Category: dessert

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

By , November 14, 2007 4:49 pm

This looks good. Like, wicked good. I was cruising the my index of recipe sites and found this scrumptious looking pumpkin pie. I’m not much or a baker. I’m not much of a dessert person, but this looks killer. I might actually try this next week.

A fluffy cream cheese and whipped topping layer is spread onto the bottom of a graham cracker crust. And then comes the pudding, pumpkin and spice layer. This luscious pie is then chilled and garnished with ginger-flavored whipped topping.

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

  • In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and sugar until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread into bottom of crust.
  • Pour 1 cup of milk into large bowl, and thoroughly mix in pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. When thickened, spread over cream cheese layer.
  • Refrigerate 4 hours, or until set.
  • Yankees suck!

Double Layer Pumkin Pie

The Pride of Boston … In a Cookie Tin

By , April 3, 2006 10:21 am

A tin chock full of hand-iced sugar cookies with Boston-themed artistry has put this small Beantown bakery on the map. Gourmet baker A Dozen Eggs not only produces the coolest Boston-themed cookies, but they also do hand-iced cookies with custom corporate logos, congratulatory messages, holiday themes, new baby boy/girl and several other occasions.

Beantown Cookies

Thanks to my friend Melanie for showing me this. She’s almost as big a Red Sox fan as I am. The Red Sox-like jersey cookie is what caught my eye in the Beantown cookie tin offering. As you can see they also have the Citgo sign, the T logo, Newberry Street sign and others. I hope they’re as good as they look. I’m placing an order right now. You can also buy them online at Chocolate.com.

When I originally tried to write this post and link it to their site, they were offline. There was a message on their site that led me to believe they were overwhelmed with online orders. They had to shut down and stop taking new orders for a while. Now they are back and my order, hopefully, will go through.

They were covered by Boston Magazine, local Boston food & restaurant review television show The Phantom Gourmet, the Boston Globe, and South Boston Online. The bakery and it’s owner, Laura Courtemanche, were covered on an episode of the Food Network’s Recipe for Success. Maybe my site linking to them will drum up enough business to knock them offline too.

Homemade Whipped Cream

By , March 8, 2006 11:36 am

I love whipped cream, but I hate the stuff in aerosol cans.  I’ll admit to a Cool Whip addiction.  Sometimes I’ll eat cool whip out of the tub like it’s ice cream.  However, I still maintain good taste in other whipped toppings.  This is a simple way to make your own whipped cream.  Adjust the sweeteners to your own liking.

1 cup of heavy cream
1 or 2 tablespoons sugar or Splenda
½ teaspoon vanilla
Tiny pinch of salt

To start, the cream should be as cold as possible, and the bowl should also be very cold.  It’s best to use an aluminum mixing bowl that has been set in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.  The cream will whip easier and to a higher volume when very cold.  Add the cream to the bowl along with the pinch of salt.  Whip with an electric hand mixer clockwise or counter clockwise (always whip in the same direction).  I use my KitchenAid stand mixer.  When the cream is about half-way whipped, add the sugar (or Splenda) and vanilla and continue to whip. If you add the sugar and vanilla at the beginning, the cream will not whip to a high volume.  Keep whipping till sugar is dissolved and the cream stiffens.

Yankees suck!

Fresh Strawberries or Blackberries with Ricotta

By , March 8, 2006 10:35 am

Try to find fresh, creamy ricotta cheese with no preservatives for this recipe. Don’t use the stuff you get in the grocery store that comes in mass-produced fashion in tubs.

½ pound fresh ricotta cheese
1 quart fresh strawberries or blackberries
2 tablespoons granulated raw sugar
1 banana, sliced thin
6 tablespoons banana liqueur

Drain the ricotta through a cheesecloth for 15 minutes. Wash the berries, clean and hull them, and drain until dry. Place ricotta on a deep serving plate. Add the berries, sugar and banana slices and mix gently. Spoon banana liqueur over the top. Serve with ladyfinger cakes.

Baked Apples in Burgundy

By , March 8, 2006 10:09 am

4 large red apples, cored (I like Fuji Apples)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 tablespoons sugar or Splenda
¼ cup Burgundy
1 cinnamon stick
4 lemon slices

Heat oven to 375°. Place apples in a large saucepan and cover with water. Boil apples, covered, for five minutes. Transfer apples to a small baking dish, just large enough to hold the apples. Whisk together butter, sugar and wine. Pour the butter mixture into the hollows and over the apples. Pour a few tablespoons of hot water into the bottom of the dish. Break up the cinnamon stick and add it to the dish. Add the lemon slices. Bake for about 40 minutes basting several times during baking.

Fried Apple Pies

By , March 6, 2006 10:47 pm

I must thank the great Paula Deen for this yummy southern treat.

2 tablespoons butter
4 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (8-piece) container refrigerated flaky biscuit dough

For the filling: add the butter to a large sauté pan and melt. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice and cook over medium heat until the apples are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

When the filling is cool, roll the biscuits out on a lightly floured surface so that each biscuit forms a 7 to 8-inch circle. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling on ½ of each circle. Brush the edges of the circle with water. Fold the circle over the filling to make a half-moon shape. Seal by pressing the edges with the tines of a fork.

Heat a deep fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with oil to 350°. Carefully add the pies to the oil, one at a time, and fry until golden brown, turning the pies as necessary for even browning, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar immediately.

Grilled Peaches with Italian Mascarpone Cheese

By , March 6, 2006 10:24 pm

I miss California in the summer. Warm sun, cool water, beer, bikinis and peaches!  Grilled peaches!

3 firm but ripe peaches, pitted & quartered
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Italian Tuaca vanilla citrus brandy
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup dry white wine
Olive oil

First off, crank up the barbecue grill to medium-high heat. Scour the grill well and lightly brush the grill with oil. Place the peaches on the grill and cook until the grill marks are formed, slightly softened and heated through, about 5 to 6 minutes total.

Meanwhile, stir the sugar, brandy, and lemon juice in a medium bowl to blend. Set the brandy mixture aside. As the peaches are ready, remove them from the grill and place them in a shallow baking dish. Top them with the brandy mixture, and toss to coat. Set aside for 15 minutes and allow them to cool and marinate, tossing occasionally. Stir the mascarpone and vanilla in a small bowl to blend. Slice and divide the grilled peaches equally among 6 coupe dishes. Pour the wine over the peaches. Dollop the mascarpone mixture atop the peaches, and serve.  Your welcome.