Whipped Lemon Icebox Tart

Does food speak to you? It definitely speaks to me, and right now it’s the lemons screaming, “it’s spring, it’s spring!”  I seem to want lemon everything, and as I walked through the grocery store this week, I could almost hear the big bag of beautiful lemons whisper, “take me home”; so I did!

I absolutely love lemon curd – the tanginess that’s still somehow sweet and the silkiness that’s punctuated by bits of lemon zest so that you know it’s the real thing. I could eat it by the bowlful, but I usually try to show some self-control and share my golden treasure with others.

I’ve found that there are some people out there who find the pure lemon curd too overpowering (gasp!), and when serving a crowd, it might be best to town it down a little. I give you, my Whipped Lemon Icebox Tart.

I’d say this is more of a method than a recipe, but hey, maybe it’s something you haven’t thought of! Use your favorite lemon curd recipe (I’ve linked to Ina Garten’s below), and lighten it with homemade or store bought whipped topping. Smooth it into a prepared pie or tart shell, either homemade or store-bought, regular or graham cracker (decisions, decisions), and you have a beautiful spring dessert that’s easy, but sure to impress. I think this Whipped Lemon Icebox Tart would look fabulous on my Easter Table this year!

Whipped Lemon Icebox Tart

• 2 cups homemade Lemon Curd
• 2 cups freshly whipped Cream or store-bought Whipped Topping, plus extra for decorations if desired
• 1 baked Pie Crust or Tart Shell, homemade or store bought
• Lemon Twist for garnish

Place lemon curd in a large bowl. Add one large spoonful of whipped cream, and stir to combine. This will begin to lighten the curd. Add remaining whipped cream and gently fold in until combined. Spoon into pie shell and smooth top.

If desired, place extra whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe stars around edge of tart.

Place tart in the freezer for 2-3 hours to set, pull out  30 minutes to an hour before serving. (I like to pull the tart out to display as we sit down to eat, and by the time we are ready for dessert, it’s ready to cut!)

Prosecco Poached Pears

I feel so fancy when I make poached pears. You try it – in your most high and mighty accent say, “and for dessert, we’ll be having poached pears.” Impressive, right?

Really, they’re quite easy, and there are so many ways you can go about it. I like a wine poached pear, but I’m definitely not a sweet wine girl – either for drinking or cooking with. I use a Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine) to keep it both light and tart, and these pears come out fabulously every time.

The flavor of these poached pears is truly pear. They haven’t been overwhelmed by vanilla or cinnamon or other add ins. They are so simple, and yet, so versatile. I love them plain – just tart, clean, pear. Perfect after a rich meal. However, you could also top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel or creme anglaise for a decadent dessert experience. Dice them over your morning oatmeal or slice them for a lavish addition to your cheese board.

The poached pears can be made ahead and easily reheated before serving which makes entertaining a breeze (or for me, a random Tuesday night when it just sounds good!); so next time you want to impress, or just try something new, go with a Prosecco Poached Pear.

Prosecco Poached Pears

• 750ml bottle Prosecco
• 2 tablespoons Honey
• ½ cup dried Cranberries
• 4 firm Pears

Peel pears. Remove the core from the bottom leaving the pear intact. Leave the stem on.

Pour Prosecco into a pot just big enough to hold all four pears standing up. Add honey. Turn heat on low and stir to dissolve honey. Carefully stand pears in pot. Add cranberries.

Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat again and simmer with the lid on for 30 to 40 minutes. You can check for doneness at 30 minutes by poking one of the pears with a fork. If the fork goes into the pear very easily, it’s done.

Remove from heat, uncover, and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Reheat over medium high heat for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm. Plain, or with a sauce.

Silky Mocha Pie

After a couple of posts with nice, healthy recipes, how about today we go with chocolate pie? Don’t mind if I do!

As we were going stir crazy in the house last week, listening to branches crack and fall under the weight of the ice and watching cars slide down the road, there came a time when I needed chocolate. Rich, creamy, pure chocolate is all that would do. So I thought, okay, I can’t get to the grocery store, what do I have in the house to make something fantastic that will lift all of our spirits?

Pie was the answer. Oh, who am I kidding, pie is always the answer! I can easily make a pie crust using pantry staples that we always have on hand. (My go-to is Ina Garten’s Perfect Pie Crust.) Now for the custard filling. Milk? check. Eggs? check. Sugar, vanilla, and dark chocolate? Check, check, and check. At the last minute, I also decided to stir in some coffee granules to go in a more mocha direction, and because I like different textures, some toasted pecans on top for crunch. I used almond milk, but of course, you can use regular. Regular milk may thicken faster than the almond milk; if it gets too thick, just add a splash more milk.

The Hubby and I shared the last piece last night, and I was so sad to see it end. What will I do without my nightly treat of smooth, melt-in-my-mouth chocolate and crunchy pecans? Make another mocha pie, that’s what!

Silky Mocha Pie

• 1 Pie Crust, store-bought or home made
• ½ cup White Sugar
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ¼ cup Cornstarch
• 2 cups Almond Milk
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 6 ounces Dark Chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 tablespoon Instant Coffee Granules
• ½ cup toasted Pecans, chopped

Fit pie crust into pie pan or tart pan and bake according to package or recipe directions. Let cool completely.

In medium sized sauce pan, mix together white sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cornstarch.

In separate bowl, whisk together milk and egg yolks until well combined. Stir into sugar mixture in pan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, just until a boil is reached.  It should thicken quickly at this point. Once it thickens enough to coat your spoon, remove from heat and stir in chocolate, vanilla, and coffee until all chocolate is melted and custard is smooth.

Pour into pie shell and chill for at least 2 hours. Top with toasted pecans before serving.

Bread Pudding with Sugared Pecans

Bread Pudding is one of my absolute favorite desserts, but since discovering I have a growing lactose intolerance, I have avoided all things made with milk.  For the most part it hasn’t been too bad. I’ve been able to do without the heavy cream sauces, cheeses, and ice cream. I’ve also been able to use almond milk as a substitute for many of my baked goods and my morning oatmeal. And bonus – I’ve lost a few pounds! However, the other day I came across a picture of bread pudding, and I knew I had to have some. The question was – could I make the custard part with almond milk?

Guess what? Yes, you can! I was even able to make a simple caramel sauce. My bread pudding came out soft and custard-y in the middle with a toasted top. I love to mix textures and needed some crunch, so I added some sugared pecans. My feeling is, that unless I told you that I made it with almond milk, you’d never know the difference.

It’s so nice to know that even with some changes in my diet, I can still find a way to enjoy my favorites.

Bread Pudding with Sugared Pecans

• 5 cups cubed Italian Bread, day old (or more) works best, 1-inch cubes
• 6 Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

Pecan Topping

• 1 cup chopped Pecans
• 2 tablespoons Butter, melted
• ¼ cup Brown Sugar

Coat a 9×9 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Whisk eggs and sugar until combined. Whisk in milk and vanilla. Fold in bread cubes until they are all coated in custard mixture, pour into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350⁰. While oven is preheating, prepare pecan topping.

Combine melted butter and brown sugar. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over bread pudding.

Bake bread pudding for 40-45 minutes until it is golden brown on top and the custard has set. Serve warm with caramel sauce if desired.

NOTE: I used Ree Drummond’s Easy Caramel Sauce as a start, substituting in the almond milk, and not adding any extra vanilla (since I had vanilla almond milk). It didn’t thicken too much on the stove as I was cooking it, but it did thicken after cooling in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Soufflés with Toasted Marshmallow Merengue

Oh, how I love this time of year. The trees are turning into beautiful works of art, I’m breaking out my scarf collection, and Thanksgiving foods are everywhere! Bring on the food!

In our house, Thanksgiving truly means spending time with family and doing the thing we love most – feeding people! I always feel like Thanksgiving is the one holiday that I’m not in a competition. I don’t have to have the best dressed house, the coolest present, or the kid with the most elaborate costume you’ve ever seen. I can just be me and do what I love.

My mom and I have already been making lists and brainstorming what will make our menu this year.  We combine old family favorites with new ideas we want to try. It starts with a huge list that we slowly whittle down to a more manageable number. Today I’m thinking about dessert, more specifically, pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin pie has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. Give me a big slice and pile it high with fresh whipped cream, and I’m a happy girl. This year, maybe I’ll try something different, like these pumpkin soufflés. The texture and flavor is almost identical to a traditional pie, however this would be crustless and a little bit lighter. The marshmallow merengue piled high and toasted on the top takes the place of whipped cream, and does quite a nice job if I might say so myself!

Pumpkin Soufflés with Toasted Marshmallow Merengue

Soufflés

• 1 can Pumpkin, 15 ounces
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 can Evaporated Milk

Marshmallow Merengue

• 2 Egg Whites
• ½ cup Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Water
• ¼ cup Light Corn Syrup
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 350⁰. Prepare 4-6 ramekins (depending on size) with non-stick cooking spray.

Stir together pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in evaporated milk until well combined. Pour mixture into ramekins, filling ¾ full.

Place filled ramekins in a large baking dish; pour hot water into baking dish so that it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Put baking dish in oven and bake 50 minutes to 1 hour until puffed and set. Remove from oven, remove soufflés from water bath, cool completely.

Increase oven to 425⁰.

To make marshmallow merengue, heat sugar, water, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a boil.

In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium high speed for about a minute until white and frothy.  Very slowly, stream in hot syrup mixture while mixer is running. Turn speed to high and continue to beat egg whites for another 5 minutes until it is shiny and resembles marshmallow.

Spoon marshmallow merengue into a zip top bag or piping bag fitted with your choice of tip. Pipe onto cooled soufflés. You may have extra; I piped some onto some cupcakes (and maybe just ate a little with a spoon!)

Place soufflés back into oven to toast to the merengue. Keep an eye on them; it only takes a couple of minutes.

Serve warm or cold. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Lemon Caramel Pecan Tart

I have a love for anything with a buttery shortbread crust. I also have a love for anything made in a tart pan. Enter in my Lemon Caramel Pecan Tart!

Having a non-chocolate dessert option in my go-to arsenal is a must, and this is always a pleaser. Using a tart pan with a removable bottom makes it seem fancy and impressive when really, this tart is quite easy to put together.

Crunchy toasted pecans, rich caramel sauce, a buttery crust, and that hint of “wait, is that lemon?” make this a complex and completely satisfying dessert.

Lemon Caramel Pecan Tart

Crust

• 2 cups Flour
• 2/3 cup Powdered Sugar
• ¾ cup cold Butter, diced
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• Lemon Zest, from one lemon

Filling

• 4 cups Pecans, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Honey
• 2/3 cup Butter
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream
• Juice of ½ Lemon

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

Pulse all ingredients for crust in a food processor several times until coarse. Press mixture in the bottom and up the sides of your tart pan coated with non-stick spray. You can use one large 11-inch pan or several smaller ones. With my love of tart pans, I have quite the collection and like to make smaller tarts so I can give them away.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. It will have puffed in places, I use the back of a spoon to press it back down and smooth it out. Let the crust cool completely.

For the filling, stir together brown sugar, honey, butter, cream, and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in toasted pecans. Spoon filling into crust and bake (also at 350⁰) for 20-25 minutes until bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Tappan Hill Brownies

When it comes to desserts, I don’t know that I could be categorized as a “chocoholic” because I pretty much love everything. But, if I have a hankering for chocolate, I want pure, rich chocolate, and nothing else will do.  These brownies are the perfect fix for a girl in need of some serious chocolate.

I would like to start by saying this is not an original Sarah recipe. I got this recipe from my mom, she got it from a friend, and so on, and so on. Officially, the name is Tappan Hill Brownies.  They are my most requested “hey will you bring…” item and the only brownies I make.

For a brief history lesson, Tappan Hill is a mansion located in Tarrytown, NY and was a former residence (for a short time) of Mark Twain. Now it is used mainly as a reception site for events and weddings – which is where the brownie recipe comes from. Abigail Kirsch, the now owner of the estate, has published this recipe in her cookbook, The Bride & Groom’s First Cookbook, and if you do a search for “Tappan Hill Brownies”, you’ll get a ton of results.

I love to combine this recipe with Ina Garten’s chocolate ganache (which I usually double) for an extra rich chocolate kick layered right over the brownies. If you’re really feeling frisky, sprinkle on a few toasted nuts.

Tappan Hill Brownies

• 8 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped
• 2 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup Butter (2 sticks)
• ½ cup Flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla
• 1 ½ cup Chopped Walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350⁰. Coat an 8×11 baking pan with non-stick spray.

Bring butter to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Add all chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine eggs and sugar and beat with a mixer until mixture is thick and lighter in color. Stir in vanilla.

Stir in melted chocolate.

Fold in flour mixture. Add nuts, if desired.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting, if you can resist!

Peach Hand Pies

I always get a little obsessed with fresh peaches in the summer. I guess it’s because I never get grocery store peaches in the off-season. They never compare, so why bother?

A couple of weeks ago, as I was strolling through the farmer’s market (yes, I’m obsessed with that too!), carrying my basket of just-bought, amazing looking peaches, I stopped at a tent where a lady sells homemade hand pies.  I grabbed her last cherry pie and brought it home to the hubby. After he so graciously offered me a bite (yep, you heard right, one single bite), I decided to make my own hand pies with my newly acquired peaches. They were YUM!

I used a crust recipe that my mom and I have been using for a long time. It’s a pastry crust made with cream cheese.  The crust comes out a bit savory, which I think pairs so well with the fruit.  Also, the cream cheese makes the dough a little more malleable, so it’s easy to work with, which is important when you are trying to fold the crust over a fruit filling.

As for that filling – I made it the same way I did when I was preparing the peaches for my Peach Upside-down Cake. I didn’t want to take anything away from the flavor of the fresh peaches, so I didn’t add too much to them.

These little pies bake up beautifully.  The crust is savory and flaky, and the filling was juicy and not too sweet. Maybe I’ll experiment with some other fillings once peach season is over.

Peach Hand Pies, makes 8

Crust

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter, softened
• 2 ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt.

Beat butter and cream cheese together. Slowly mix in flour and salt until a dough forms. Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Pies

• ½ dough from above (save other half for another use or double remaining ingredients for more pies)
• 2 fresh peaches, peeled and diced
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten and mixed with 1 T water for an egg wash
• Cinnamon/sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

Allow dough to rest at room temperature 15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll. Roll out to ¼ inch thick. If dough breaks or cracks while rolling, it’s ok, just pinch it back together and keep going.  It’s pretty forgiving.

Cut dough rounds using a 4 inch pastry cutter or cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps and cut more rounds if needed.  I usually get at least 8. Place dough rounds on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Toss peaches with flour, sugar, and cinnamon.

Scoop 1-2 tablespoons peach mixture onto each dough round. Use egg wash to moisten the edges of the dough, fold over, and use a fork to crimp the edges to seal.

Use the end of a knife to make a few slits in the top of each pie.

Brush each pie with the egg wash and sprinkle on cinnamon/sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, or at room temperature. (Or like my family, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!)

Peach Upside-Down Cake

I recently shared with you my Grandmother’s Standard Shortcake recipe.  In that post, I described how one of my favorite ways to make the cake was as a peach upside-down cake.  Well, this week at the farmer’s market I bought some amazing peaches, and I immediately knew what I wanted to do with them!

I felt like I needed to give more specific instructions for the peach upside-down cake I mentioned and not just leave it at “pour the batter over some peaches”. So, today’s post will be an addendum to the previous post.

There are a couple of ways you can go about this because you’ll need more than half of the batter for the cake, but not quite all of it.  You can make one upside-down cake and toss the rest of the batter (No! Don’t do that!!), or you can make the cake and bake off the rest of the batter as one or two cupcakes.

I was making today’s cake to take to a family friend who just had surgery, so I decided to use my extra batter and make a mini peach upside-down cake in my jumbo muffin pan.  I couldn’t just make one of my favorite cakes and then give it all away! This way I got a taste, too.

Peach Upside-Down Cake

• 2 cups sliced fresh peaches
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 recipe standard shortcake batter

Preheat oven to 350⁰ and coat one 9-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Toss peaches with brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Spread evenly in bottom of cake pan.

Pour ¾ of your cake batter over the peaches (bake off the rest of your batter however you wish).

Bake for about 50 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen.  Turn out onto a plate and enjoy!

I love this cake served with fresh whipped cream (or in a pinch, a squirt of the spray-can type)!

Grandmommy’s Standard Shortcake

Losing a loved one is never easy, and no matter how prepared you think you are, it’s never enough. We were hit hard this year when we lost my grandmother, and immediately we were all reminded of how precious time with family is.

My grandmother was a force in the kitchen, and as we gathered to honor her memory, many of the stories shared involved food.  One of those told by my grandfather was about Grandmommy’s perfect shortcake.  This is a standard white cake recipe, but there is just something about it. It’s not too sweet, the texture is wonderful, and it is the perfect vessel for fresh fruit and whipped cream.

I’ve made this cake in so many ways, and the versatility is one of the reasons I love it. First, it’s an amazing white cake if you’re making an iced cake or cupcakes, but I’ve also taken those cupcakes and split them open for strawberries and cream or made a peach upside down cake by pouring the batter over fruit before baking.

I’d like to honor my dear Grandmommy and share the recipe with you.  Grandaddy’s favorite was as a strawberry shortcake.  What will be your favorite?

Standard 2 Egg Cake

• ½ cup (1 stick) Butter, softened
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• ½ cup Milk
• 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
• 3 teas. Baking Powder
• ½ teas. Salt
• 1 teas. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 375⁰. Coat two 9” cake pans with non-stick spray. Cut two 9” circles out of parchment paper, and line bottom of each pan. Spray again.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until well combined, lighter in color, and slightly fluffy (about 3 minutes). Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

Mix flour mixture into butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with milk.  Add vanilla.

Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on the top and a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.