restaurant that we’ll never open. This meal got that stamp of approval.

The perfect last bite with crispy skin

Green Goddess Salmon with Crispy Potatoes

  • 2 lbs salmon cut in 2 pieces
  • 1 cup packed fresh basil
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 lemon, zested and then thinly sliced
  • 3 TBSP plain yogurt
  • 2 TBSP mayonnaise
  • 3 TBSP capers
  • 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thin
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Blend basil, garlic, anchovies, lemon zest, yogurt, and mayo until thick and uniformly green. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a bowl and set back in the fridge.

Heat a medium pan on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Salt salmon fillets on both sides. Layer top of salmon with thinly sliced lemons. Add to pan salmon, skin side up, lemon side down. Cook for 5 – 7 mins depending on thickness. Flip to skin side down and cook until salmon begins to flake when pushed on. Remove skin (it should come off easily). Cook the grey side of the salmon. Set aside. Add back in the skin and cook on both sides for an additional 3 mins each. Set salmon skin on paper towel to drain.

While salmon is cooking, heat another pan on medium with olive oil and add potatoes and salt. Potatoes should sizzle gently. Cover. Cook until crispy on the edges and tender inside (approx 15 mins). 1 minute before serving, add capers so they get a little crispy too and season with pepper.

Serve a slice of salmon with skin on top, dressing on the side with potatoes and any other veggies.

Enjoy!!

Peach Crumble Bars

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It’s peach season and we adopt a tree from Masumoto’s Farm each year. This year, we had an abundance of peaches. This bar was a total hit with the hubby as it was sweet and hearty with a tinge of salt – just like him. Hahahahaaa. I crack myself up.

Peach Crumble Bars

Adapted slightly from Pastry & Beyond

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 cups peeled fresh peaches, diced (I bet you could use frozen but I haven’t tried yet)
  • 3 TBSP sugar
  • 3 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • Nuts for the top if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 11×7 or 13×9 baking pan. line with parchment paper so you can pull the bars out of the pan once cooled.

In a medium bowl, mix peaches, lemon juice, extract. Then add cornstarch and sugar. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix everything but the melted butter. Then add the melted butter.

Using half the oat mixture, line the bottom of the pan. Add the peaches but not the liquid. I actually drained each scoop of peaches to make sure the liquid was left in the bowl.

Then squeeze walnut sized chunks of the remaining oat mixture and drop it on top of the peaches. It’ll clump together and make a crunchy top. I also added sliced almonds. I think pecans would be really good too.

Bake for 33-35 mins or until the top is light brown. Cool completely before trying to cut.

Would be great with a side of ice cream! Enjoy!!

Butter Mochi Muffins

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The cutest/sassiest names website, snixykitchen posted this recipe and I love it. It reminds me of Hawaii and makes me so happy to eat (looking at you gluten-free)! They smell crazy good coming out of the oven. They’re crunchy on the outside and mochi chewy on the inside. I’m addicted. Thanks snixy!!

Butter Mochi Muffins

  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing pans
  • 2 cups (320 grams) mochiko sweet rice flour
  • 1 cup (200 grams) organic dark brown sugar*
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 13.5-13.66-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon molasses (optional, added for flavor) – I didn’t use it
  • 1½ tablespoons each, black and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
  2. Generously grease the sides and top of a 12-cup muffin tin** with soft butter.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour, dark brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, and molasses.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until completely combined.
  6. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup all the way to the top. Note: the thickness of your batter will vary depending on the brand and thickness of your coconut milk and temperature of your butter. If your batter is thicker than mine pictured, that’s okay and it will still bake up delicious!
  7. Sprinkle the tops with black and white sesame seeds.
  8. Bake 55-65 minutes*** until the top is brown and crispy and the muffin springs back when poked with a finger.
  9. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.****

NOTES

*Organic dark brown sugar is richer and more caramel-y than conventional, but you an use conventional in a pinch!

**Any muffin tin will do, but for ultimate crispy exterior, I recommend a dark non-stick muffin tin.

***If using a light muffin tin, you may have to bake the muffins a little bit longer.

****If keeping them for longer, they’ll lose their crispiness after a day or two in storage, but you can pop them in the oven for a few minutes to get them crispy again before eating.

Pink Mylk – Sakara inspired

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One of my favorite discoveries in the past year was Sakara. It’s a meal program that inspired my cooking creativity just by taste.

Their Pink Mylk is one of my favorites over granola and freeze dried strawberries.

Pink Mylk

  • 1 Tbsp powdered Pitaya or Dragon Fruit powder
  • 2 shakes of cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp Himalayan sea salt
  • 2 Tbsp Manuka honey
  • 2/3 cup oat milk

Combine all ingredients and shake vigorously. Serve over nut granola topped with shredded coconut and freeze dried strawberries.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

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This cookie recipe never fails me. It’s so good and never lasts more than a couple days in the cookie jar. Make some with nuts and others without and tell me which ones you prefer.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Credit to Smitten Kitchen again!

  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (130 grams) pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

Adjust the oven rack to the top third of the oven and preheat to 300F (150C).

Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda.

Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts if you’re including.

Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon (5cm) balls and place 8 balls, spaced 4 inches (10cm) apart, on each of the baking sheets.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

I’ve refrigerated cookie dough balls to cook later (these are delicious freshly baked). They worked out great and just require that you bring them to room temp before baking.

Enjoy!

Honey Cakes

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These are typically eaten for the Jewish New Year to insure a sweet new year. I’m a bit late posting because I wanted to see how well they froze. The answer: perfectly! These would be wonderful holiday gifts too especially in the little loaf pans.

Honey Cake

Exact recipe from Smitten Kitchen

    3 1/2 cups (440 grams) all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
    1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    4 teaspoons (about 8 grams) ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
    1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
    1 cup (235 ml) vegetable oil
    1 cup (340 grams) honey
    1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
    1/2 cup (95 grams) brown sugar
    3 large eggs at room temperature
    1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
    1 cup warm (235 ml) coffee or strong tea
    1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh orange juice

Fits in three loaf pans, two 9-inch square or round cake pans, one 9 or 10 inch tube or bundt cake pan, or one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake. I made mine in one full-size loaf pan plus four miniature ones.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper, cut to fit.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center, and add oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, orange juice and rye or whiskey, if using. (If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be easier to get all of the honey out.)

Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.

Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using. Place cake pan(s) on two baking sheets, stacked together (this will ensure the cakes bake properly with the bottom baking faster than the cake interior and top).

Bake until cake tests done, that is, it springs back when you gently touch the cake center. For angel and tube cake pans, this will take 60 to 75 minutes, loaf cakes, about 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet style cakes, baking time is 40 to 45 minutes.

Let cake stand fifteen minutes before removing from pan.

Freeze once cooled and store for up to 3 months.

Peach Cobbler

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I was waiting to post this recipe because I wanted to see how it freezes. Oh mah japles! It turned out so well. A couple weeks ago, when I had sooooo many peaches from our harvest, I made this recipe to every step but the final baking. I froze it and then vacuum sealed it. I was worried about the topping because frozen uncooked cobbler does not look promising. I defrosted the cobbler by putting it on the counter for a couple hours in the morning. Around noon, I put it in the fridge. Then, i put it back on the counter while cooking dinner to come to room temp. When dinner was served, I cranked up the oven to 400 degrees and cooked it for 30 mins. It came out perfectly – especially served with the nectarine Ice Cream.

 

Peach Cobbler

Adapted from Gonna Want Seconds

Filling

  • 6 medium peaches, peeled and sliced into 12 wedges
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • A couple passes over the grater of whole nutmeg
  • A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp cornstarch

Toppin

  • 2 cups pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter cut into pea sized pieces
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 3 Tbsp sugar reserves for top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, fold the peaches, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and cornstarch until all ingredients are well combined. Don’t over mix or you’ll smash the peaches.

Pour fruit mixture into a round tin sue dish.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.

While peaches are in the oven, mix together all the dry topping ingredients.

Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

Pour in the boiling water and stir just until the mixture comes together and is just mixed through.

After the peaches have baked the 10 minutes, pull them from the oven and drop large spoonfuls of the dough topping over peaches. If you’re going to freeze, let the filling cool first.

Evenly sprinkle the top of the dough with the 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Put the tin on a baking sheet (to catch any filling that bubbles out. Then bake for 30 mins or until the topping is golden brown.

Your house is going to smell delicious!!

Nectarine Ice Cream

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“A perfect after dinner palate cleanser,” says the hubby. David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop has my favorite ice cream and sorbet recipes. Since I had pounds and pounds of nectarines recently, I made his Peach Ice Cream recipe with a few minor adjustments (like the fruit exchange).

Nectarine Ice Cream

  • 1 1/3 pounds ripe nectarines (about 6 medium nectarines) peeled, cut into chunks off the pit
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Cook nectarines with water over medium heat, stirring until soft (about 15–20 mins).

Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Let this cool to room temp.

Blend the cooled nectarines with the other liquids until almost smooth. Leave some pieces of fruit visible because that’s delicious.

Chill the mixture overnight. Then put it in your ice cream maker (I have a cuisinart) for the time required by the manufacturer. Mine calls for 15 mins.

It then needs some time in the freezer. It’s usually ready in a few hours but we eat it the next day.

If you’re fancy, eat it topped with whipped cream and granola or toasted coconut.

Enjoy!

Peach Crisp

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I’ve made tons of crisps over the years. I’ve done all the berry combinations and have always loved how easy they are to throw together. Then, I had this one. You guys, it is mind blowing good. The peaches with the pecans, not to mention the stick of butter. It is perfectly crispy with warm oooey peaches. You should make this today.

Peach Crisp

Adapted from a recipe found on Pinterest.

Filing

  • 5 cups peeled and sliced peaches (the recipe says thinly but I coined them to be too soft so I fattened up the slices a little)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Crisp

  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted pecan pieces
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the filing ingredients together in one bowl. Add to a 9″ round pie pan.

Mix the crisp ingredients together in a separate bowl. Sprinkle on top of the peach mixture. It’s going to sit really high like a mountain.

Bake on a cookie sheet for 40-45 mins. Let it cool for 20 mins before trying to take a bite. It’s like molten lava underneath.

Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.