Category: Dessert

Fruit-on-Bottom Yogurt Cups

Published on by AlissaLeave a comment

I’m a snacker. I love to snack throughout the day, eating one snack around 10am and another one around 3pm.  Snacking keeps my blood sugar in check and also keeps me from eating everything in sight once I get home.  One of my favorite snacks is yogurt!

Prepackaged yogurt cups have a lot of added sugar and preservatives. You can save money and have a tastier treat by making your own. I buy organic plain yogurt. Plain greek yogurt is also a great alternative which has over twice the protein as plain yogurt and is ultra creamy. Buying bulk plain yogurt is a lot cheaper and you can keep it on hand to use in other recipes (as an alternative to sour cream in dips, on tacos).

Fruit-on-Bottom Yogurt Cups

Ingredients

Organic plain yogurt (greek style, whole fat, or low fat)

Yogurt Option Add-ins:

  • unsweetened applesauce (add a dash of cinnamon for a kick)
  • 1/4 cup fruit (blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, peaches, whatever you have), frozen or fresh
  • 1 teaspoon no added sugar fruit preserves
  • dried fruit (cranberries, figs, apples, apricots)
  • vanilla extract
  • fresh sliced or chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc)

Instructions

  1. If using frozen fruit, thaw in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds. Add fruit, preserves, or applesauce  (or combination of these ingredients) to the bottom of a container.
  2. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of plain yogurt. Top with a sprinkle of nuts, vanilla extract, or dried cranberries.

Flourless Fudge Brownies with Butterscotch Chips (Gluten Free)

Published on by Alissa2 Comments

I recently realized that I have been taking something small for granted. My thumbs. Ya. Those puppies are really useful.

This past weekend, I cut myself pretty bad on the knuckle of my thumb on my left hand. My whole left hand is bandaged up with butterfly sutures and gauze. Little things like brushing my teeth, tying my running shoes, and drinking coffee have become quite challenging.

So the lesson of the story, don’t take the little things for granted.

Like black beans, for example. I know, I know, I know….weird comparison, but black beans can be used for more than savory dishes like tacos, side dishes, and salads. They are the magic and secret ingredient in my flourless brownies. Shhhhhhhh!

I swear you would NEVER know if I didn’t tell you.  I adapted this recipe from a Whole Foods recipe and swapped the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips. I also cut down the quantity of butter, adding applesauce instead to keep them moist. The consistency of these brownies is more fudge-like.

These sweet treats taste amazing and have protein and fiber. They are so good that you will want to make these to show that you do not take black beans for granted. It’s also a great dessert to serve if you have any friends that have a gluten intolerance. To make this truly gluten free, make sure you use gluten free vanilla extract and gluten free butterscotch chips. Chocolate chips can be swapped for the butterscotch chips.  But seriously folks, go grab that extra can of black beans in your pantry and whirl up a batch of these.

Flourless Fudge Brownies with Butterscotch Chips (Gluten Free) (adapted from Whole Foods Recipes)

Makes: 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 15oz can of black beans, rinsed and rained
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 sugar (I used turbinado sugar)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8X8 dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
  2. Combine black beans, butter, applesauce, cocoa powder, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until smooth.
  3. Remove blade from food processor. Stir in butterscotch chips.
  4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until middle is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Chocolate Banana Recovery Smoothie

Published on by Alissa3 Comments

There is something that you should know about me. I am very much a type-A personality. But I am working on it. Not that it is a bad thing…it just gets in the way of having fun sometimes. Once I decide on a goal, I’m like a rabid and starving dog…I latch onto it and DO NOT LET GO until I have done it. It’s like the old “hand shake” agreement that I have with my brain. It’s a sick sick sick disease that I have.

For example, a few years back I started running. I had never been a runner. When I think of runners, images of long legged and tall women and men come to my mind. Not me…short and squatty.  I’m short…very short. I lie when I say that I’m 5’3″ on my driver’s license. But I had a goal…I was going to start running. I had previously jogged here and there. I’d even ran a 5k several years before. But I had never kept with it. I was too busy, I thought. Too busy to take just 30 minutes out of my day.

So in an attempt to meet my goal and to shed some of the 10+ grad school pounds that I picked up, I began running. Beginning in January, I couldn’t run a mile. And then I ran two….and then, by April, I ran 6 miles in a relay.

Well, if I could go 6…I could go 13, right? Goal set. I ran a half marathon by June.

Then my head immediately says…”If you can do 13….you can do a full marathon”. Goal set.

My body choked, I got a hip fracture…but by October, I pushed through and finished a marathon, with a hip fracture. 26.2 miles. And yes, those last 0.2 miles are important. Did I mention I’m Type-A? And crazy. I mentioned I was crazy, right? And stupid. But I had a goal, right? Crazy.

Needless to say, I think I have learned my lesson…with running at least. I’m not advocating, at all, my quick way to marathoning. Really, you should be running for over a year before attempting one or even a half marathon at that. And then you probably won’t fracture your hip, like I did. stupid. I mentioned I was crazy, right?

Anyways, I do learn from my mistakes.

Who knows if I will ever run another marathon again, but I’ve been an avid runner now for over 3 years.  I’m addicted. I love the feeling of running in the spring. It’s my “me” time. I now know that you have to eat right to get to where you want to be. During that whole experience, I crashed and burned a lot, but I also learned that meals and snacks are the fuel for the next event.

I still do long runs on weekends, about 6 to 10 miles, depending on the weather. After a long run, bike ride, or even a hard workout (over 45 minutes), it is super important to get protein and carbs back into for body to refuel for the day and for your next run, ride, or workout. Low fat chocolate milk is perfect for this refueling. It has good carbs and plenty of protein (3 to 1 ratio). Usually, I buy the vacuum packed organic chocolate milk that is in simple individual servings. I can take them with me when I travel and they are a perfect single serving.

However, if I am at home, I make my own recovery drink which is a chocolate banana smoothie. I always keep sliced frozen bananas in the freezer because I always have those few bananas that are going bad at the end of the week. Slicing them up and storing them in the freezer is perfect to grab later for smoothies or to defrost and use in breads.

So here is the quick and simple smoothie. In a blender, throw some sliced frozen bananas with a cup of milk and a few teaspoons of dutch unprocessed cocoa powder (Mmmmm antioxidants!). Done. Blend. Drink.

Tastes like a milk shake.  Now that’s fun. I told you I was working on having fun. And even if you don’t do long runs, this is a great healthy start to your day or even as a dessert at night.

Chocolate Banana Recovery Smoothie

Makes: 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 1/2 to 1 cup sliced frozen bananas
  • 3/4 to 1 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons dutch-processed cocoa

Instructions

  1. Place cocoa in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of milk or water. Mix milk and cocoa powder to make a chocolate paste.
  2. Add frozen sliced bananas, milk, and chocolate paste to a blender or the cup of an immersion blender.
  3. Blend.
  4. Drink.
  5. Enjoy.

Healthy Chocolate and Banana Pudding Parfaits

Published on by Alissa3 Comments

This weekend I had a major pudding craving but did not want to resort to making the boxed variety (bleh) or standing over a stovetop trying to make it from scratch with lots of eggs, cream, and chocolate.  So began my search for both a healthy and easy pudding.

I found this interesting recipe for pudding in Mark Bittman’s Food Matters Cookbook. He uses tofu (stop rolling your eyes) instead of milk.  The recipe basically takes a block of firm tofu and divides it in two portions. Half of the tofu is blended with melted chocolate, sugar syrup, and vanilla. The other portion of tofu is blended separately with bananas, sugar syrup, and vanilla.  The food scientist in me was seriously curious. Would it be creamy? Would it be chocolaty? Would it be soy-y? The verdict…YES. YES. and not really.

The chocolate pudding had a slight soy aftertaste, but not near as bad as the aftertaste associated with soy milk. The flavors and thickness of both puddings improved as they chilled in the fridge. My husband liked the banana pudding the best. I liked them both, but actually liked the chocolate one a bit better (even though I’m not a big chocolate fan) only because it was slightly more firm and more “pudding-ish”.

Allow the two puddings to chill for ate least 30 minutes before making the parfaits. 

Adaptations: Next time I think I may replace the sugar syrup with almond milk and maple syrup or honey. I am also dreaming about a butterscotch variation….I will keep you posted on the results of the experiment. If you want to make _all_ chocolate or _all_ banana, then double the ingredients of the flavor that you want and do not include the ingredients of the one that you do not want.

 Healthy Chocolate and Banana Pudding Parfaits (serves 6), slightly adapted from Mark Bittman’s Food Matters Cookbook

Ingredients

  • 1 lb organic silken tofu (divided), drained
  • 1/2 cup sugar (I used turbinado sugar which gave a bit of a carmel flavor)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • salt

Instructions

  1. Place sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
  2. Drain the tofu and divide in half. Place half of the tofu with the melted chocolate, half of the vanilla, and half of the sugar syrup in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Add a dash or two of salt. Blend in and taste.  Place chocolate pudding in a bowl with a lid. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Clean out the bowl of the food processor.
  4. Place the other half of the tofu in the food processor along with the bananas, the remaining vanilla extract, and the remaining sugar syrup. Puree until well blended. Add a dash or two of salt. Blend in and taste. Place banana pudding in a separate bowl with a lid. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  5. Layer pudding in small individual glasses with chocolate on the bottom and banana on the top.

The INfamous Crack Pie

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This dessert isn’t just famous, it is IN-famous. This dessert is also FAR from healthy, but it is divine. And once you have had one bite, you can easily become addicted…hence the name. SO be careful and don’t say I didn’t warn you! And with a name like Crack Pie, I totally was intrigued and wanted to make this as a birthday surprise for my dear sweet-toothed friend, Marlee.

It has an oatmeal cookie crust and oooooooey gooooooey buttery custardy sweet middle. You will either pass out from sugar overload or come crawling back for more. Personally, I do not have a major sweet tooth and was only able to handle half of a slice, but my husband gladly ate his slice and finished off mine as well. I think I might have to enroll him in a 12-step group to stop his cravings.

This pie is the brain child of the pastry chef Christini Tosi at Momofuku Milk Bar in New York. It makes two 10-inch pies (I used 9-inch pies and adjusted the cook time to take into account the thicker filling). It can be kept refrigerated covered for up to 5 days or even frozen for up to a month.

Can you tell which two eggs in the above picture are farm fresh from cage free chickens? I only had two left and had to supplement with store-bought eggs.

Be careful if you make this recipe….it’ll make people fall in deep smit for you.

Crack Pie (slightly adapted from this recipe), serves 16

Ingredients

Oat Cookie for the Crust:

  • 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed tightly
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Cooking spray
Pie Crust:
  • Crumbled oat cookie from above
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Pie Filling:
  • 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed tightly
  • 1/4 cup milk powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 16 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 egg yolks*

Insructions:

(Make sure that the egg whites are completely removed from the egg yolks. According to Christina Tosi, any amount of egg white in the mixture will ruin the consistency of the dense, custardy pie filling. The easiest, and best way to separate an egg is to use your hands, as shown in the picture below. Doing this by hand allows you to feel whether all of the egg white has been separated and removed from the yolk.)

To make the oat cookie for the crust:

  1. Preaheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. On low speed, add the egg yolk and increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1-2 minutes, until the sugar granules fully dissolve and the mixture is a pale white.
  3. Mix flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix on low speed. Mix for 1 minute or until the dough comes together and all dry ingredients have been incorporated. The dough will be a slightly fluffy, fatty mixture in comparison to your average cookie dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  4. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place the cookie dough in the center of the pan, spreading it out with a spatula until it is ¼-inch thick. It will not cover the entire pan.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes, until it resembles an oatmeal cookie. The cookie will be buffed with a slightly caramelized top. Cool the oat cookie completely before using. To make this ahead of time, wrap well in plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

To make the filling:

  1. Combine the sugar, brown sugar, milk powder, ground corn meal, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until evenly blended. According to Christina Tosi, a stand mixer IS A MUST. Hand whisking supposedly will not provide you with the same consistency as a stand mixer. Add the melted butter and paddle for 2-3 minutes until all the dry ingredients are moist.
  2. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and continue mixing on low for 2-3 minutes until any white streaks from the cream have completely disappeared into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
  3. Add the egg yolks, paddling them into the mixture just to combine; be careful not to aerate the mixture, but be certain the mixture is glossy and homogenous. Mix on low speed until it is. The filling should be used immediately. But it can also be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To construct the pie:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Put the oat cookie from above in a food processor with the melted butter and salt. Pulse the food processor until the cookie is broken down into a wet sand. The ground cookie mixture should be moist enough to form into a ball. If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 1-1 ½ tablespoons butter and knead it in.
  3. Divide the oat cookie crust evenly between two 10-inch pie tins. Using your fingers and the palms of your hands, press the oat cookie crust firmly into each pie tin, making sure the bottom and sides of the tin are evenly covered. Use the pie shells immediately, or wrap well in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  4. Put both pie shells on a sheet pan. Divide the crack pie filling evenly between the crust, filling the pies to ¾ of the way full. I recommend baking them separately. Bake for 15 minutes only. The pies should be golden brown on top but will still be very jiggly.
  5. Open the oven door and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, keeping the pie in the oven during this cool down process. When the oven reaches 325 degrees, close the door and bake the pies for 5 to 10 minutes longer. The pies should still be jiggly in the bull’s-eye center but not around the outer edges.
  6. Gently take the pan with the pie on it out of the oven. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack. Once slightly cooled, transfer the pies to the refrigerator. Then freeze your pies for at least 3 hours, or overnight, to condense the filling for a dense final product. According to the recipe, freezing is the signature technique and result of a perfectly executed crack pie.
  7. If not serving the pies right away, wrap well in plastic wrap. In the fridge, these pies will keep fresh for up to 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month. Transfer the pies from the freezer to the refrigerator to defrost a minimum of 1 hour before you’re ready to get in there.
  8. Serve cold, decorated with confectioners’ sugar, either passing it through a fine sieve or dispatching pinches with your fingers.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Gingersnap Cookies

Published on by Alissa3 Comments

To break the chill in the air and to add a warm spiced aroma to my home, I decided to make these cookies as a treat. They are adapted from Heidi Swanson’s ginger cookies featured in here. These are sweet and a tad bit spicy from the ginger. Now, for you ginger-aholics, these are not THAT snappy or gingery…but you can ramp up that ginger by adding more ground or fresh ginger. I added diced semisweet chocolate chips to balance the spicy ginger and because my hubby was hankering for chocolate chip cookies. And like the good domestic flower of a wife that I am (cough cough), I made the cookies that I wanted (gingersnaps) and just added chocolate….win win…right?

Now, these cookies call for 1/4 cup of molasses. Make sure you use a good unsulphured molasses. I use Plantation brand which is organic, rich, and densely flavored, not harsh. These cookies are fun and easy to whip up. I make these cookies bite sized, using about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. I love the crunch of the large turbinado sugar that the cookies are rolled in for a finishing touch.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Gingersnap Cookies (makes about 40 to 50 tiny bite sized cookies)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grained sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small cubes
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
  • 1 large egg, well beaten
  • 1/3 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chopped and/or shaved)
  • 1/2 cup large-grain raw sugar or turbinado sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F with racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ground ginger. Set aside.
  3. Heat the butter in a saucepan or microwave until it is just barely melted. Stir in the molasses, brown sugar, and fresh ginger. The mixture should be warm, but not hot. Whisk in the egg. Pour this mixture over the flour mixture and stir until barely combined. Stir in the chocolate. Chill for about 30 minutes or long enough to let the dough firm up.
  4. Place the turbinado sugar on a plate. Shape the dough into balls (using about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon each). Roll in the sugar to coat. Place 2 to 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.
  5. Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the cooking time, until the edges firm but the centers are still slightly soft. This should take 7 to 10 minutes. The cookies will puff up, darken a bit, and crack slightly. The bottoms will be deeply golden. If you make larger cookies, they will take 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Apple Crisp

Published on by Alissa1 Comment

Now, the debate continues between desserts falling in the crisp, crumble or cobbler category. In my mind, a crisp has an oat based topping over a lot of fruit, a crumble has more flour based topping over fruit, and a cobbler is more biscuit-like or pastry topping that is mixed within the fruit.   Whatever you call it…I call it divine and “yes, I’ll have another”. I tend to like the crunchy oat-type topping desserts. But I will NEVER turn down a cobbler either.

Now, you should know that crisps and cobblers are s a weakness of mine and are a dessert that I will never share….again. I learned a valuable lesson when many moons ago, I decided to share an amazing peach cobbler with homemade ice cream with my husband. It turned into an ugly war of spoons in the middle of a restaraunt between my husband and I, ending in: (1) this amazing dessert being devoured in 0.2 seconds, (2) neither of us really knowing what the dessert actually tasted like because we were too concerned that the other person was getting MORE TOPPING!!! and the LAST BITE OF ICE CREAM EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SEGREGATED ONTO MY SIDE OF THE BOWL (I’m not bitter…well, maybe a little), and (3) Kiley teaching me a valuable lesson that you should NEVER SHARE THY COBBLER WITH A TOPPING AND ICE CREAM STEALER (eh hem…him, not me).

Anyways, since one of my best friends is getting married at the end of October, several of my oldest college girl friends got together this weekend for a bachelorette party – old school slumber party-style. To top the night off (along with plenty of candy, pizza, wine, and margaritas), I made an apple crisp, which we all dove head first into with a massive tub of vanilla ice cream. And no…i did not share my piece.

Note: This is an easy to put together dessert and you can use just about any fruit (berries, peaches, cherries, plums, rhubarb…I can go on…don’t tempt me).

Apple Crisp (serves 6)

Filling

  • 6 to 8 medium crisp tart apples, sliced (no need to remove peel)
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • dash of nutmeg
  • 3 Tbsp of brown sugar

Topping

  • 1 1/4 cup of rolled oats (not quick cooking)
  • 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose)
  • 1/3 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 Tbsp butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F and place rack in the center of the oven. Spray with a cooking spray, an 8 x 8 inch baking dish.
  2. Prepare topping by placing all of the topping ingredients (flour, spices, butter, oats) in a bowl or food processor. Mix until the mixture is crumbly (looks like coarse meal) and there are no large pieces of butter visible.  If you are not using a food processor, you can use two knives or your fingertips.  Set aside until you finish making the filling.
  3. For the filling, place the apple chunks in a large bowl. Toss with the lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar. Transfer to the baking dish.  Spread the topping evenly over the apples.
  4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the topping is brown and the filling is bubbly. mmmmm.
  5. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
  6. Keep guard for any cobbler thieves. Get the ice cream out and DIG IN!

Upside Down Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

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Someone at work brought nearly 20 bananas to give away. Because my biggest pet peeve is wasted food, I had to take them and make it my mission to come up with something to use them in besides banana bread (although I looove me some good nana bread). After the big bike ride, Kiley and I deserved a cake. Also, it was our 6th wedding anniversary…so another great reason to make a cake. And it was a rainy sunday…and hey, I wanted cake. SO there.

In this adaptation of a Dave Lebovitz cake, I used more natural foods instead of processed items. I made a few easy swaps, such as honey instead of white sugar, whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose (AP), and greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  I have really tried to remove white flour and white sugar from my cooking, using minimally processed natural sugars, such as honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar. Next time, I will likely use maple syrup in the caramelized topping instead of the brown sugar that is in the original recipe.  Whole wheat pastry flour is less dense than regular whole wheat flour and is perfect for baking. This cake was still very moist despite the whole wheat flour. If you don’t have access to whole wheat pastry flour, then you could use half AP and half whole wheat.

Seriously, this tastes like a banana foster cake with amazing warm bits of chocolate. I would definitely recommend eating this the day you bake it….warm….with vanilla ice cream. Be ready to get your mind blown. And for you banana haters out there….I totally feel sorry for you. This is fab.

Upside Down Banana Chocolate Chip Cake (adapted from Dave Lebovitz):

Makes 1 8×8 cake, serves 9 to 12

Topping

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 3 bananas
Cake
  • 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup banana puree (about 2 ripe bananas)
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt (or plain yogurt strained in cheese cloth)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet/semisweet chocolate
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Topping – Spray 8X8 pan with pam. Mix brown sugar and water in pan. Place in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Peel and slice the bananas in 1/4 inch slices. Arrange the slices over the melted brown sugar topping in tight rows. Drizzle with a few drops of lemon juice to keep the banana from browning.
  3. Whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  4. In a small bowl, mix together the honey, melted butter (cooled…don’t want to cook the egg), egg, egg white, banana puree, yogurt, and vanilla.
  5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until almost combined. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces. Do not over mix or the cake will be tough.
  6. Using a spatula, scrape the banana cake mixture on top of the bananas and carefully spread over the sliced bananas.
  7. Bake for 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 350F.
  8. Cool the cake for 20 minutes (if you dare). Use a knife to separate the cake from the edge of the cake pan. Flip over and place on a platter.

Fig Gilette

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Get Figgy With It…..

I think the fig is the most beautiful fruit…hands down. When it comes to food porn, the fig takes the cake. Cut open a fresh fig and I dare you to not be smitten. I am perfectly satisfied to eat fresh figs until my stomach churns….similar issues that I have when confronted with A) pecan pie and B) ketchup…yes, ketchup is a downfall of mine. I swear I have no idea what a tater tot actually tastes like….but I digress.

Back to the star of this dessert….the fig! So, figs are here and I bought a metric boat load. Before they went bad, I decided to use them in a rustic tart….also known as a gilette. I’m in deep smit with gilettes. They are easy and fabulous to make for gatherings. I made my own crust (preferable), but I have also used frozen pie crust in a pinch. The figs are quartered and placed over an almond paste also known as frangipane. I used salted and roasted almonds and simply rinsed the salt off of them. You can use raw almonds and roast them in an oven at 350F for 10 minutes, stirring frequently so that they don’t burn. I also recommend eating this with a fresh cream or my favorite…good vanilla ice cream.

Note: This dessert can be made with other fruit besides fig. Recently, I made a galette with thinly sliced apples tossed in cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar…mmmm. You could also substitute the figs for plums or peaches, or whatever is in season.

Fig and Almond Gilette (adapted from www.simplyrecipes.com)
  • 1 1/4 Cup all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1/2 Cup butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2 inch small cubes and placed in the freezer for 15 minutes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 Cup of ice water
  • 1 1/2 pounds of fresh figs, tips removed, quatered
  • 1/4 Cup roasted almonds
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white

CRUST: If you are daring enough to make your own (and I recommend it), use either a food processor or a mixing bowl and combine flour and sugar. Add butter and process until mixture resembles a coarse meal, approximately 10 seconds. If not using a food processor, You can use two knives or a pastry blender to cut butter into small pieces until they are the size of small peans. With food processor running, gradually add water and egg yolk through the feed tube. OR if you are like me and doing it by hand, just pour this stuff in. Stir with a wooden spoon until dough is not wet and sticky and holds together. Do not over mix (mix for less than 30 seconds). Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least an hour.

ALMOND PASTE (FRANGIPANE): Grind almonds in a food processor with flour and sugar. Add egg. If not using right away, store this in the fridge for up to three days or freezer for a month.

ASSEMBLE GALETTE: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove pastry dough from fridge 30 minutes prior to using. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Press out to 10″ to 12″ diameter. Leave a 2 to 3″ border. Ttransfer crust to the baking sheet (something I keep forgetting to do and end up transferring the pie after it has been assembled elsewhere). Spread almond paste on the dough leaving a 2″ border. Quarter the figs and place them over the almond paste. Sprinkle lemon zest over figs.  For the crust, brush the endue of the crust with an egg white. Sprinkle the whole thing with raw sugar and bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry edges are golden brown.

Lemon-Ginger Zucchini Bread

Published on by AlissaLeave a comment


It is the end of summer and the markets and gardens are overflowing with zucchini. Unfortunately, squash bugs took over my garden. So, I am relegated to enjoying the fruitful harvest of other local gardeners. I had so much extra zucchini from my community supported agriculture (CSA) pickup that I decided to shred it and freeze it, waiting for the perfect time to unleash the oven again. As the cool air has FINALLY came in, I decided to use my extra zucchini in a warm spiced zucchini bread this morning.

Now, this ain’t your normal zucchini bread….get ready. It is bursting with amazing flavors and aromas that come from ginger, lemon zest, cinnamon, and…wait for it….curry powder. Ya, sounds weird…and I too balked at it when I first read the original recipe on Heidi Swanson’s blog 101 cookbooks.com. But seriously folks, I am a convert. The warm golden color from the curry with flecks of zucchini are a sure fire winner in this quick bread. DO IT!

Lemon-Ginger Zucchini Bread (adapted from 101cookbook.com), makes 1 awesome loaf.

  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 inch portion of fresh ginger (grated)
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 Cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 Cup packed fine grain natural cane sugar or brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 to 1/2 Cups grated zucchini, with skins, squeeze some of the moisture out and then fluff it up again before using (if defrosting…drain for 30 minutes in colander)
  • 1 1/2 Cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
  • 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 tablespoon curry powder 

PREP: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray one 5×9 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside. In a small bowl combine lemon zest and grated ginger. Set aside.

WET INGREDIENTS: In a mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and scrape down the sides of the bowl to all that goodness stirred in. With a wooden spoon, stir in the vanilla and then the zucchini.

DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and curry powder.

COMBINE: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring with wooden spoon between each addition. Fold in the lemon zest and ginger mixture. DO NOT OVERMIX!

BAKE: Add the batter to the greased loaf pan. Top with nuts if you want. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.

COOL: Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the bread pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack (or eat immediately, like me).

EAT: Pour a big honkin’ glass o’ milk and ENJOY!